Our first Dragons' Den-style competition has crowned a local Hammersmith business as the winner.
Shaun Ames – founder of Hammersmith Grove-based Silent Disco Walking Tours – won the grand prize after pitching the 'next evolution' of walking tours.
He launched the business in 2018 when he saw the opportunity to transform the traditional walking tour concept into a more fun, engaging, and truly unforgettable experience. Now he wants to take his headphone-based tours to the next level by using augmented reality – creating a mixed reality experience, called Xtra Reality tours.
Shaun, 42, a trained magician and member of The Magic Circle, who created his business out of his love for music, theatre, storytelling and live entertainment, explained:
This isn't just a walking tour. It's a cutting-edge blend of technology, storytelling, and entertainment that will redefine how people explore cities."
He's a regular face in the Hammersmith business community and has worked with Hammersmith BID for more than 15 years. "The borough has an incredible creative energy, and it's been a fantastic place to grow and develop partnerships," he said.
Shaun has taken home the grand prize of:
- £5,000 cash prize
- £10,000 production package from Space City
- A six-month membership for Huddle's shared work space in Fulham
- Six-month intensive business support from business growth consultancy CPG.
"The prize will help us pioneer the future of immersive tourism and bring mind-blowing experiences to an even bigger audience. I can't wait to bring even more people together to sing, dance, and experience the magic of our tours."
A great place for business
Last year, Silent Disco Walking Tours ran 132 tours, attended by more than 2,329 guests – all while only operating on weekends. This year, the business is expanding to seven days a week.
"H&F has been a great place for the business, and being part of its entrepreneurial community has been incredibly rewarding," Shaun added.
Shaun managed to beat out six other local businesses who were chosen to pitch to our five business-savvy Dragons. The Dragons included:
- Alan Rides, chair of the West London Chamber of Commerce
- Ammi Vann Dunn, CEO of Space City
- Sarah King, of the Federation of Small Businesses
- Abraham Williams, Enterprise Lead at Peabody housing association, and
- Martin Carruthers from Araya Ventures.
They were joined on the night by more than 100 local entrepreneurs, business owners, industry experts and residents – including H&F Leader Cllr Stephen Cowan; H&F Mayor, Cllr Patricia Quigley; and Cllr Zarar Qayyum, H&F Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Skills.
Competition was fierce
"Congratulations to everyone who pitched on the night," said Cllr Qayyum. "It was fantastic to hear from some of H&F's passionate entrepreneurs and competition was fierce. We want to see small, local businesses thrive in H&F and this Dragons' Den-style event is just one of the ways we're making sure that happens."
The evening's runner up was Clwyd Probert, founder of Marketingmary, an AI platform built to help small sized businesses boost their online marketing.
Clwyd took home the runner-up prize of:
- A programme of business support from business growth consultancy CPG worth £2,500
- Drinks and dinner at The Hoxton Hotel in Shepherds Bush.
Other competitors included:
Nada Sabet, founder of LibLib Publishing. The publishing house prints Arabic children's books written in dialect.
Safoura Mashayekhi from Deaf Animation World.
Emily Carter, founder of EMILY CARTER, the hand-illustrated accessories and home décor online store.
Tatiana Sergeenko, from Fulham-based flower shop Floritta.
Sophie Oliver from natural skincare company Baie Botanique.
Every participant also was given a one-year free membership to West London Chamber of Commerce.
The evening was made possible thanks to financial assistance from The Ark, Hammersmith, who sponsored the venue.
