Nature gives us lots of wonderful ingredients that make our skin healthier and more radiant – like used coffee grounds and hemp seed husks. But they often end up going to landfill. In 2016 Anna and William Brightman (2004) pitched for support in the Dragons Den for their skin care products
‘Optiat’ (cleverly standing for “one person’s trash is another’s treasure”) takees reusable residual coffee grounds to create a range of vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable skincare products. Impressive!
The pair asked for £50,000 in return for just 2% of their business and also expressed their desire for mentorship (explicitly naming ethical entrepreneur Deborah Meaden).
After a three Dragon face-off and a brief chat to the famous Den wall, the Brightmans eventually left with not one, but two Dragons on board, agreeing to team up for 15% of the business each! Now renamed Upcircle their products can be found in supermarkets both here and in Australia. In 2020 they were named as Natural Product's Thirty under 30 for the third year in a row!