Guy Portelli walked into the Dragon’s Den asking for £70,000 for a 25% stake in his sculptures. Some of his pop-icon sculptures include Grace Jones, Any Winehouse, John Lennon and John Lee Hooker.
With the money he planned to spend £25,000 on the exhibition, renting a gallery in London. By confessing that a gallery would take 50% of his commission, the Dragons became aware that the deal was not quite as good as first thought. Deborah Meaden was concerned that cutting out the gallery meant cutting out all the marketing which would help to draw crowds to the sculptures.
Guy Portelli ended up getting an £80,000 investment from Theo Paphitis, Peter Jones and James Caan, more than he originally asked for.
For more information about Guy Portelli’s sculptures and the Pop Icons range, visit his website by clicking here
