Dragons’ Den: From L’Hood to Imp & Maker hampers, these are the businesses pitching tonight

With everyone’s favourite business show now back in full stride, the BBC’s Dragons’ Den is welcoming the return of another famous face: Emma Grede, founding partner of Skims and co-founder of denim brand Good American.

Taking over Joe Wicks’ still-warm seat from last week’s episode, Grede joins Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies, as they interrogate a new batch of startups.

On the menu tonight are businesses pitching everything from a hands-free alternative to umbrellas, food and drink hampers for every occasion, a mobile grave-tending service, and a new hair-dye machine for salons. Will any of them win the backing of a dragon? You’ll have to tune in to find out – but here’s everything we know about the startups entering the lair this evening.

Just in time for rainy season, first in the den this week are Carolyn Asome and Phil Moore, who think they’ve designed a hands-free alternative to umbrellas that constantly flip inside out – trendy, waterproof bonnets. But will the dragons rain on their parade?

Launched in 2022 in partnership with hair stylist Elliot Taylor as a contemporary version of the plastic bonnet that your grandma might’ve worn coming out of the salon after a perm, L’hood makes three sustainable bonnets for any rainy occasion.

The Ritza is the original L’Hood and has a more structured design, making it look more like a brim-style hat that can fold back into a compact strap that you can wear around your wrist. The Elio is more of a hood that you wear around your neck, and the Decca is a lighter, less-structured version of the Ritza. The brand also sells two bucket hat-style bonnets – the Ilse and Jack.

Read more: The best umbrellas for unpredictable British weather

Next in the den is entrepreneur Sarah Louise Fairburn, the founder of a luxury food and drink hamper business. Curating gifts that are designed to be enjoyed now, rather than saved, her hampers have already appeared on The Independent’s round-up of the best hampers in 2025, but will she also get the dragons’ tastebuds tingling?

Launched in 2020, Imp & Maker has a multitude of super-specific hampers for every occasion. Each hamper has a selection of high-quality, gourmet products from artisan producers. IndyBest’s audience editor Samuel Mathewson was particularly impressed with the match day breakfast hamper, which is perfect for treating any football fan.

But there are more than a hundred different hampers to choose from, including an ultimate Italian hamper, a prosecco and cheese gift hamper, an ultimate bloody Mary hamper, a luxury wine and cheeseboard hampers and many more. Imp & Maker’s hampers start from as little as £35.

Read more: We’ve reviewed the best hampers for luxury gifting

Third in the den is founder and radio presenter Jay McGregor, who wants to help people care for their loved ones’ resting places — even if they live miles away. A noble mission, but will the dragons come onboard?

Launched in 2021 after McGregor’s father died in 2020, Graceful Graves is a mobile grave-tending service offering professional cleaning, maintenance and flower-laying for cemeteries across London. Customers can book one-off visits or regular upkeep, with each service providing photo updates and reports so families can see the results from afar.

The company offers three care plans. The lavender plan is a £120 one-off clean and tidy; the Violet plan is a £110 monthly subscription for a deep clean; and the Willow plan is an annual subscription costing £440, which includes quarterly cleans and flower replacements.

Last in the den this evening is Francisco Gimenez, a serial entrepreneur who wants to revolutionise the way hairdressing salons treat and colour hair. Will the dragons see the potential in his high-tech solution?

Launched in 2023, Yuv’s created a smart hair colour dispensing system designed to cut waste and speed up testing time in salons. The machine detects the perfect hair colour for every client and mixes those shades automatically.

Stylists can then create bespoke colours and track usage through an app, a bit like a printer ink-ordering service. Gimenez believes it could save salons both time and money.

Missed last week’s episode? Read up on everything Dragons’ Den with our recap now