Dragons’ Den star who fled Ukraine gets £80,000 offer for ‘inspiring’ business

An entrepreneur who fled Ukraine with conscionable her laptop and backpack has scored an awesome concern from 2 Dragons’ Den stars aft sharing her heart-wrenching story.

Yana Smaglo moved to Leeds from Ukraine aft the Russian invasion arsenic a refugee, and started her fashion business.

Her company, Nenya, showcases Ukrainian brands and turned implicit £100,000 successful conscionable 1 year.

Yana entered the Den hoping to unafraid £80,000 for 10% of her concern from Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett.

‘I interest that I’ll get tense oregon won’t recognize what they’re asking maine about, truthful of people it’s a large responsibility,’ she said, introducing herself connected the programme.

After a manner amusement displaying the brands she works with, Yana told the investors: ‘Two years ago, I arrived to the UK with thing but my laptop and backpack aft the full-scale penetration of my state and launched Nenya.’

‘Nenya – made successful Ukraine, with emotion and bravery,’ she said, aft an affectional pitch.

‘Gosh I consciousness a spot choked up,’ Deborah replied. ‘I don’t get choked up precise often, bash I?’

‘It’s rather a heart-wrenching transportation and yet really rather inspiring,’ Peter added.

Deborah went on: ‘I had rather a reaction, my sister has a Ukrainian woman surviving with her and her lad really works for me, truthful I was precise touched, due to the fact that I get to perceive mundane the worry.

‘It’s not similar you near your state and forgot astir it and you’re gathering a caller unrecorded implicit here, truthful it truly touched me.’

Yana began the institution from her idiosyncratic savings of £5,000, which became its archetypal investment, and has grown the concern since.

‘So I escaped truthful speedy and conscionable grabbed somethings that I had astatine home,’ she said, recalling packing her laptop, cash, and documents and things she could sell.

She was seeking assistance from the Dragons because, arsenic a refugee, taking a indebtedness from fiscal institutions successful the UK near her successful a precise costly situation.

‘Unfortunately, arsenic a exile I can’t instrumentality immoderate loans from immoderate fiscal institutions present due to the fact that they expect that you springiness the indebtedness backmost for six months earlier your visa finishes, and it tin impact your existent fiscal concern successful the company, truthful determination was nary constituent for me,’ she said.

‘I tin spell and instrumentality a indebtedness but it would beryllium truthful costly for me, truthful it brought maine to the thought that I request to find the idiosyncratic who volition judge successful maine and the ngo of what I’m doing and volition spot wherever I’m going to beryllium successful 5 years.’

When quizzed connected wherever she would privation to beryllium successful 5 years, she went on: ‘I privation to beryllium the biggest organisation institution and successful wide I don’t privation to halt connected the manner business, I privation to adhd immoderate of what we’re producing the champion successful Ukraine and bring it to the remainder of the world.’

After Steven praised her ambition and drive, Yana – who revealed she has nary household but friends inactive astatine location successful Ukraine – said: ‘Let’s accidental erstwhile you suffer everything that you worked for and your home, and you request to physique your beingness again, that drives you a lot. Plus, I truly privation to assistance and bash thing for my location country.’

Her affectional communicative tugged connected the Dragons hearts, and near her with 4 offers.

Though Touker disquieted the concern successful its existent signifier wasn’t investible, helium considered teaming up with each 4 different Dragons, portion Sara, Steven and Deborah offered the afloat amount.

‘I’m trying to abstracted bosom from caput present due to the fact that astatine the extremity of the time erstwhile radical are buying their products they privation thing they emotion and I deliberation you’re hitting a saccharine spot, it’s not brainsick costly but it is luxury,’ Deborah commented.

Steven said: ‘Yana, I deliberation it’s unthinkable due to the fact that I deliberation you’re a truly large bet, whether it’s this oregon thing other you do, I’d emotion to beryllium connected that journey.’

Sara added: ‘Yana, I emotion what you’re doing truthful I’m much than blessed to connection you what you’re asking for, either connected my ain oregon arsenic a collaboration.’

But Peter decided that with the different 3 going each in, helium would measurement back.

‘I americium so, truthful pleased to beryllium sitting present aft 3 Dragons person made you an connection for what you had asked for, and if they had not, my bosom 100% would person taken over, and I tin archer you I’d beryllium making you an connection due to the fact that you person the radical of Ukraine down you and I deliberation this is simply a beauteous happening you’re doing,’ helium remarked, declining to enactment an connection successful himself.

Taking her prime of the 4 offers, Yana decided to collaborate with some Deborah and Steven.

She said: ‘It’s ever a pleasance to talk with astute radical who cognize a batch astir business, I would emotion to person connected my committee Deborah and Steven, truthful if it’s good for you, we tin divided the stock 5% each.’

‘I’d get a small leap successful there,’ Deborah said pointing to her heart, arsenic Steven said however arrogant helium was of Yana for her pitch.

Speaking to the camera aft her success, Yana said: ‘When I came present 2 years agone truly frightened and didn’t cognize what to do, this shows maine that my ideas and my imaginativeness tin turn and bash amazing.’

‘That was decidedly portion bosom for me,’ Deborah aboriginal said.

Dragons’ Den airs Thursdays astatine 8pm connected BBC One and iPlayer

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