Tallaght entrepreneur secures £100k after pitching to Dragons on BBC
By Mary Dennehy
A TALLAGHT entrepreneur secured a £100,000 investment on this week's episode of BBC One's, Dragons' Den.
Growing up in Springfield, Sharon Keegan, a past pupil of St Mark’s Community School, is the CEO and founder of award-winning Irish support wear brand, Peachylean.
Sharon Keegan on Dragons' Den
On Thursday’s televised episode, Sharon entered the Den and pitched to five Dragons – seeking a £100,000 (€115,000) investment for a 11 per cent stake in her company.
Sharon was successful in securing £100,000 from three Dragons, with Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Tej Lalvani all coming on board for a 30 per cent stake in Peachylean.
Speaking with The Echo the day after the show aired, Sharon, who now lives in Walkinstown, looked back to when she applied for Dragons’ Den: “I just thought why not, I’ll give it a bash.
“I never thought [the Dragons] would take it on.
Sharon’s company Peachylean creates support wear
“I was so overwhelmed [after securing the investment].
“I couldn’t wait to tell my father Tommy.
“He’s a massive fan of the show and he came with me and was waiting in the dressing room.
“I was bursting to get out and tell him.”
A support wear brand, Peachylean was created by Sharon after she went looking for supportive and comfortable leggings after having her two sons – with the company’s core vision being ‘support for everyone’.
Sharon encouraged anyone with a business dream to “go for it” – including young people.
“You have to learn who you want to be, not who you think other people want you to be”, Sharon said.
“Don’t be afraid to fail…all failures are only lessons.
“I had to learn to believe in myself and face my inner critic.”
Learn more about Peachylean, which Sharon established in 2018, on the company website HERE
Pick up next week’s Echo for a full interview with Sharon, who started her first business at the age of 19.
