Peter Jones | |
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Born | [1] Langley, Buckinghamshire, England | 18 March 1966
Occupations |
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Known for | |
Partner | Tara Capp [2] |
Children | 5 |
Website | www |
Peter David Jones CBE (born 18 March 1966) is an English entrepreneur, businessman, investor, and reality television personality, with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, retail, and property. [3] He is the last remaining original investor on the BBC One series Dragons' Den , [4] and has appeared on other television programmes with similar formats.
Jones lived in Langley, Buckinghamshire, [5] before moving to Maidenhead when he was seven. He attended Desborough School and then attended The Windsor Boys' School. [6]
Jones set up a business in which he made personal computers with his own brand when he was 16 years old. However, he lost £200,000 after deciding to sell it to IBM. In an interview with The Times , Jones said his computer business failed in his twenties; he lost his four-bedroom home in Bray and his cars, and had to move back in with his parents. [7] He then joined Siemens Nixdorf, where he ran the U.K. arm of the computer division. [8]
In his mid-twenties, he opened a cocktail bar in Windsor based on the Tom Cruise film Cocktail .
After Siemens' acquisition, he set up his next venture, Phones International Group, in April 1998. [9]
In the summer of 2005, Jones, together with Theo Paphitis, a fellow panellist on Dragons' Den , bought gift experience company Red Letter Days from another panellist Rachel Elnaugh, under whose ownership it had collapsed. [10]
Jones founded other businesses between 1998 and 2007, including 10telecom which he later sold to Vodafone, Data Select, which became a market-leading distributor of mobile phones, Wines4Business.com, [11] an online retailer specialising in the sale of wine and champagne to corporate clients, and Celsius Resourcing, a recruitment business specialising in biotechnologists. [12]
In 2005, he founded The Peter Jones Foundation, a charity to support the advancement of education in young women, particularly through teachings of enterprise and entrepreneurship. [13]
In 2009, Jones founded the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA, formerly NEA) to teach entrepreneurial capabilities within the UK. PJEA has several campuses including Amersham, Sheffield, Manchester, Southend and Oxford. In November 2013, it was reported that a new Peter Jones Enterprise Academy was to be opened in Leamington through Warwickshire College. Pupils were taught how to enhance a company or key skills for becoming a successful entrepreneur. The academy was to offer the BTEC Level 3 Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at both its Leamington and Rugby campuses. [14]
According to his website, some of his investments in businesses which appeared on Dragons' Den include luxury lifestyle and culture Wonderland magazine; Square Mile International, which provides data services for marinas and was later sold to BT; contemporary circus company The Generating Company; Synthetic Genomics; iTeddy; and Reggae Reggae Sauce. [15]
He owns a TV production company, Peter Jones TV, and has several property investments; his properties include several commercial offices, a Portuguese villa which he bought from DJ Chris Evans [7] and a property in Beverly Hills, California, as well as Barbados and Switzerland. [16]
Jones sold part of Phones International Group, Wireless Logic, for £38 million in 2011, [17] [18] [19] retaining the Data Select part. [18] [20]
In 2013, Jones became the main investor and owner of photographic retailer Jessops. [21]
In August 2017, it was reported that Jones and his Dragon's Den and Red Letter Days partner Theo Paphitis were almost scammed by an accountant who forged cheques over a two-month period. [22]
Jones is the sole remaining original Dragon on the BBC's Dragons' Den , which started in January 2005 and has continued with a new series approximately yearly. Jones had regular conflicts in the Den with former Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, who appeared on the show from 2005 to 2014. [23]
He sold his television show idea called The Inventor to the American Broadcasting Company, resulting in American Inventor , which was co-produced by Fremantle, Simon Cowell and Peter Jones Television. [15] Two series of the show were made in 2006 [24] and 2007.[ citation needed ]
After signing a "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV to appear as their new "face" of business programming, on 21 September 2006 Jones appeared on GMTV to talk about Dragons' Den and his new ITV show Tycoon , based on American Inventor and produced by the Peter Jones Television company. Five episodes were broadcast in June and July 2007. [25] Tycoon also inspired Tycoon in Schools, a nationwide youth enterprise competition which began in 2012 [26] and as of 2023 [update] continues under the name Tycoon Enterprise Competition, supported by the Peter Jones Foundation. [27]
In 2020, Jones appeared as a Shark on the American series Shark Tank and is now a recurring Shark on the programme. [28]
In January 2010, Jones appeared alongside his Dragons' Den co-stars Duncan Bannatyne and Deborah Meaden in the fifth episode of the sixth series of Hustle . Jones appeared in ITV2's Celebrity Juice in May 2010, and James Corden's World Cup Live in June. In November 2010, Jones was a guest panellist in the BBC quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks , and in The Magicians in January 2011. Jones has twice participated in the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment of Top Gear , once on his own and once with fellow Dragons' Den judge Theo Paphitis.
Jones took over from Gordon Ramsay as the face of BT Business in 2008. [29] Jones is also the Ambition Ambassador for the business software company Sage Group and appears in their television advertising as well as being a customer of the company. [30]
Jones was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, for services to business, entrepreneurship and young people. [31]
Jones is separated from his first wife Caroline, with whom he has two children. [32] He lives in Buckinghamshire with his partner Tara; they have three children. [5]
He owns several classic and luxury sports cars. [7]
Red Letter Days is a UK company which was an early adopter of the concept of giving experience day vouchers as gifts and corporate rewards, based in Farringdon, London in the offices of its parent company, Moonpig Group.
Rachel Elnaugh is a former British entrepreneur who founded the UK gift company Red Letter Days. She was one of the investors participating in the first two series of BBC Two's reality TV show Dragons' Den.
American Inventor is a reality television series based on a competition to be named America's best inventor. It was conceived by Simon Cowell and the producers of American Idol, and premiered on ABC in March, 2006. It was organized as a competition between inventors nationally, resulting in one overall winner.
Theodoros Paphitis is a Greek-Cypriot British retail magnate and entrepreneur. He is best known for his appearances on the BBC business programme Dragons' Den and as former chairman of Millwall Football Club.
Doug Richard is an American entrepreneur best known for his television appearances in the United Kingdom. He appeared as a "Dragon" on the first two series of Dragons' Den and was also a government adviser.
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, and property. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den. He was appointed an OBE for his contribution to charity. He has written seven books.
The Bedlam cube is a solid dissection puzzle invented by British puzzle expert Bruce Bedlam.
Tycoon is a British reality television show, based on the existing Peter Jones/Simon Cowell production American Inventor, which began on 19 June 2007 at 9.00pm. It was fronted by Peter Jones, who searched for entrepreneurs with ideas that he helped turn into profit-making companies, in which the winner is chosen by the public. The entrepreneurs compete for support from Jones and the other companies' profits. The series also included a viewers' competition in which 25% of the winning company's shares were divided between 2,000 viewers.
Martyn Smith is a British television producer noted for creating the original UK series of the hit BBC series Dragons' Den based on the original Japanese format.
Dragons' Den is a British reality television business programme, presented by Evan Davis and based upon the original Japanese series. The show allows several entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their varying business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, the "Dragons" of the show's title, and pitch for financial investment while offering a stake of the company in return.
Trunki is a brand of ride-on/carry-on hand luggage for children, designed by Rob Law. The product became well-known after featuring on the UK television series Dragons' Den in 2006.
Hilary Lorraine Devey CBE was an English businesswoman and television personality best known for her role on the BBC Two programme Dragons' Den until she left to present the Channel 4 series The Intern.
Charles Ejogo is a British entrepreneur who is the inventor of the Umbrolly umbrella vending machine. Ejogo appeared on the first episode of the UK television programme Dragons' Den where he "won" £150,000 funding for his "Umbrolly" umbrella vending machines.
Dragons' Den is a Canadian television reality show based on the internationally franchised Dragons' Den format which began in Japan. The show debuted on October 3, 2006, on CBC Television, and is hosted by Dianne Buckner. Aspiring Canadian entrepreneurs pitch business and investment ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing business financing and partnerships. The show also has a Quebec-only spin-off called Dans l'oeil du Dragon.
The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, formerly known as the National Enterprise Academy, is an educational initiative offering programmes at a number of colleges and schools in the United Kingdom.
Christopher Eves is a product designer and inventor. Eves, and his nephew Luke Booth, successfully participated in the BBC television show Dragons' Den and received investment to launch their packaging solutions for the FMCG, Retail & Leisure markets.
Modupeola "Dupsy" Abiola is a British-Nigerian (non-practising) barrister, entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the Global Innovation Officer of the International Airlines Group (IAG). She is the founder and CEO of Intern Avenue, an online internship website designed to connect employers with students and graduates. Dupsy appeared on the Thomson Reuters Power List named as one of the most influential black businesswomen in Great Britain in 2013. She has been featured in the press and on television relating to recruitment, business, and entrepreneurial pursuits. She pitched on series ten of BBC television show Dragons' Den, attracting an investment offer from business tycoon, Peter Jones.
Tangle Teezer is a British company that manufactures hair care products, most notably hairbrushes. It was founded by Shaun Pulfrey, a hairdresser, and its first product was launched in 2007. The first and signature product, a detangling hairbrush dubbed "The Original" eventually achieved cult popularity and received the Queen's Award for Innovation in 2012, and International Trade in 2014, as well as reaching the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 in 2013 and 2016.