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Ariadne’s Julie Meyer Becomes Dragon For New Online-Only Den

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imageAriadne Capital and First Tuesday founder Julie Meyer is one of the two “dragons” being tapped for the panel of a new, online-only production of BBC business gameshow Dragon’s Den. Meyer, who, at NewMedia Investors, backed companies like Lastminute.com, is joined by Shaf Rasul, founder of Edinburgh optical storage distributor E-Net Computers and an investor in property and internet companies.

SEE ALSO: Dragon’s Den Doing Online-Only Show; Video Pitches Mandatory

The BBC’s new multiplatform commission will show online video pitches from entrepreneurs and subsequent interchanges with the potential investors, whose handouts will be capped at £50,000. The videos go online starting Monday, March 30, published weekly, and will include audience contributions like rating business plans. It will be hosted by BBC Radio One breakfast newsreader Dominic Byrne. Meyer has also advised Skype and Espotting, and backed Spinvox, Slicethepie and Zopa.

Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice have helped popularise UK entrepreneurship, and the likes of TechCrunch and Seedcamp have tried to create a forum for new little Web 2.0 startups to press some VC flesh. Like TechCrunch’s own Elevator Pitches project, the new Dragon’s Den project depends on online video. TV dragons already have online cred - ex show star Doug Richard is CEO of mobile social startup Trutap, which has been all but mothballed, and a board member at online VC deals tracker LibraryHouse. Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden are investors in new entrepreneur advice site Smarta
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Mar 18, 2009 7:20 AM ET

Posted In: Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Venture Capital, Companies, BBC

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