Speaker A
Hi, I'm Victor Carpio.
Victor Carpio pitches the Dental Wand, a cat teeth cleaning toy, on Dragons' Den seeking £45,000 for 10% equity to improve cat dental care.
Key Takeaways
- Innovative approach to cat dental care by combining play with teeth cleaning.
- Product development took 30 months with research and testing.
- Challenges include product durability, pricing strategy, and convincing customers to adopt a new method.
- Interest from large retailers indicates market potential despite investor skepticism.
- Dragons highlight the importance of product refinement and broader business vision for investment.
Summary
- Victor Carpio, founder of Inventa Limited, presents the Dental Wand, a cat teeth cleaning toy designed to engage cats' predatory instincts.
- The product aims to make brushing cats' teeth easier and more enjoyable by combining play with dental hygiene.
- Victor seeks £45,000 for 10% equity in his company to scale production and distribution.
- The Dental Wand has sold 133 units since launching and attracted interest from major retailers like Pets at Home.
- The device uses a fishing rod-like wand with a corn cob-shaped brush that releases enzymatic toothpaste when bitten.
- Dragons question the product’s price point (£24.99) compared to cheaper alternatives and express concerns about durability and design.
- Victor emphasizes the safety and flexibility of the materials used, which are non-toxic and gentle on cats' sensitive teeth.
- Dragons express doubts about the product’s market potential and scalability, with some citing the need for a broader product range.
- The pitch includes a live demonstration where the wand breaks, impacting perceived product quality.
- Ultimately, the Dragons decline to invest, citing design flaws, price concerns, and limited market opportunity.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
I'm 29 years old.
Speaker A
I was born in Argentina, but I live in Hampshire.
Speaker A
And I never knew that rescuing a cat was going to turn my life around.
Speaker B
So that is a cat teeth cleaning toy.
Speaker C
It's fishing rod cat bait.
Speaker B
My cats wouldn't fall for that.
Speaker D
You think that white cat looks happy?
Speaker B
No, it's having a gnaw.
Speaker A
Cats are quite fussy.
Speaker A
And looking after my cat Lilo is a joy.
Speaker A
Until I had to get close to his mouth.
Speaker A
That was an experience that left me a little bit bloody.
Speaker A
Hi, I'm Victor Carpio, I'm founder and director of Inventa Limited. I'm here today to ask for £45,000 for 10% of my company.
Speaker A
We cat parents all have a self-proclaimed title of best cat parent.
Speaker A
And that prestigious title got destroyed by a fragile leaflet that I saw at the vets.
Speaker A
It read, have you ever tried to brush your cat's teeth?
Speaker A
I felt awful because I've never tried to do that and my cat was already five years old.
Speaker A
So, I immediately bought a cat toothbrush, got back home, tried to brush his teeth and it was awful.
Speaker A
My cat was screaming, I was crying, it's for your own good.
Speaker A
No cleaning was done and frustration stained the room.
Speaker A
So, I hated that experience and because of that, I embarked on this journey because I believe there is a better way.
Speaker A
So, through 30 months of research, development and testing of various prototypes, our dental wand was ready.
Speaker A
Dental wand is a one toy specifically designed to brush your cat's teeth.
Speaker A
It engages on your cat's instinctual behaviors to hunt and applies them to express the desired behaviors that we want, which is brushing of the teeth.
Speaker A
We began trading at the end of February this year.
Speaker A
We have sold 133 units so far and we have interest from large companies such as Pets at Home to work with them on their DTC offering.
Speaker A
There is huge demand for a solution like the dental wand.
Speaker A
And I believe that with the Dragon's help, we can make brushing enjoyable for the cats and the owners.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker E
A device for cleaning moggy's molars as well as all their other teeth is the proposition from Inventa and cat parent Victor Carpio.
Speaker E
Victor is seeking £45,000 for a 10% share in his business.
Speaker D
You've reminded me of my cat Lilo there.
Speaker E
But will this toothbrush for tabbies have Stephen Bartlett purring with delight or showing his claws?
Speaker D
So Victor, can I, can I just check something?
Speaker A
Yeah.
Speaker D
So, I don't have a cat.
Speaker D
I'm trying to figure out why you need this long thing here and not just this if this is inherently tasty and compelling to my cat.
Speaker A
So, the reason you need the rod is because that's how you're going to reenact the movements of prey.
Speaker A
And that will engage your cat to go through the predatory sequence.
Speaker A
The predatory sequence is of observing, stalking, pouncing, chasing and biting.
Speaker A
And when they bite the dental wand, that's when the enzymatic cat toothpaste will be expelled.
Speaker C
If the cat was there, you'd think it would chase, it would chase that if you do that.
Speaker D
Then it'll catch it.
Speaker A
It'll catch it.
Speaker C
And then grab it and then bite on the corn on the cob dental thing and not the green.
Speaker D
How do you know it'll bite on the corner of the cob dental thing and not the green?
Speaker C
Because it just wants to hunt and.
Speaker D
Yeah, but why not the green thing?
Speaker C
Well, then it'll realize that it's a toothbrush.
Speaker D
Oh, so okay.
Speaker A
So you can use both, to be honest.
Speaker A
So we've had, sorry to interrupt you there.
Speaker A
And thank you for helping me explain.
Speaker A
You can use the, the worm to attach catnip to it, which will make the cat chase it, bite it and do what you want it to do.
Speaker D
Have I just broken it?
Speaker A
I don't know what happened.
Speaker A
Oh, okay.
Speaker A
Yeah, I believe so.
Speaker A
I'm sorry, that must have just been a faulty one.
Speaker D
I won't give it back, I'll just keep it here.
Speaker A
I'm sorry about that.
Speaker D
Anyways.
Speaker B
So, can I ask, I have got cats, I've had cats all my life.
Speaker B
I've got a scratch here from trying to worm the cat, let alone clean their teeth.
Speaker B
So, I really think it's neat.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker B
So, can I ask, how much do they sell for?
Speaker A
£24.99.
Speaker B
And how much do they cost you to make?
Speaker A
£8.89.
Speaker B
And what do the alternatives to the actual teeth cleaner cost?
Speaker A
So toothbrushes go for around anywhere between £3 to £6.
Speaker B
And how much would a play wand cost?
Speaker A
Like a normal one?
Speaker B
Yeah.
Speaker A
Varies, £7, £9.
Speaker B
So what makes you think people are going to use this at £24.95?
Speaker A
So, the reason they'll spend money on this is because the products that they usually buy are a cat toothbrush because that's what the vet told them.
Speaker A
And I did the same, but it didn't work.
Speaker A
My cat was not engaging with it.
Speaker B
But I look at that and I think that's a £5 product with a cat teeth cleaner on it.
Speaker B
I make my own as well.
Speaker B
I just get a bit of stick or a bit of string to be perfect, a bit of wool.
Speaker B
Why do I just get a toothbrush and attach it and do the same thing?
Speaker A
The reason is the materials that the dental wand are made with.
Speaker A
It is non-toxic to cats and it is flexible enough to bend and not hurt cat's teeth which are already quite sensitive.
Speaker A
Because many cats already have gingivitis.
Speaker A
So if you make your own DIY one, you're risking the issue to actually cause damage to your cat's teeth.
Speaker B
I don't know that.
Speaker A
You'll find out because your cat's mouth is.
Speaker B
No, because I've bought it, because I look at it and it doesn't say here that that yellow thing is better and different than anything else that I can do.
Speaker B
I could buy that, tie a bit of wool around it, a bit of feather with it, dangle it a bit and for all of, you know, £5, have this amazing cat thing.
Speaker B
Then you bingo.
Speaker C
Victor, I quite like the wand though.
Speaker C
I think the wand is quite good.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker C
Because you can still sit, I could sit in my chair.
Speaker C
With a piece of string, I've got to move it.
Speaker C
I don't got to do much just with this.
Speaker C
You could call it the Sonic Cat Wand.
Speaker B
But it doesn't make it up to a £24.95 product.
Speaker C
Victor, the way, the way around this is simple.
Speaker C
If you look at this, if you spend £2,000 or £3,000 on a mold on this, that'll cost you 30 pence.
Speaker A
We, we've got the tooling with.
Speaker C
Once you've got the tooling for that, that should be no more than 20, 30 pence.
Speaker C
You'll churn those out in the millions once you've got a mold.
Speaker A
Oh, it's love to, you know, if, if you've got the contacts then it would be amazing to work with you.
Speaker C
No, because that sounds really great, but at the moment I'm opening that door and I'm not seeing anything else.
Speaker A
No, there, there is.
Speaker C
You need to give me that vision.
Speaker C
What's the other products?
Speaker C
Is it all about the wand, is my question then?
Speaker A
No, there's another product which is about helping cats take their pills.
Speaker C
Okay, so another pill product.
Speaker C
Victor, I think personally, I'm really wanting to look at something a little bit bigger that has perhaps a wider opportunity.
Speaker C
So, for me, I'm going to say that I'm out.
Speaker A
Okay.
Speaker D
Victor, I've got a dog, Pablo, a little French bulldog.
Speaker D
And I, the problem is real.
Speaker D
I really want to make sure he's got good dental hygiene.
Speaker A
Of course.
Speaker D
So I've gone through a number of things.
Speaker D
He hates them all, but I get it done within three minutes.
Speaker D
On your leaflet, it says I have to do this seven play sessions with my cat to get it to brush its teeth.
Speaker D
For me, that means it doesn't work.
Speaker D
And outside of that, the design of this.
Speaker D
You disagree?
Speaker B
Yeah, you're not a cat owner.
Speaker B
You want to try a cat with claws and teeth coming at you when you're trying to put your finger in its mouth, you don't do it.
Speaker D
I'll assume that it works.
Speaker D
I'll assume it's the best available option in the market for dental hygiene then.
Speaker D
However, I think that from a product design and engineering perspective, it's got a long, long way to go.
Speaker D
The wand did break for me.
Speaker D
A lot of it feels cheap.
Speaker D
I think you're a little bit early for an investment.
Speaker D
So I'm going to say that I'm out.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker F
Listen, I'll tell you where I'm at.
Speaker F
I haven't got a cat, but I've heard enough from Deborah.
Speaker A
You're going to tell me it's the best thing since sliced bread.
Speaker F
Her telling me it was the best thing since sliced bread is much more advocacy than you telling me.
Speaker F
I'm down with the product, absolutely am.
Speaker A
However, I can't reconcile the value of that product versus the price that you're paying for it.
Speaker A
And I can't, I can't see how to join the dots.
Speaker F
So I'm going to say it's not an investment for me today and I'm out.
Speaker A
That's okay.
Speaker B
So I, I really like it.
Speaker B
And I, I, there's something I like about you too.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker B
You've designed a product that from, from what I can see, you know, I, that will go home and I will test that on my cats.
Speaker B
But I know my cat's pretty well, you know, and I, they'll engage with that and I can't get near their teeth.
Speaker B
But you have got a load of work to do here.
Speaker B
Getting the price down, getting a redesign, and actually getting you into, I know you might be having conversations with some of these big sheds, but actually getting that over the line and in store, not just online.
Speaker B
And I don't think you're going to be able to do any of that work without some help doing it.
Speaker B
So I am going to make you an offer.
Speaker A
Thank you.
Speaker B
But this is a baby business, this is a big risk.
Speaker B
That is going to be reflected in my evaluation.
Speaker B
So I'm going to offer you all of the money, but I want 40% of the business.
Speaker A
Okay.
Speaker C
Victor.
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker C
Look, you've got elements here that could be a business.
Speaker C
And I have got some very good connections in the pet industry, especially one super chain.
Speaker C
All I'm saying really is I would match Deborah's offer, £45,000 for 40% of the business.
Speaker C
I think for me, I, I would be looking at this not just as this product.
Speaker C
The whole old care for cats or dogs eventually.
Speaker C
That's, that would be my thinking.
Speaker C
So I'm, I'm, you could say I'm backing you, your knowledge more than the product.
Speaker A
Okay.
Speaker C
Do you want to go to the wall?
Speaker A
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker E
Victor now has two rival offers on the table with Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman each prepared to part with £45,000 for a 40% share in his business.
Speaker E
Quadruple the equity he wanted to part with.
Speaker A
The fact that both that I got offers today is an honor.
Speaker A
So thank you so much.
Speaker A
I think I'm going to have to go with you, Deborah.
Speaker B
You're going to have to go with me.
Speaker A
I want to go, I'm so sorry.
Speaker B
Do you want to say that all over again?
Speaker A
I will, I will.
Speaker A
Let me, let me even walk back.
Speaker B
I'm here, I'm, show me that level of, go on.
Speaker A
Okay.
Speaker A
I'm so sorry.
Speaker A
Thank you so much for your offers.
Speaker A
It's honestly an honor and a privilege to just be standing here.
Speaker A
I want to go with you, Deborah.
Speaker B
Yay.
Speaker B
Excellent.
Speaker B
Well done, you.
Speaker A
Thank you so much.
Speaker A
If you hear any screaming, it's good screaming.
Speaker E
Victory for Victor, who leaves the den with £45,000, having secured the backing of fellow feline fan, Deborah Meaden.
Speaker C
Well done, Deborah.
Speaker B
Sometimes you just look at somebody and their product and think, you know what, that is going to be a nice business.
Speaker C
Well done, Deborah.
Speaker A
Man, that was, oh, that was insane.
Speaker A
I loved it.
Speaker A
So surreal.
Speaker A
I'm really thankful that I'm working with Deborah.
Speaker A
She is the one I wanted.
Topics:cat dental carecat teeth cleaningDental WandDragons' DenVictor Carpiopet health innovationcat toothbrush alternativepet product pitchcat owner challengesstartup investment pitch
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