Dragons' Den Grand Final | 24 June 2026
Join us at the grand final of this year’s Dragons' Den competition, where our finalists will pitch live.
Dragons' Den Grand Final | 24 June 2026
Join us for the live final of the fourth annual Dragons’ Den Competition at the Global Business School for Health.
At this showcase event, our shortlisted teams will pitch their ideas live to a panel of expert Dragons. Hear directly from the finalists, gain insight into emerging ideas in healthcare, and see which team takes home the top prize.
The Competition
The Dragons’ Den Competition is open to all GBSH students, inviting them to develop innovative business ideas to improve healthcare.
Ideas span the full health ecosystem, including digital health, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare and hospital management, patient safety, bioscience and public health.
Across four rounds, students refine their concepts before presenting them in the live final. Our Dragons are experienced investors and serial entrepreneurs from across the health sector, bringing commercial insight and real-world expertise.
All finalists receive funding to support their ideas. The winning team is awarded £4,000, shared between group members, along with a year of expert mentoring.
Join us to hear the pitches, support our finalists and see which idea stands out.
The Dragons
Dr Vanessa Dekou
Managing Director of Clinical Services International (CSI)
Vanessa is the Managing Director of Clinical Services International (CSI), a leading biopharmaceutical service provider of clinical trial supplies. With over 20 years of experience in drug development, market access, and commercialisation, she leads a team of experts who offer a fully integrated service for comparator sourcing, reference listed drugs, regulatory advice, and supply chain management.
As a scientist-entrepreneur, Vanessa has a passion for advancing immuno-oncology studies with world-leading access to branded medicines, generics, and biosimilars. She has secured product registration for several orphan and first-in-class drugs, and has worked with some of the largest biopharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide innovative solutions. She is also a board member at Cambridge Judge Business School, a fellow at the Royal Society of Medicine, and an advisor to Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. Vanessa holds a PhD in Cardiovascular Genetics from UCL, an MBA from Cambridge, and a Master's in Market Access from the University of Lyon.
Dr Ruth Weir
Head of Entrepreneurship at UCL
Her distinguished career began in academic research, earning her PhD in Neuroscience from University College London (UCL). She subsequently served five years as a post-doctoral researcher at the renowned MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, furthering research into the neuropathological underpinnings of autism.
In 2020, Ruth transitioned to UCL’s Innovation & Enterprise division, where she now leads the Entrepreneurship team. In this capacity, she oversees UCL’s comprehensive extracurricular entrepreneurial programming, which encompasses the building of entrepreneurial mindsets to enhance employability outcomes, facilitating ideation processes, and supporting startup development. Her leadership extends to the competitive Hatchery programme, operated at BaseKX-UCL’s dedicated incubator facility situated in the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.
Lloyd Price
Partner and Co-Founder of Nelson Advisors
Lloyd is a Partner and Co-Founder of Nelson Advisors, one of Europe's leading HealthTech M&A Advisors. He brings 12+ years of successful HealthTech entrepreneurial experience having founded and exited various Healthcare Technology companies including Zesty in 2020 to Induction Healthcare Group PLC (FTSE:INHC).
Prior to his HealthTech ventures, Lloyd held senior business development, marketing, strategy and corporate development roles at Kelkoo, Yahoo! Europe and Badoo from 2000 to 2012. Lloyd is a Health Executive in Residence at the UCL Global Business School for Health, Mentor for Oxford Venture Capital Network and Oxford MedTech Society.
He was a Founder of The Future Health community in 2024 and Founding Member of the Digital Healthcare Council in 2017. He is a Non-Executive Director and Advisor for various UK Digital Health companies, Venture Capital and Private Equity Funds.
Lars B. Andersen
CEO of My Nametags
My Nametags is a company that sells iron-on and sticker name labels to parents in 148 countries. My Nametags has received a Queen's Award for International Trade.
Lars is also a Governor/Non-Executive Director of Capital City College, the largest further education college in London. He has been Master of two City of London livery companies, the World Traders and the Entrepreneurs. Lars grew up in Norway and speaks seven languages.
Mentor for the winning team
Dimitrios Kalogeropoulos
Global AI strategist and CEO of the Global Health & Digital Innovation Foundation
Dimitrios founded DorothAI™, a platform focused on scaling safe, governed AI in healthcare. He works with organisations such as the World Bank and WHO, and chairs the IEEE European Public Policy Committee, helping bridge innovation, regulation, and market execution.