The ingenious way Dragons’ Den star Jenna Meek got so rich
Dragons’ Den is back for series 23 – and with it comes a fresh twist, a refreshed format and four new guest Dragons stepping into the Den. Filling the Sara Davies-shaped gap first is beauty entrepreneur Jenna Meek.
Crafting queen Sara left the series in 2025 to concentrate on her own business ventures, much to viewers’ disappointment. But the BBC quickly signalled that change was coming. The 2026 episodes promised an “exciting new line-up of guest Dragons” who would be “ready to shake things up in the Den”.
Returning to their familiar seats are Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett. Joining them across the series are guest Dragons Gary Neville, Tinie Tempah, Susie Ma and Jenna Meek – with Jenna making her Den debut in episode one.
Here’s everything you need to know about Dragons’ Den guest Jenna Meek, from how she built her fortune to her “surreal” experience on the show – and why she felt such strong empathy for the entrepreneurs pitching in front of her.
Guest Jenna Meek joins Deborah Meaden for some female solidarity on Dragons’ Den series 23 (Credit: BBC One)
Who are the guest Dragons in series 23?
Dragons’ Den is officially back with a brand-new series 23 and a rotating line-up of guest Dragons. Former footballer Gary Neville returns for his second appearance, while musician Tinie Tempah, Tropic Skincare founder Susie Ma and REFY CEO Jenna Meek all make their first Den appearances.
Each episode will feature one guest Dragon sitting alongside the established investors: Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett.
Seven brand-new episodes begin on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with more episodes due later in the year.
Who is Jenna Meek on Dragons’ Den?
Jenna Meek is a self-confessed “serial entrepreneur” and the CEO of REFY. She is also a “respected voice in the beauty and business communities”, having launched her first business at just 20 years old.
From Bishop Auckland in the North East of England, Jenna is the woman behind “two trailblazing brands in the cosmetics industry”. She previously worked as a product developer for Burberry, before quitting her job in December 2015 to pursue her passion for body painting.
While many were simply enjoying festival life, Jenna spotted a commercial opportunity. Her first business, The Gypsy Shrine – later known as SHRINE – was “born out of festival culture in 2016”. The festival make-up and cosmetic glitter brand quickly gained international attention, with pop-ups at global festivals including Coachella, and products appearing on Love Island.
As sustainability became increasingly important, Jenna “pivoted the business to align with sustainability values”. SHRINE was relaunched with an eco-friendly haircare product, Drop It, a hair dye innovation free from single-use plastic.
In November 2020, Jenna co-founded REFY, and officially left SHRINE in 2024 after selling her stake in the business. Reports said that Jenna, who was 26 at the time, was set to make a £50m turnover.
Jenna Meek has watched Dragons’ Den since she was a small girl (Credit: BBC)
What is Jenna Meek’s business REFY?
REFY is a cruelty-free, vegan beauty brand co-founded by Jenna and her friend, fellow influencer Jess Hunt.
Launched in 2020, the brand set out “to simplify beauty routines with multifunctional, high-performance makeup and skincare”. Known for its “clean girl” aesthetic and viral brow products, REFY’s range includes favourites such as Brow Sculpt and Cream Bronzer.
Based in Manchester, REFY has grown into one of the UK’s fastest-growing beauty brands, with an annual turnover of more than £40m. The products are stocked in Selfridges, Brown Thomas and Sephora across the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and the Middle East.
Jenna – now firmly established as a respected voice in both beauty and business – and REFY have collected multiple awards, including The Times’ Best Place to Work, Marie Claire’s Prix d’Excellence, British Beauty Community Winner and Forbes 30 Under 30.
REFY bans mobile phones at work
REFY made headlines in 2025 after staff scrapped work phones in a move designed to improve work-life balance.
Emails were removed from personal phones, WhatsApp was ditched, and the decision was welcomed by co-founder Jenna Meek.
Writing on LinkedIn, she said: “In November, I deleted emails from my phone. The reaction was ‘WOW that’s crazy, you’re the CEO of a pretty important business’.”
She added: “Has my business died because of this? Absolutely not. If anything, nothing has changed. I still check my emails just not every second.”
Jenna also wrote: “This week at REFY we are getting rid of work phones, no longer using WhatsApp, all emails on any personal phones need to be deleted. The great part about this [was] this wasn’t my idea. The team thought of it and implemented. We sell bronzer, we don’t save lives.”
Jenna Meek says she’s the “funny” Dragon (Credit: BBC)
‘Dragons’ Den is the reason I became an entrepreneur’
Speaking about joining the show, Jenna said: “I am so excited to be joining Dragons’ Den. This has been a lifelong goal of mine. Dragons’ Den is the reason I became an entrepreneur. From watching it with my dad from such a young age, it is incredible to be able to meet so many amazing entrepreneurs building businesses and pushing the boundaries.
“It is such an empowering environment and I am thrilled to be a part of it. It’s also incredible to be here alongside the Dragons, especially Deborah. She’s inspired me from such a young age, and I hope I can do the same for someone else.”
On what she looks for when investing, Jenna added: “I’m less focused on specific sectors and more drawn to founders who are genuinely reshaping their industries. I love seeing entrepreneurs innovating, challenging norms and reshaping within their space – that really excites and inspires me!”
‘I told the other Dragons off a few times!’
Describing herself as a “funny Dragon”, Jenna admitted she often found herself sticking up for the entrepreneurs – and even “told the other Dragons off a few times”.
She said: “I really resonated with the people standing in front of us because I was in their position almost eight years ago. I was empathetic towards the entrepreneurs and much more competitive with my fellow Dragons. I was still very much a Dragon, just maybe a tougher one on the panel than on the entrepreneurs. It surprised me how protective I felt over them, but it felt very true to who I am.”
Jenna also revealed she was taken aback by how “real and intense” the Den environment was. “I think I underestimated how daunting it was for the entrepreneurs to come into the Den, pitch their business that they have worked tirelessly to build all whilst being on national television. I felt a lot of empathy for that and it made me want to champion them even more.”
Lifting the lid on the process, she added: “It is exactly how you see it on TV. You get no prior knowledge of the businesses; you get a quick look at the product on the table and, as soon as the cameras start rolling, the entrepreneur walks in. The decisions we had to make were genuinely huge.”
How old is Jenna Meek? Who is the youngest Dragon?
Jenna Meek first entered the beauty business at the age of 20 and is now 33, making her the youngest guest Dragon on the show. Gary Neville is the oldest at 50, followed by Susie Ma at 36 and Tinie Tempah at 37.
Jenna is also the youngest female Dragon to ever appear on Dragons’ Den. In 2019, Sara Davies joined the panel as the youngest-ever female Dragon at 35. Deborah Meaden is 66, while previous guest judges Susannah Constantine and Emma Grede are 63 and 43 respectively.
The youngest Dragon overall remains Steven Bartlett, who joined in series 19 aged just 28. He is now 33.
Does Dragons’ Den star Jenna Meek have a boyfriend or partner?
Jenna Meek married her long-term boyfriend in Tuscany in July 2021. The month before, she shared the news on Instagram, writing: “YAYY, we have booked our wedding venue. Tuscany July 2021.”
Many of her 13.7k followers responded with messages of congratulations and excitement. She has since become a mum, but rarely shares images of her personal life on social media.
How rich is Jenna?
Jenna Meek and REFY co-founder Jess Hunt are among the wealthiest people in the North West of England. In 2025, The Sunday Times revealed its top 30 richest hair, beauty and makeup entrepreneurs, with many based in the region.
Jenna Meek is said to be worth an estimated £52m and is now on “track to build a billion pound beauty empire”.
Read more: Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones shares ‘pain’ of losing his dad during emotional episode
Jenna Meek appears on Dragons’ Den on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 8pm on BBC One.
