What Happened to Mark Mate After Dragons’ Den?
Mark Mate appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2018, Series 16 Episode 7. The business was a app platform designed to aid teachers mark and assess students' work. They secured investment from Touker Suleyman on the show. The business is still active today.
The Pitch
James Holmes walked into the Den in 2018 with a app platform designed to aid teachers mark and assess students' work. They were asking for £20,000 in exchange for 35% of the business.
The pitch landed well enough in the Den that at least one Dragon decided to back it.
The Deal
A deal was struck on the show. Touker Suleyman offered £20,000 for 35% (30% once investment is repaid.), and James Holmes accepted.
It’s worth noting that Dragons’ Den deals agreed on camera often go through further negotiation off-screen. Some complete as shown; others are renegotiated or never finalise at all. The company’s subsequent trading history is the clearest indicator of what actually happened.
What Happened After the Show
Mark Mate is one of those Den stories that actually lasted. Having appeared on the show in 2018, the business has now been trading for over a decade — an outcome that puts it ahead of the vast majority of startup ventures, let alone television pitches.
Is Mark Mate Still Available?
Yes. Marking Solutions Ltd appears to still be trading. Companies House records confirm the business is currently active.
Related Companies
If you’re curious about other businesses from the same episode, you might also want to look at Brighter Bikes, Noveltea, Jollof Box. Each has its own story of what happened after the Den.
Watch the Pitch
Companies House Data
- Status
- active
- Company Number
- 10453100
- Registered Name
- MARKING SOLUTIONS LTD
- Incorporated
- 2016-10-31
- Company Type
- ltd
- SIC Codes
- 62012
- Registered Address
- Acacia Cottage, New Road, Bourton, Dorset, SP8 5BJ, England
- Accounts
- total-exemption-full (period ending 2024-10-31)
- Latest Financials
- Total Assets Less Liabilities
- -8132
- Employees
- 1
- Period
- 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024
- Officers
-
HOLMES, James Robert
— secretary
Acacia Cottage, New Road, Bourton, Dorset, SP8 5BJ, England
-
HOLMES, James Robert
— director
Acacia Cottage, New Road, Bourton, Dorset, SP8 5BJ, England
-
HOLMES, James Robert
— secretary
Dragons’ Den Tracker