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Dragons' Den success for Choppity after firm's founder dreamed of investment win

2025-04-11 13:06:54 By

Aaron Morris and Zara Paul of Choppity appear on the Dragons' Den show.

County Durham tech firm Choppity braved Dragons' Den and secured investment - and revealed the show success was revealed to them in a dream.

Tech entrepreneurs Zara Paul and Aaron Morris, creators of the innovative AI-powered video editing platform Choppity, have successfully secured investment from Dragons' Den. The Durham-based company, which boasts an impressive client list featuring ITN, Autotrader, Turtle Bay, and Sonatype, made a significant impact on the TV show's investors.

During their time on the programme, the entrepreneurial pair, who met at university in 2019 and are now married, offered up a 6% stake in their business, sparking interest from three Dragons. Zara, who identifies as non-binary and represented the LGBTQ+ community on the show, commended the inclusive approach of the BBC team, adding: "Knowing the inclusive values the BBC holds as an organisation, it was no surprise to me when the team was extremely accommodating around the use of my pronouns. I hope this encourages more members of the LGBTQ+ community to pursue their ambitions in business."

Ultimately, they struck a deal with Peter Jones, who offered £100,000 for a 15% share, with an agreement to reduce it to 12.5% if the investment is repaid by 2025.

Zara said: "It was an unforgettable moment to be in that room, presenting something we've worked so hard on. Then to receive three investment offers from some of the UK's top entrepreneurs was just incredible. The night before our pitch, I had a dream that Peter offered us a deal, so when that happened in reality, I couldn't believe it. We're very grateful to the show and the opportunity it gave us."

During filming, Steven commented on how excited the pair were to be there, whereas Sara was impressed by them being a collaborative married couple. Post-filming, Choppity and Peter Jones mutually agreed not to proceed with the deal, a scenario not unusual post-filming, reports Chronicle Live.

Nonetheless, the founders maintain their enthusiasm for the future post-show, as they prepare to enhance their platform with new editing functions aimed at extending its utility and appeal.

Choppity serves as an automated web-based video editor targeting social media, sales, and training videos, simplifying the editing process for businesses and individual creators. Already used by prominent companies, Choppity is seen as an innovative tool in the market.

The founding pair have a long history of product development together, with Zara’s background combining computer science, maths, and automation competencies, and Aaron’s expertise spanning computer science, video editing, and graphic design.

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