Dragons' Den series 23: Inspiring way guest entrepreneur Jenna Meek got rich at an admirably young age
"I'm not scared of the Dragons; they should be scared of me"
Dragons’ Den is back on our TV screens with a series 23, and four new guest Dragons filling the Sara Davies-shaped hole in the line-up – and the first is Jenna Meek.
Crafting queen Sara left the series in 2025 to focus on her own business, much to the sadness of fans. But it was onwards and upwards for the BBC, as they subsequently announced a change of format. The latest episodes in 2026 will see an “exciting new line-up of guest Dragons” who are “ready to shake things up in the Den”.
Seasoned investors Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, and Steven Bartlett are back. And there’ll be joined by guest Dragons Gary Neville, Tinie Tempah, Susie Ma, and Jenna Meek – with Jenna appearing first in episode 1.
Here’s everything you need to know about new Dragons’ Den guest Jenna Meek, including how she got rich, her “surreal” experience on the show, and her “empathy” for the budding entrepreneurs.
Dragons’ Den series 23 welcomes four guest Dragons
Dragons’ Den is back in business with a brand-new series 23 and four new guest Dragons. This year, former footballer Gary Neville is back in the Den for his second stint, alongside first timers musician Tinie Tempah, Tropic Skincare’s Susie Ma, and REFY CEO Jenna Meek.
Every episode will feature one of the four sitting alongside the resident Dragons: Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett.
Seven brand new episodes of Dragons’ Den will begin on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer with more episodes to come later this year.
Who is Jenna Meek on Dragons’ Den?
Jenna Meek is a “serial entrepreneur” and the CEO of REFY. She is a “respected voice in the beauty and business communities”, having launched her first venture at the age of 20.
From Bishop Auckland in the North East of England, Jenna Meek is the woman behind “two trailblazing brands in the cosmetics industry”. A former product developer for Burberry, she quit her job in December 2015 to follow her passion for body painting.
When most of us were getting drunk at festivals, Jenna had launched a business to make money out of them. Her first business The Gypsy Shrine – later just SHRINE – was “born out of festival culture in 2016”. A festival make-up and cosmetic glitter brand, it quickly gained international traction with pop-ups at global festivals including Coachella. Her products even appeared on Love Island.
As the world became more environmentally conscious, Jenna “pivoted the business to align with sustainability values”. She relaunched SHRINE 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 having sold her stake in the business. Reports said that Jenna, who was 26 at the time, was set for make a £50m turnover.
What is Jenna Meek’s business REFY?
REFY is a beauty brand, known for being cruelty-free and vegan. Jenna co-founded the company with her friend and fellow influencer Jess Hunt.
REFY launched in 2020 with an aim “to simplify beauty routines with multifunctional, high-performance makeup and skincare”. Known for its “clean girl” aesthetic and viral brow products, the brand offers products like the Brow Sculpt and Cream Bronzer.
From its Manchester base, the company has become one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the UK with an annual turnover of more than £40m. The brand is now stocked in Selfridges, Brown Thomas and Sephora across the UK, Ireland, US and Canada, and the Middle East.
Jenna – now very much a respected voice in the beauty and business communities – and REFY have won multiple award. These include: 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
Staff at the fast-growing cosmetics brand REFY made headlines in 2025 when they got rid of work phones to create a better work/life balance.
Emails on personal phones were also deleted and the workforce made the decision to no longer use WhatsApp. The firm’s co-founder Jenna Meek welcomed the change.
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.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Jenna said at the time: “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.”
‘Dragons’ Den is the reason I became an entrepreneur’
Talking about joining Dragons’ Den, Jenna told us: “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.”
Talking about the types of businesses she’s interested in investing in, she explained: “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 revealed she “found myself sticking up for the entrepreneurs”. She 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 admitted she was genuinely surprised by how “real and intense the environment was”. She explained: “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 made me want to champion them even more!”
Spilling the backstage secrets of the BBC One show, Jenna also said: “The process itself also surprised me. 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.”
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How old is Jenna Meek? Who is the youngest Dragon?
New Dragons’ Den star Jenna Meek made her first moves in the beauty business world as a 20 year old, and is now 33. This makes her the youngest guest Dragon. Gary Neville is the oldest at 50, with Susie Ma coming in at 36, and Tinie Tempah currently 37.
In fact, Jenna is the youngest female to ever appear as a Dragon on the show. In 2019, Sara Davies joined Dragons’ Den as the youngest-ever female Dragon at the age of 35. Deborah is 66, and previous guest judges Susannah Constantine and Emma Grede are 63, and 43 respectively.
The baby of the show was Steven Bartlett, however, who joined in series 19 at the age of 28. He’s now 33.
Does Dragons’ Den star Jenna Meek have a boyfriend or partner?
Jenna Meek got married to her long-term boyfriend in Tuscany in July 2021. The month before, she shared the good news on Instagram. The post read: “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 posts pictures of her personal life on her socials.
How rich is Jenna?
Jenna Meek and her REFY co-founder Jess Hunt are among the wealthiest people in the North West of England. In 2025, The Sunday Times revealed the top 30 richest hair, beauty and makeup entrepreneurs, with many hailing from the North West region.
Young businesswomen Jenna Meek is said to be worth an estimated £52m. She 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
