- Ukrainian entrepreneur, Yana Smaglo, stirred an emotional reaction from judges
- READ MORE: Dragons' Den viewers are left baffled by 'wild scenes' as Sara Davies invests £50,000 in a football shirt business
The Dragons' Den judges were left speechless on Thursday's episode after a 'heart-wrenching' pitch from a Ukrainian refugee - as she managed to secure a rare four offers.
When entrepreneur Yana Smaglo, was forced to flee her country two years ago following Russia's invasion, she left with just the clothes on her back, a laptop and just enough cash to start investing in her distribution business.
Appearing on the BBC show, she pitched her plans to expand her Ukrainian clothing distribution 'Nenya', hoping to secure an investment of £80,000 for a 10 per cent equity share of the company.
After hearing the harrowing tale of how the young merchant built up her business from scratch, several of the Dragons were left speechless - with Deborah Meaden admitting the story had left her 'choked up'.
She eventually managed to secure a rare four offers from the Dragons - including what she had asked for.
However, social media viewers were less convinced, and believed the Dragons had only made an 'emotional' offer, rather than looking at the facts.
Despite worries that her English wouldn't be 'good' enough to understand the judges questions, Yana comprehensively won them over, with four offering her investments.
Yana, who is currently living in Leeds, owns a distribution company that buys and sells authentic Ukrainian clothes for international wholesale - which she hopes to sell in luxury retailers such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols. The clothes have price points between £70 and £150.
The Dragons' Den judges were left speechless during Thursday's episode by a 'heart-wrenching' pitch from Ukrainian refugee Yana Smaglo (pictured
Despite having 'no family left', Yana had her sights set on doing whatever she could to 'help my country' by investing in quality Ukrainian products.
Explaining to the judges why she needed the investment, she explained her chances of securing a loan in the UK were slim to none.
Delivering her pitch, she said: 'Our mission is to help Ukrainian companies increase sales and support the economy by taxes and also create new work places for Ukrainian refugees in the UK.'
They currently have 98 wholesale partners across three continents with two departments stores in the UK and US.
Over the course of just one year, the entrepreneur managed to earn an impressive profit of £100,000.
'My goal is to build the biggest distribution company with the best Ukrainian products and services. Made in the Ukraine with love and bravery,' she said.
After delivering the emotional pitch, a ripple of silence washed over the dragons, who were each at a loss for words after listening to Yana's heartfelt story.
Breaking the silence, Deborah Meaden, said: 'Gosh, I feel a bit choked up! I don't get choked up very often, do I?'
Although he ultimately decided not to invest, Peter Jones was left visibly emotional by her story
The businesswoman got exactly the offer she was hoping for with both Deborah, Steven, and Sara (pictured) agreeing to give her the money she wanted
Meanwhile, Peter Jones called the pitch 'heart-wrenching' yet 'inspiring', but was keen to get the questions.
Peter asked the native Ukrainian where the products were being manufactured.
She explained: 'Currently I have five brands in my portfolio, most of them originally manufactured in the east but they moved their factories closer to the west because the east is too dangerous.'
She went on to tell the judges that she had initially wanted to sell in retail only and 'wholesale had come from nowhere' - though she had only found success after success when adding wholesale partners to her company.
'We now have 98 and we are adding new partners every month,' she explained.
Meanwhile, the pitch stoked a particularly strong reaction for Deborah, who revealed her sister is currently hosting a Ukrainian mother and her son, adding that Yana's story had 'really touched' her.
Keen to understand Yana's history in business, she asked about her qualifications, to which she revealed she had a Masters in finance and was an owner and designer of a women's clothing brand when she lived in the Ukraine.
Steven Bartlett was equally full of praise for the aspiring distributor, commenting on her 'incredible' profits - despite having started with just £5,000 of her own savings.
Appearing on the BBC show, she pitched her plans to expand her Ukrainian clothing distribution 'Nenya'
However, social media viewers were less convinced, and believed the Dragons had only made an 'emotional' offer, rather than looking at the facts
'I escaped so quick and just grabbed something that I had at home,' she told judges, telling them she had only managed to throw together a bag for her documents, laptop and £5,000 - which she went on to invest in the company.
When Steven asked where she saw herself in five years, Yana said she wanted to be the 'biggest distribution company' and 'not only stop on the fashion business' but bring the 'best' products from Ukraine to 'the rest of the world'.
'You're very driven aren't you,' Steven remarked in response.
'When you're losing everything - your work and your home and everything and you need to build your life again - this drives you a lot,' she said.
When asked by Touker Suleyman about where she would sell her clothes, Yana reassured him the the quality would be enough for the likes of Harrods and Harvey Nichols to stock them.
'Some added value is that it's produced in Ukraine - a lot of people want to support it,' she said.
Touker said he thought the business would need more money and would offer £20,000 for 10 per cent - if the other dragons agreed.
Despite worries that her English wouldn't be 'good' enough to understand the judges questions, Yana comprehensively won them over, with four offering her investments
Meanwhile, the businesswoman got exactly the offer she was hoping for with both Deborah, Steven, and Sara agreeing to give her the money she wanted.
But Peter Jones wasn't convinced the company was 'unique' enough. He said he had to remain 'true to myself' and opted not to make an offer.
In the end, Yana opted to split the offer between Deborah and Steven - with each getting a 5 per cent share.
The episode stoked up emotional in more than just the judges. Commenting on X, formerly known as Twitter, one wrote: 'Turned on the TV and Dragon's Den is on and Yana, an amazing refugee, is pitching in excellent English, distribution of fashion brands in Ukraine. Amazing resilience and innovation on show. And some canny negotiation too.'
A second wrote: 'A Ukrainian refugee comes to the country with five grand and sets up a business and people are criticising Dragon's Den? Such an inspiring story.'
