Design Buy Build Issue 17 2015 | Page 23

The DD experience. Subsequently to our application, we were called by the BBC and invited to the London Television Studios for a screen test. This was a few months after the initial application, so as you can imagine, it was a shock when the BBC called. The screen test was a brilliant experience! The BBC were just fantastic. The actual day of filming Dragons' Den was amazing. The format has changed this year as we were interviewed before and after we went into the Den. However, we managed to secure investment with Deborah Meaden, despite, the hard time we received from the male Dragons! Deborah Meaden is a wonderful person to have on board. Peter Jones was a true gent. He congratulated us afterwards and had a nice chat with us. It’s a day we will never forget! Sync-box is a totally unique recessed power & AV socket, for use when installing wall mounted flat screen televisions. Essentially it is designed around a standard double socket space using the same module components already being used throughout the globe. Sync-box is recessed by 40mm and has a unique cover plate which when in location, has a slender 10mm profile. Therefore, it is now possible to install a new ultra thin LCD or LED screen with all cables connected professionally and stylishly behind the screen. Problem solved. The AV industry is changing quickly and none more so than flat screen TV. It was becoming impossible to mount a flat screen to the wall professionally. We came up with the idea of recessing the cables and connections, which would solve the problem of mounting flat screen TV’s to a wall. We quickly started down the road of designing and prototyping Sync-box! Dragons Den After a year of trading, Sync-box was growing quickly. We had sold 3,000 units worldwide with large enquiries coming through from major developers. We have designed and prototyped other products to run with the Sync-box product range and realised we required funding to take Sync-box to the next level. Having approached various investment channels, it was proving to be a long and painful process. We considered applying to Dragons' Den for investment as we were confident of the product and thought it can’t be anymore long-winded or painful than other avenues of investment we had tried! Feedback. Since appearing in the Den, the phone and email enquiries have exploded. We have received multiple calls from various distributors, world-wide. We are talking to a large distributor, based in Dubai whom approached us after seeing the show. This is with regard to supplying Sync-box to three brand new Trump Hotels in India and one in Dubai! The AV industry’s reaction has also been fantastic. We have received so many kind words and congratulation messages! Plans for the future. Initially we are looking to grow the Sync-box product range. This includes a dry wall version (for plaster board walls) and high end metal cover plates for the multimillion £ complexes. It is our intention to grow the business to a £5m turnov er in three years by gaining a large presence in the US as well as EMEA. We also have other product solution ideas which we would like to take to market. www.sync-box.com 023