Derby entrepreneur buys out his Dragon

Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Ed Hollands, who received backing from former Dragon Jenny Campbell, has bought her out three years after she invested in his mobile advertising business.

The 27-year-old graduate of the University of Derby has come through all lockdowns with his business DrivenMedia and says he is now ready to go it alone.

“Attracting the support of a Dragon like Jenny Campbell was brilliant and was so important for my business to take off in those early days,” Hollands said.

“Jenny and her team have helped me to ‘level up’ in the world of advertising, build a supply chain, develop strong business relationships and supported me in making contact with brands which would see the value of advertising on trucks travelling the UK.”

Hollands first received funding from Jenny Campbell, known as the Cashpoint Queen, in November 2017. The episode of the popular show was not screened until February the following year when the public saw Campbell take a 20% stake in the business.

In recent weeks Hollands has bought back her share of the business, and that of all other investors and is now the sole owner of DrivenMedia.

He said: “I’m very proud after we’ve all experienced during this traumatic time as a society, and in business, I’ve been able to buy Jenny out. I’d like to thank her and her team for their invaluable support. Whilst the pandemic may have affected turnover last year, this current financial year is forecast to be profitable. With all the effort I have put into growing the business I felt the time was right for me to take the reins enabling me to do things my way. I’m looking forward to taking the next steps of my business journey.”