BBC Dragons’ Den reject told ‘too much competition’ in market now runs £12million business
A business once dismissed on national television has now grown into a multi-million-pound success.
An entrepreneur who was told his company would get lost in a competitive market has defied expectations, with his brand now valued at £12 million.
Mark Wong, founder of IMPOSSIBREW appeared on the BBC show in 2022, seeking £45,000 for a 10 per cent stake. Despite a detailed pitch, all Dragons’ decided against investment.
Three years later, his company is worth £12m and just recorded its most successful Dry January ever with over £500,000 in monthly sales.
Wong entered the Den just six months after launching IMPOSSIBREW, but all the Dragons raised concerns that it was “too early” in his business journey.
They also worried about “too much competition in the industry,” a concern that would later prove unfounded as the non-alcoholic beverage market expanded rapidly.
Steven Bartlett was the first to decline, saying he liked the product but was worried it wouldn’t stand out against big competitors like BrewDog.
Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden were concerned that customers might only buy it once and that marketing costs would be too high.
Touker Suleyman praised Wong as “the most credible 24-year-old” to appear on the show but pointed out that the business had only made £10,000 in sales at the time.
Peter Jones said Wong gave a strong pitch but turned him down over concerns about where the product fit in the market and how well it could compete.
Fast forward to 2025, and IMPOSSIBREW has proven all those concerns wrong with remarkable growth. January 2025 saw record-breaking sales exceeding £500,000, nearly doubling the previous year’s £340,000. January 17 marked a milestone with the company’s first six-figure revenue week.
The brand is now selling a beer every 15 seconds on its website. Average consumer spending increased by 5.2 per cent compared to January 2024.
IMPOSSIBREW’s crowdfunding efforts have been equally impressive, with a 2022 Crowdcube campaign surpassing its £400,000 target in under 10 minutes. The campaign ultimately raised over £750,000 – significantly exceeding the original goal presented to the Dragons.
More recently, the company reached its £500,000 funding target in just 35 minutes during priority access, surpassing £1.2m within 24 hours of public launch. The latest round completed at nearly £1.6m with over 1,200 investors.
Wong said: “Dragons’ Den was a pivotal moment for us. While we didn’t secure investment, the experience gave us something far more valuable – validation that we were creating something people truly wanted.
“The response following our appearance was incredible, showing us there was genuine appetite for a third choice beyond just drinking and not drinking.”
IMPOSSIBREW has achieved 299 per cent three-year compound annual growth rate between 2021-2024. Over 1 million cans have been sold in the last 12 months alone.
IMPOSSIBREW operates in a £1T global non-alcoholic beverages market growing at 8.56 per cent annually. Non-alcoholic drinks are projected to surpass alcoholic drinks by 2026.
Wong joins the ranks of successful Dragons’ Den “rejects” like Tangle Teezer, Pasta Evangelists and BrewDog who went on to build thriving businesses.
He said: “Three years on, what started in that Den has grown into something remarkable.”
