THE inventor of expandable panels which turn favourite jackets into maternity wear took her idea onto TV’s Dragons’ Den.

And shortly after all five dragons declared “I’m out”, entrepreneur Kate Bell secured four investors of her own, based on a company valuation of £1million.

Kate Bell devised her Fordingbridge-based business Zip Us In after finding she could not wear her favourite jacket when she was heavily pregnant.

She created jacket panels which accommodate either a baby bump or a baby sling.

Viewers of Dragons’ Den recently saw the dragons express interest in the idea but back away when they learned Kate had borrowed £110,000 while developing the product.

Dragon Peter Jones called the idea “great” but added that “I don’t think that there is any room whatsoever for an investor in this business”.

However, in the year between filming and broadcast, Kate interested four investors.

Zip Us In jacket expanders are now stocked in 40 Go Outdoors stores, as well as on Amazon across Europe, the USA and Canada.

She said: “The prospect of presenting to a group of famous moguls in the hope of securing investment for a budding business is a daunting one, worse still when the interrogation is broadcast on TV for everyone to see.

“Dragons’ Den was ultimately a good experience and enabled me to gain invaluable experience pitching in such an intense environment which certainly helped me to land future investments outside of the Den. I think it’s fair to say every business makes mistakes along the way but I’ve made a lot of progress to get to this point and there is a bright future ahead for the company.”

She said she spent weeks before the Dragons’ Den recording reviewing every detail of the company.

“The environment was very intimidating, but I believe you can only learn and grow by doing the things that push you out of your comfort zone and Dragons’ Den most certainly did that,” she said.

“Zip Us In is a little like my third child and I am extremely passionate about the brand and the products. It’s always tough to hear negative feedback but it’s also a great opportunity for learning, especially when offered from such experienced entrepreneurs.”

She received an offer from a private investor the day after filming the show.

“Since filming, the company has now completed four investment deals at a company valuation of £1m and the four individuals have brought a wealth of experience in retail and business strategy to the brand,” she said.

“I may not have secured financial investment in the Den, but I did take away a huge amount of value from the experience."