Dragons Den reject claims he turned down £90m investment for his healthy food business

The founder of a health-conscious food delivery startup says he declined a multimillion pound investment months after a dressing down on Dragons' Den

An entrepreneur turned away by Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones on popular TV show Dragons' Den has claimed he has since been offered £90m of investment for his startup.

Marco Hajikypri’s pitch last year backfired after he valued his healthy food delivery service company “Professional Gains” at £2m, and asked for £125,000 in return for giving an entrepreneur on the panel a 5 per cent.

Former leisure industry tycoon Ms Meaden cut a frustrated figure during the pitch, telling the Birmingham-based-entrepreneur that talking to him was like “arguing with cotton wool”.

The Dragons' Den reject said that after the show had aired, he was offered a multi-million pound investment by Jojar Singh Dhinsa, a Coventry-born businessman.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Mr Hajikypri said: "It’s not worth that yet, but the potential investor […] has the vision to see what I could be making in a few years time. Unlike the Dragons.”

He added: “I’ve certainly proved [the Dragons] wrong. I am glad they turned me down now, as I have done very well without their help.”

"I didn’t want their money anyway, I just wanted their contacts, but I’ve worked hard to achieve success on my own.”

Mr Hajikypri told the paper he thought “Professional Gains” – a two-year old business which delivers protein-heavy ready meals – is now valued at around £16m despite the Dragons disputing the £2m valuation in 2016.

He added that the company will be worth “billions” in the near future.