Born in United Kingdom · Nationality British — Business / finance / tech

Deborah Meaden

Documented profile covering 6 controversies, including “Mudstone land project and village green inquiry” and “Ploughcroft investment followed by administration after prior sale of her shares”.

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Profile No. 0686 · Updated on 12 October 2026

6Documented controversies

8Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2023-2024

Psychic Sisters investment and criticism of pseudoscience promotion

No legal proceedings

Meaden's investment in Psychic Sisters was criticised by sceptics who considered that Dragons' Den lent commercial legitimacy to unsupported paranormal or wellbeing practices.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings

Sources · 1

[1]
The SkepticDragons' Den has a quackery problem that goes far beyond ear seedscommentaryMedium reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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2024

Acu Seeds / ME-CFS controversy and altered programme edit

No legal proceedings

Meaden responded favourably to Acu Seeds' demonstration and assessment in an episode criticised for lending credibility to claims of benefits for ME/CFS; the BBC subsequently altered the presentation and added a warning.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: No legal proceedings

Sources · 2

[1]
Sky NewsDragons' Den episode edited after complaints over unfounded ME treatment claimsMediaVery high reliability
[2]
The SkepticDragons' Den's uncritical promotion of ear seeds is an insult to ME/CFS patientscommentaryMedium reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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2015-2016

Voluntary liquidation of Zeven Media after Dragons' Den investment

No legal proceedings

Zeven Media, a photo booth company that had obtained £50,000 from Deborah Meaden for 25%, entered voluntary liquidation in 2016.

State of the evidence: Documented

Sources · 1

[1]
Prolific NorthPhoto booth company backed by Deborah Meaden goes into liquidationMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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2011-2012

Ploughcroft investment followed by administration after prior sale of her shares

No legal proceedings

Meaden and Theo Paphitis had each invested £60,000 in Ploughcroft; the company subsequently entered administration after the collapse of the solar market.

State of the evidence: Documented

Sources · 2

[1]
The GuardianDragons' Den solar power business goes bustMediaHigh reliability
[2]
The GuardianCorrection: Paphitis and Meaden had sold back Ploughcroft shares before administrationMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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2012

Failure of JPM Eco Logistics after investment with Theo Paphitis

Civil / administrative proceedings

Meaden and Paphitis had backed environmentally focused logistics company JPM Eco Logistics, which subsequently failed financially.

State of the evidence: Documented

Sources · 1

[1]
Evening StandardTwo Dragons are burned as eco-truck firm crashesMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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2009

Mudstone land project and village green inquiry

Investigation

Deborah Meaden, through the Mudstone partnership, was involved in a dispute over registering land as a village green; the inspector criticised the reliability or plausibility of some evidence opposing registration.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Associate

Sources · 1

[1]
Open Spaces SocietyOpen Spaces autumn report — Mudstone village green inquiryReportMedium reliability

Last verified: 5 September 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
Line width: number of documented references
Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (1)

Theo Paphitis2 documented references
- Ploughcroft investment followed by administration after prior sale of her shares Source ↗
- Failure of JPM Eco Logistics after investment with Deborah Meaden Source ↗

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.