Antalis ‘Dragons’ judge young print entrepeneurs

Client Name: Antalis

Case Study Type: Presentation Skills

Antalis has staged a Dragons’ Den style initiative to support the personal and professional development of young people from We Do. Print, part of the Commercial Foundations social enterprise.

Two teams of entrepreneurs pitched print-led promotional marketing ideas to the five-strong line-up of Antalis dragons and Arthur Hindmarch, MD of Commercial Group. All young people involved with We Do. Print come from different backgrounds. It was the first time any of the participants had made a formal presentation in a corporate environment.

Tim Percival, office divisional director at Antalis, Europe’s leading distributor of paper, packing and visual communication materials, said he was inspired by their courage, resilience and determination.

“We Do. Print is a pioneering social enterprise which is very close to our hearts at Antalis, so we didn’t have to think twice about getting our ‘Dragons’ Den hats on’ and putting participants to the test. While there could only be one winner, all pitchers demonstrated an incredible amount of talent and look set to enjoy a successful career in print, or any other discipline they choose.”

The pitches centred on a mug and coaster combo and a phone case featuring a QR code. Both teams were successful in engaging and impressing the dragons. However, the phone case was selected as the winner due to its strategic use of digital technology.

Alex from the winning team says: “We were so nervous, but we held it together and our hard work paid off. The dragons gave us some really useful feedback, and they also took the time to tell us about their business. It was a great day.”