Entrepreneur Reedah El-Saie, founder of education technology company Brainspark Games, has secured a £30,000 investment in the BBC’s Dragons’ Den after an impressive pitch that earned her the rare backing of three Dragons.
The London-based founder convinced Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman to invest £10,000 each in her AI-driven learning platform, which is designed to make education fun, inclusive and accessible to all learners – especially those who are neurodiverse.
Founded in 2019, Brainspark Games develops immersive, curriculum-aligned mobile games for children aged 7 to 13, covering topics such as math, English, science, languages, art and climate awareness.
El-Saie said the game’s AI engine “compresses 12 weeks of learning into just a few hours of gameplay,” allowing children to progress quickly while enjoying an immersive, story-based experience.
The entrepreneur, who has already invested around £400,000 of her own money into the company, told the Dragons that Brainspark has also received grants from Innovate UK and support from several gaming industry “super angels”. At the time of filming the business had not yet made any income and she was aiming for £10,000 for 1% equity.
While Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett questioned the economic viability of selling directly to schools – with Jones citing the difficulty of adapting to the national curriculum – the other Dragons were quick to see the potential.
Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden both offered to take El-Saie’s initial review and praised the product’s innovation and educational impact. Touker Suleyman, who initially demanded 5% equity, eventually made a rare concession to meet the 1% deal and joined the trio of investors.
“That’s how you kill three dragons,” Davies quipped as El-Saie triumphantly exited the Den.
After the episode aired, the mother of three said: “Before I went into the studio, I watched every previous episode and prepared myself for every possible question. I was really surprised at how impressed the Dragons were.”
El-Saie highlighted how investors’ collective expertise would accelerate Brainspark’s next phase: Meaden’s connections to the education sector – including ties to the Mumsnet founder – would help with reach; Davies’ parent-focused marketing skills would strengthen the consumer offering; and Suleyman’s retail savvy would guide an upcoming merchandise launch.
Brainspark Games specializes in culturally inclusive “neurogames” that combine digital learning with real-world engagement. The company is currently developing educational games at I/GCSE level as part of its wider research and development program.
