VCs rejected Dyson's pitch, preferring to invest in fast food instead
James Dyson · James Dyson: 5,127 Prototypes · Dec 7, 2025 · at 1:25:06
Sir James Dyson describes attempting to raise capital to manufacture his bagless vacuum cleaner in the UK before turning to bank debt.
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“I went to various venture capitalists, the sort of people who ought to lend to startups, and the kind of response I got was well, you know, it's not a very interesting area. We're investing in restaurants, fast food restaurants at the moment, or we're not lending to you because you're an engineer. If you bring someone from the industry to run it, then we might consider backing it.”
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