Snoap CEO shares Dragon’s Den success and global growth vision
Snoap CEO shares Dragon’s Den success and global growth vision
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Lisa Hicks, founder and CEO of Snoap, has captured attention across the UK with her sustainable invention and her recent appearance on BBC’s Dragon’s Den. Speaking at a Chambers Wales event, Hicks shared her journey from lockdown inspiration to national recognition, describing both the challenges and triumphs of launching an eco-friendly consumer product in a competitive market.
The event provided a platform for Hicks to reflect on the rapid rise of her business. Snoap is a hybrid soap dispenser designed to work with specialised solid soap bars which turn into a powder, offering the environmental benefits of reduced plastic waste with the practicality of traditional liquid dispensers.
“The idea for Snoap came to me in March 2020, during the first national lockdown,” Hicks explained. “Like many families, we were making changes at home to reduce our plastic usage, but when it came to hand and body washing, solid bars just weren’t working for us.” With three young children at home, Hicks recounted the frustrations of slippery, messy soap bars and the hygiene issues that followed. Her youngest child even invented a game called ‘Where will it land?’, where he would squeeze the soap until it flew across the bathroom.
Realising there was nothing on the market that combined the sustainability of solid soap with the user-friendly nature of dispensers, Hicks set out to invent her own solution. Thus, Snoap was born. The innovative product gained traction quickly, culminating in an invitation to appear on the long-running investment show, Dragon’s Den.
“We were invited to apply, which I didn’t even know was a thing,” she said. “I received an email in April asking if I’d be interested in filming in June. From that point on, it was a whirlwind.” The application process required exhaustive due diligence, including verifying every product claim and social media post. “It’s a lot of work, but totally worth it,” she added.
The actual filming was an intense experience. Although only 14 minutes of footage aired on television, Hicks revealed that she and her husband were in the Den for over two hours. “The adrenaline was pumping,” she recalled. “In the lift on the way up, I told my husband you could hear my heart pounding in my chest.” Having recently lost her father, Hicks said her personal grief gave her perspective and helped to ease her nerves. “I knew my dad would be proud of me regardless of what happened in there.”
What followed was one of the most dramatic moments in the show’s history. All five Dragons made offers and pitched to Hicks, vying for a stake in Snoap. “That was the only scenario I hadn’t prepared for,” she admitted. “I watched every episode, rehearsed every possible question, and knew our figures inside and out. But I didn’t expect to have the Dragons pitching to me.”
Unlike many entrepreneurs who see offers withdrawn once they express a preference, Hicks experienced no such issue. “They were all fighting for us until the very end,” she said proudly. The episode aired to widespread acclaim, but until the broadcast, Hicks and her team were sworn to secrecy. “It was like buying someone a really great present and not being able to tell them about it,” she joked. “We were allowed to tell people we were going to be on the show a week before it aired, but not the outcome.”
The response to the episode was overwhelming. “We had a room full of friends and family watching with us. When it ended, we got a round of applause. It was a really special night,” she said.
While appearing on Dragon’s Den provided an immediate visibility boost, the post-show phase presented its own challenges. Further due diligence was required by the Dragons’ legal teams, a step that often causes investment deals to fall through. “That’s the part people don’t always see,” Hicks explained. “Some entrepreneurs don’t complete the deal due to various reasons, from intellectual property issues to valuation disagreements. It’s not just about what happens in the Den.”
Despite these challenges, Snoap has continued to grow. Hicks noted that the product has gained interest not only from individual consumers but also from major businesses looking to improve their sustainability practices. “I’ve been offered jobs as a sustainability coordinator and had investment offers from around the world,” she said. “It’s been amazing to see so many businesses adopt Snoap as part of their corporate responsibility strategies.”
The growth of the B2B side of the business was unexpected but welcome. “I originally thought our audience would be direct-to-consumer, but businesses have really embraced our solution. The impact we can make by helping entire companies switch away from single-use plastics is huge.”
Despite the global reach of her product, Hicks remains firmly rooted in Wales. “We’re creating jobs here in manufacturing, marketing and HR. My HR consultant is here with me today, and she’s been instrumental in helping us grow compliantly,” she said. “Where I can, I work with Welsh businesses and support female founders. Keeping the business in Wales is really important to me.”
Her journey also led her to the House of Lords, where she was the only female speaker on a panel discussing the lack of patents among inventors. “I don’t come from a traditional engineering background. I studied finance, and then I invented a product out of necessity,” she said. “Women receive less funding and are less likely to patent their ideas, even though their businesses are often more successful. It’s a belief gap. Women don’t believe in their abilities as much, and that needs to change.”
Hicks is ambitious about the future of Snoap. “Everyone washes their hands, hair and body. Our target market is everywhere. That’s been a challenge from a marketing perspective because it’s so broad, but it also means there’s incredible potential,” she said. “We’re aiming for global dominance in the hand, hair and body wash market.”
With a clear vision, a compelling product and the backing of the two Dragons, namely Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones, Snoap is poised for continued success, all from an idea born during lockdown in a Welsh family home. Lisa Hicks’ story is a powerful reminder of how innovation, resilience, and purpose can come together to create real impact.
