The Dragons’ Den appearance will feature Edinburgh-based entrepreneur John McClarey, founder of Business Fives, seeking backing to scale his charity-focused networking events.

Business Fives helps companies boost networking and employee engagement while raising funds for charitable causes, counting clients like PwC, EY, eBay, HSBC and Sky among its roster.

To date, the company has helped raise more than £1 million for charitable purposes.

The business is expanding internationally, with new overseas events planned and a milestone All Britain Finals in Leeds in April drawing entrants from the UK and Ireland.

The Dragons lineup for the episode includes Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett, with guest Dragon Tinie Tempah, and the episode airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday, 19 February.

McClarey hopes the exposure will accelerate growth, aiming to boost engagement and drive sponsorships, while expanding the Business Fours portfolio and broadening golf and other sports offerings.

Business Fives began a decade ago in Scotland with a single charity event in Edinburgh and has grown to a nationwide platform.

McClarey describes Dragons’ Den as a highly positive experience and notes he was invited to apply after several steps, including Zoom calls and pitches, culminating in his appearance with guest Dragon Tinie Tempah.

The founder seeks to leverage the Den experience to gain knowledge and maximize revenue from sponsorships and golf.

Today, Business Fives operates in more than 50 cities across the UK, Ireland and Europe, delivering football, golf, mixed touch rugby, esports and other sports for corporate fundraising and networking.

Since its 2016 inception as a single Edinburgh charity event, Business Fives has expanded to a broad portfolio across multiple cities and sports.

McClarey says the Den is among the best business experiences he’s had and hopes the show will effectively tell Business Fives’ journey to viewers.