Who is Simon Sansome and when did he pitch his disability app Snowball Community on Dragons’ Den?
SIMON Sansome launched an app for disabled people in 2022.
The entrepreneur has described Snowball as a “version of TripAdvisor” for disabled people.
Who is Simon Sansome?
Born in 1982 Simon, from Leicester, went on to study journalism at De Montfort University.
However, in 2014 Simon suffered a slipped disc following a rugby injury which was mishandled by a routine chiropractor.
The doctor unfortunately crushed his vertebrae so severely, that it left Simon with long-term complications.
At the age just 32, he was left paralysed from the waist down, yet this did not stop him from continuing his passion and ambition.
Simon continued to work as a freelance journalist and even went on to be a podcast presenter.
His journey to starting Snowball began when Simon couldn’t access toilets at a restaurant because he was a wheelchair user.
What is Simon Sansome’s disability app Snowball Community?
Snowball‘s story began as a small Facebook page called Ability Access in 2016.
Simon wanted to raise awareness of disability friendly areas in Leicester.
What started off as a humble Facebook group now has transformed into a trending app that has already accumulated thousands of users.
The app allows users to find and review restaurants, shops, and attractions on their accessibility.
What is the purpose of Snowball Community?
Dubbed as an advanced TripAdvisor for disabled people, Snowball highlights the tools and information needed to help assist the disabled community in their day-to-day lives.
From finding a blue badge bay anywhere in the UK to discovering accessible playground spaces, Snowball’s potential continues to grow rapidly.
The app accumulated around 100,000 reviews within its first year of launch, winning over eight recognised global awards between 2023-2024.
When was Simon Sansome on Dragons’ Den?
After winning the Santander Global Award’s 2024 in Barcelona, Simon caught the attention of the Dragons’ Den producers.
Simon called the opportunity a “win-win” situation as he stated to the BBC he wasn’t nervous about coming onto the show.
Simon said: “The business still would have continued, whether a Dragon was going to invest or not.
“The offer came at a really nice time and I think the advertising from it would just be phenomenal.”
Simon talked through the technicalities of being filmed upon his visit to Manchester, shedding light on the somewhat nerve-wracking process of being on the show.
He said: “You do the pre-record and pre-interview but you don’t really get to see the Dragons until you go into the Den, and you’re more or less kept in a green room mostly.”
Simon will make an appearance on Dragons’ Den at 8pm on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
The 22nd season of the reality show kicked off on BBC2 on January 9, 2025.
When asked about his strategy by Dragon Steven Barlett, Simon casually states “Get a Dragon”.
Simon’s cool and professional demeanour may come as a relief, as viewers have bounced back with some harsh criticism from previous episodes.
Fans stated they were “switching off” due to the cringe sob story the show was becoming.
In one previous episode, teary eyed guest investor and fitness coach Joe Wicks, seemed to be overly sympathetic toward one of the contestants who broke down, stating he recalled selling his house to fund his business.
Joe went on to reveal his intent to invest alongside, Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman, who went on to purchase 37.5% of the contestant’s business.
Viewers of the show subtly had a dig at Wicks after the episode, with one user posting on X: “There is literally zero need for celebrity guest dragons.”
One other user even posted “Enough of the X Factor style sob story”
Snowball Community App can be downloaded on Apple and Android for free.