Dragons' Den ad-free browser backed by Tinie Tempah and Harry Redknapp in £2.1m round

An entrepreneur who appeared on Dragon’s Den has announced that he has raised £2.1m in a funding round supported by Tinie Tempah and Harry Redknapp.

Sam Jones, the founder of Gener8 - a web browser that lets users control and earn from their online data - has announced that he has closed a £2.1m funding round.

The round was supported by a range of investors, including musician Tinie Tempah, football manager, Harry Redknapp, and Dragons’ Den star, Tej Lalvani.

The investment accelerates Gener8’s growth, valuing it at more than £10m - 15 times more than it was valued at on Dragon’s Den, where it was lauded as the show’s “best pitch ever”.

Sam commented: “Things have really taken off since I was in the Den! We’ve seen such an incredible response, with over 1.5 million people visiting our website and hundreds of thousands downloading Gener8. It feels like a movement is starting.

“It’s an issue that resonates with many of us: our online data is being exploited, but what can we do about it?

“At Gener8, we’re passionate about helping people to either be rewarded for their data, or to keep it private altogether whilst they’re browsing online. It’s brilliant to see so many people come together to join us on this journey.

“I’m so excited to welcome the talent, passion and drive for change that Tinie, Harry and Tej will bring to the team. It’s just the beginning of something special!”

Tinie Tempah said: “Sam’s great; as soon as I saw him pitch the Dragons I was trying to figure out how I could get involved!

“It’s an issue that blows my mind - we accept these cookies tracking us online, and then everything that happens afterwards is invisible.

“Gener8 is an incredible tool that will be the answer for many of us who don’t want to just give our information away for free anymore.”

Harry Redknapp commented: “In my line of work, it’s always been the lads with passion, drive and a top workrate that’ve gone on to perform at the highest level, and that’s what I see in Sam.

“His determination to make a real change is contagious and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”