Kimai, the fine jewellery brand redefining diamonds, secured a £250,000 investment – in exchange for a 3% equity stake – from entrepreneur Steven Bartlett in the new series of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. The largest amount Bartlett has invested since he joined the show in 2022. 

The brand’s founders, Antwerp-born best friends who grew up in the diamond centre of the world, were frustrated with the lack of supply chain transparency across the industry, so pioneered the use of 100% traceable lab-grown diamonds (which are physically, optically and chemically identical to mined, but without destructive digging), to create Kimai- a modern fine-jewellery brand for an ethically and environmentally aware generation of customers. 

The duo received offers from Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies, but opted for Bartlett to tap into his digital marketing expertise, which Kimai want to utilise for their global e-commerce which is growing at a rapid rate of 120% y-o-y, as the online market for sustainable fine jewellery is on the rise. 

“They are two of the most impressive entrepreneurs I have ever seen in the Den. Rock solid on their numbers, vision and convictions. Kind, humble, smart, tenacious and passionate. Annoyingly, really incredible negotiators – which is annoying as an investor but perfect as business partners, so I’m happy to be in business with them. They are the absolute full house. I’m going to support them in any and every way I can – I’ll bring a wealth of knowledge to the business as it relates to marketing, innovation, community growth, scaling and I’m planning to use my vast network of contacts to open doors that will help to accelerate their incredible business even more”. 

says Steven Bartlett .

“We know that lab-grown diamonds are the future. Sharing our story on such a huge platform like Dragons Den was a unique opportunity to help spread the word about this relatively new technology, which allows beautiful diamonds and jewellery to be made, without costing the earth.” 

says Kimai’s Co-founders Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhaus.

Kimai will be working with Bartlett and his team to amplify their digital presence, and the investment will be used to elevate the customer experience at the brand’s flagship store in London. 

ABOUT KIMAI

Founded in 2018, Kimai’s philosophy is to reimagine the diamond industry. Going against the traditional model of the opaque and often male-driven mined diamond industry to deliver a progressive fine-jewellery brand catered to an ethically and environmentally aware generation of female customers, and pushing design boundaries in the traditional engagement ring space. 

Kimai is the only lab-grown diamond brand stocked on luxury e-tailer Net-a-Porter, and is proud to be one of the first fine jewellery brands to be certified B-corp. Diane von Furstenburg was one of the first female investors to back the business when it launched, and the brand is loved by Meghan Markle, Emma Watson and Jessica Alba.

Discover more at Kimai.com 

ABOUT LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS 

• Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, physically and optically identical to mined, a trained gemologist is unable to tell them apart by the naked eye. Labs use cutting-edge technology to replicate the heat and pressure that create diamonds found in the earth. 
• A diamond often exchanges hands up to 10 times after being mined, making it almost impossible to know where it came from and under what conditions it was pulled from the earth. In contrast, lab-grown diamonds can provide 100% supply chain traceability. 
• A decade ago, lab-grown diamonds were relatively unknown in the jewellery industry, but now make up a fifth of diamond sales by value, according to analysis from Paul Zimnisky, a diamond industry analyst. 
• Millennials and now Generation Z – who together are the main purchasers of diamonds for engagement rings – are moving away from conventional diamonds, with nearly 70% of millennials considering buying a lab- grown alternative.