A YEAR after he was rejected by heavyweight investors an Eastleigh businessman is celebrating an exclusive deal with a major retailer.

In January 2014 Simon Weatherall appeared on Dragons’ Den looking for £80,000 to start his sports wearable technology company, Glofaster.

He left empty-handed but now says it is the ‘best thing that could have happened’ after he landed a deal with Harrods.

His sports clothing, which features wearable technology to help improve performance and track progress, is currently on show in the fashion sports section of the London store.

It will be there for six weeks, and was launched earlier this month.

The ex-Royal Marine Commando said he has spent the past year developing the business, following funding from Rishi Khosla, who founded research and analytics resourcing firm Copal Amba.

“I’m in London all of the time now,” he laughed.

“Not getting funding on Dragons’ Den was a good thing because it meant that I could focus on the products, get things right, and build the business in the right way.”

The 34-year-old said he has spent time building new connections, and is currently working on a project with W London Hotel, alongside pop-singer Rihanna’s design team.

“There’s a lot going on but I can’t say too much at the moment,” he said.

“I’m constantly in and out of meetings. The team now is brilliant and I have got everything I need.”

Mr Weatherall said he is currently in talks with eight to 10 major companies, but he could not name them at this stage.