Kate Bleasdale founder of Healthcare Locums and a number of other successful healthcare recruiters, has hit out at wannabe entrepreneurs on Dragon’s Den, the BBC TV programme. Bleasdale told Recruiter:

“If you’re running a business you’re running a business and that’s what you ought to do. You shouldn’t be running a business, and then pretend to be a blinking film star believing in your own publicity.”

Asked by Recruiter whether she had ever been approached to be one of the dragons, Bleasdale responded: “They wouldn’t allow me to — it would have to be broadcast after midnight. I mean what a bunch of idiots that turn up there. I would give them short shrift.”

Let’s petition the Beeb to entice Kate to appear. Sounds as if it would be worth watching. We know who our money would be on in a Deborah Meaden vs Kate Bleasdale clash…

However, holding seemingly dichotomous views to Ms Bleasdale, Antal International’s Tony Goodwin (below) has thrown his weight behind a Dragon’s Den-style contest for university students. The competition would be run under the name ‘Bright Ideas’ and is hoped to boost the entrepreneurial instinct in British undergraduates.

“There’s a tremendous amount of entrepreneurial talent out there in the student population,” said Goodwin. “I’m getting the opportunity to back some of the best new ideas in Britain and, if someone comes along with the next Google or Facebook, I’ll be ready, chequebook in hand, to provide all the finance they need!”