A Stafford-born entrepreneur who ditched a career in finance to launch an off-grid toilet company will appear on Dragons’ Den next week.
Richard Peter, CEO and co-founder CompoCloset, will present a range of portable, waterless toilets to Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett and guest Dragon Susie Ma on the show on Thursday, 12 February.
Richard was born and raised in the county town and attended Blessed William Howard Catholic High School, making a name for himself as a teenager who competed in multiple series of Robot Wars before later moving to London.
The idea for CompoCloset began when he was travelling off-grid in a campervan and looking for a better alternative to traditional chemical toilets. That experience led him and co-founder Erica Pugh to develop toilets designed specifically for life on the road, from campervans and RVs to boats and off-grid cabins.
During the pitch on the BBC One show, the pair introduce their latest product, the S1 Dry Flush Sealing Toilet, and talk through how sealing and urine-diverting technology could make off-grid sanitation cleaner, more convenient, and easier to manage in remote settings. The conversation also explores how these technologies could scale beyond leisure vehicles and into wider use.
The Dragons question the founders on manufacturing, market focus, and the challenges of bringing new sanitation technologies to different regions and environments.
Speaking after the filming, Richard said: “Taking part in the programme gave us the chance to talk about a problem many people who live or travel off-grid know well, and to share how we’ve been trying to improve that experience.”
Richard left Stafford at 18 to study physics at university in Nottingham, then went onto Kings College London and stayed in the capital. His parents still live in Stafford.
CompoCloset was founded in the UK, and manufacturing takes place in California.
The Dragon’s Den show featuring Richard and Erica airs on BBC One at 8pm 12 February. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
