Simon Woodroffe was born on 14 February 1952 in Oxford, England, into a military family; his father served as a brigadier in the British Army. He grew up in Essex and left school at 16 with minimal qualifications.

He began his career working backstage in theatre and later became a stage designer for major music acts such as Rod Stewart and The Moody Blues. He then moved into television, producing and selling rights to concert broadcasts.

In 1997, Woodroffe founded YO! Sushi, introducing conveyor-belt sushi dining to the UK. The concept became highly successful, and he later sold a controlling stake in the business for around £10 million.

He appeared as one of the original investors on Dragons’ Den (BBC Two) in 2005 but left after the first series.

Woodroffe later founded Yotel and continued working as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He lives in the UK and remains active in business and public speaking.