7-2-06
Into the Dragons Den!

TAG supported an innovative entrepreneur support program called the Dragon’s Den – providing judging and panelist support for the Canadian Reality TV show.

Mark Comiso, TAG Member and Managing Partner of The Acceleration Group (TAG), was a panelist for an early morning presentation to budding Canadian Entrepreneurs and wanna be participants in the upcoming CBC reality show -  The Dragon’s Den – scheduled to air October 11, 2006. 

The panel, made up of other successful entrepreneurs and academic scholars in the field of entrepreneurship, gave their insights, thoughts and recommendations to the packed room of tryout participants.  The informative and lively discussion by the panelist was followed by an interactive Q&A with the audience, that allowed the audience to pick the brains of the panelists.

Following the panel discussion and in preparation for their on camera interviews, the audience members were called up in front of the room to give their 3-4 minute business plan pitch.  The panel then gave their insights, recommendation and initial thoughts as to what these budding business owners and hopeful participants in the reality show could do to improve their chances for a good showing in front of the cameras for their interview for the Dragon’s Den show.  In addition, at the end of the presentations, the panelist selected their pick of the best idea and presenter out of the 31 presentations.  The winner was Joke Mayers of JMG who has a memories and book writing business based in Victoria, British Columbia.

In addition to Joke, concepts and business ideas presented to the panel ran the full range from early conceptual magazine business plans, to well thought out and running internet based car inventory management system, and everything in between. {Other companies/pitch concepts included – Organic fast food business, portable fold-up tent system, water purification system, microwave popcorn, refractive light technology, board games – triple decker checkers, 1-day quit smoking system, taxi cab advertising system, process for bending glass without using heat and using recycled glass to do it, cooking channel for kids, franchise weight loss system, apparel and personalized gifts company, refillable air freshener, golf club cleaning system, pull behind trailer/camper, Point-of-Sale software development company, Mobile MRI system, Coasta Rican “Euro-bus” pass, surgical stickers, Rammed earth construction system, window burglar/alarm system, and a web based tax and accounting software system.}

 

Dragons' Den is a fast-paced reality television show for the business world.  The show is giving Canadian entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime - a shot at pitching their big idea to a panel of major league investors. This opportunity to sell and cajole a captive group of savvy business leaders could net these budding business people a cash infusion, not to mention the added exposure their business will get from being on national television. The program has been extremely successful in the , and is now in its third season.

The Rules

• Each entrepreneur can pitch for a specified amount of funding for their idea or product.
• If the entrepreneur can convince one or more of the Dragons to meet that specified amount (usually in exchange for shares of their company), the entrepreneur walks away with the cash.
• If the entrepreneurs find themselves short of the specified amount of funding, they lose it all.
• Each entrepreneur is free to bargain with the Dragons in order to get the specified level of funding.