A brand new panel of Dragons has entered the Den and is looking to invest in the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs. Created by the producers of DRAGONS’ DEN, the NEXT GEN DEN targets mobile viewership through a series of 12 webisodes, each 10 minutes long. Audiences will experience all the drama and excitement of the hit television series, but with new Dragons and available exclusively online beginning Feb. 2.
It’s no secret that younger generations are opting for online streaming rather than traditional television, preferring to watch programming on their own schedules. The NEXT GEN DEN targets this audience, featuring young Canadian entrepreneurs (all under the age of 40, with an average age of 27), pitching start-up businesses to four new Dragons.
“Canadian entrepreneurship, particularly tech start-ups, are exploding,” said Tracie Tighe, executive producer, DRAGONS’ DEN. “We don’t always have room on our TV show for as many of these early-stage entrepreneurs as we’d like to feature. Here you will see smaller, riskier deals than we see on the broadcast show; most of these businesses aren’t proven models yet. The fun is watching our new panel of Dragons sort through them. Will they discover the next Mark Zuckerberg, or spot the next Blackberry? We hope the NEXT GEN DEN will seed the next big thing.”
In this version of the Den, the rules are the same - pitchers must take what they’re offered, or walk away with nothing. Four Dragons are featured throughout the 12 webisodes, with three seated on the panel at a time. These successful entrepreneurs represent the next generation of Dragons and include Michael Hyatt, chairman of Bluecat; Michele Romanow, co-founder of Buytopia.ca and SnapSaves; Matthew Corrin, CEO and founder of Freshii; and Paul Miklas, CEO of Valleymede Building Corp. All are under 50 years old and boast a combined wealth of over $100 million dollars. Their expertise spans the sectors of economics, QSR (quick service restaurants) digital ventures and real estate.
NEXT GEN DEN DRAGONS
Michael Hyatt
A millionaire by the age of 25, Hyatt built two highly successful tech firms valued in the hundreds of millions. Today he ranks as one of Canada’s pre-eminent investors in start-ups.
Michele Romanow
By the age of 29, Michele already had four tech companies under her belt. An e-commerce powerhouse, Michele has grown Buytopia.ca to over 2.5 million subscribers and sold her latest venture to Groupon for millions.
Matthew Corrin
Best known for creating Canada’s biggest fresh food chain, Corrin started Freshii at the age of 23. Today Freshii has over 100 locations in 12 countries around the globe. Corrin also invests heavily in tech through his incubator, Fresh Startups.
Paul Miklas
As CEO of Valleymede Building Corp., Miklas is known as Canada’s leading mansion-builder and his own Bridle Path residence was listed as the most expensive home on the Toronto market at $30 million. As a self-made millionaire, Paul enjoys investing in the start-up market.
Webisodes begin airing each Monday, beginning Feb 2.
Visitwww.cbc.ca/dragonsden/nextgenden.
DRAGONS’ DEN is the highest-rated Canadian unscripted program on during the regular television season, with an average audience of more than 1.2 million Canadians each week. In addition to its success on-air, DRAGONS’ DEN is also a hit online, boasting an active and engaged online community and averaging more than 650,000 page views per month. Full episodes and exclusive behind-the-scenes content can be viewed at cbc.ca/dragonsden. DRAGONS’ DEN is filmed at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto and airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC Television. Tracie Tighe is executive producer and Amy Bourne is senior producer. Dianne Buckner hosts.
Find the show online at:
cbc.ca/dragonsden
facebook.com/dragonsden
@cbcdragon #cbcdragonsden
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.
A space for us all is CBC/Radio-Canada’s new strategy to modernize the public broadcaster and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians and for future generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime time television programming, and continue to create radio programs of the highest quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.
For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre atcbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.
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For more information, please contact:
Kylie McGregor
Entertainment publicist, CBC
Kylie.McGregor@cbc.ca
(office) /
(mobile)
