Dragons' Den (Canadian TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | October 3, 2006 |
| Headquarters | Canada |
Area served | Canada |
Key people | Dianne Buckner (host) |
| Products | Reality television program |
| Website | www |
Dragons' Den is a Canadian reality television series adapted from the globally recognized Dragons' Den format that originated in Japan. The program debuted on October 3, 2006, airing on CBC Television with Dianne Buckner as its host. It features Canadian business owners presenting their entrepreneurial and investment proposals to a panel of venture capitalists, known as "Dragons," who evaluate potential funding and partnership opportunities. Additionally, a French-language version titled Dans l'oeil du Dragon is broadcast exclusively in Quebec.
By November 7, 2024, the series has broadcast a total of 294 episodes.
Format
Typically, each installment showcases approximately eight business pitches along with brief overviews of three additional proposals that were declined.
Participants declare the amount of capital they are seeking along with the equity stake they are willing to offer. They provide an overview of their business model and financial details, which can range from early-stage concepts to fully operational companies. The Dragons interrogate the entrepreneurs to assess the viability of the investment. Each Dragon either extends an offer or opts out by saying "out." If all five Dragons decline, the presentation concludes.
Offers frequently require entrepreneurs to concede higher equity shares or royalty payments than initially requested, and negotiations ensue until an agreement is reached or rejected. Dragons may either collaborate or compete in making offers, utilizing their distinct skills and networks to enhance the deal’s value. Entrepreneurs must accept offers that meet or exceed their requested funding amount; however, Dragons seldom invest for more than half of a company's equity, leading to occasional criticism regarding valuation.
Any agreements made during the show are contingent upon further due diligence, with many deals either failing to finalize or closing with altered terms. The program provides follow-up reports on deal completions and updates on entrepreneurs who were not initially successful, including special episodes dedicated to these updates.
Timeline of Dragons
| Dragons | Seasons | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | |
| Current Dragons | |||||||||||||||||||
| Arlene Dickinson | colspan=8 Template:CMain | colspan=19 Template:CMain | |||||||||||||||||
| Manjit Minhas | colspan=19 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Michele Romanow | colspan=19 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wes Hall | colspan=19 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brian Scudamore | colspan=1 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simu Liu | Guest | ||||||||||||||||||
| Former Dragons | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kevin O'Leary | colspan=8 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Herjavec | colspan=6 Template:CMain | colspan=2 Template:CMain | |||||||||||||||||
| Laurence Lewin | colspan=2 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jennifer Wood | colspan=1 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| W. Brett Wilson | colspan=3 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bruce Croxon | colspan=3 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| David Chilton | colspan=3 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Vikram Vij | colspan=1 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Wekerle | colspan=4 Template:CMain | ||||||||||||||||||
| Joe Mimran | colspan=3 Template:CMain | } | |||||||||||||||||
Current Dragons
- Arlene Dickinson (Seasons 2–9, 12–present) leads Venture, a marketing firm with locations throughout Canada. She departed the series in 2015 to focus on other professional opportunities and made her return in season 12.
- Manjit Minhas (Season 10–present) serves as CEO of Minhas Craft Brewery.
- Michele Romanow (Season 10–present) is an entrepreneur specializing in online business ventures.
- Wes Hall (Season 16–present) is the founder and executive chairman of Kingsdale Advisors and holds the position of chairman at The BlackNorth Initiative.
- Brian Scudamore (Season 19–present) is the founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.
- Simu Liu (Guest, Season 19–present) is an actor known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a general partner at Markham Valley Ventures.
Former Dragons
- Jim Treliving (Seasons 1–15) is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and co-owner of Boston Pizza and Mr. Lube.
- Kevin O'Leary (Seasons 1–8) previously served as president of The Learning Company, which was sold to Mattel for $4.2 billion in 1999; he co-hosted CBC’s business news program The Lang and O'Leary Exchange and appeared on the American version, Shark Tank. He exited the show in 2014 to pursue other ventures, including a political career.
- Robert Herjavec (Seasons 1–6, 17–18) founded The Herjavec Group, an IT security company; he sold his earlier firm for more than $30 million during the dot-com boom and also appeared on US and Australian adaptations of Shark Tank.
- Laurence Lewin (Seasons 1 & 2) co-founded La Senza, a lingerie retailer with over 630 outlets globally; he left due to health issues and passed away in 2008.
- Jennifer Wood (Season 1) was an executive within Canada’s beef industry.
- W. Brett Wilson (Seasons 3–5) established FirstEnergy Capital Corp, held part-ownership in Derby County FC, and was a minority partner in the NHL’s Nashville Predators; during his tenure, he facilitated more deals than any other Dragon worldwide; known for his philanthropic efforts; departed after season 5 citing concerns about the show’s tough approach toward entrepreneurs; subsequently created the entrepreneurship-focused series Risky Business.
- Bruce Croxon (Seasons 6–8) is a business entrepreneur.
- Michael Wekerle (Seasons 9–12) founded and leads Difference Capital as CEO.
- Joe Mimran (Seasons 10–12) is associated with fashion retail brands Club Monaco and Joe Fresh.
- Lane Merrifield (Seasons 13–15) co-founded FreshGrade and previously co-founded Club Penguin, which Disney acquired for $350 million; he also held the role of Executive VP at Disney Online Studios.
- Vincenzo Guzzo (Seasons 13–18) serves as Executive Vice-President and COO of Cinémas Guzzo; additionally appeared as a Guest Dragon on Quebec’s edition of the show.
Reception
The twelfth season of Dragons' Den faced criticism following an episode featuring NeuroReset, a wellness company claiming to enhance neurological function remotely. The founders—a golf instructor and chiropractor—marketed copper clips priced at $80, asserting their effectiveness was due to quantum entanglement principles. Despite skepticism during investor evaluations, five out of six Dragons agreed to fund the venture, with Manjit Minhas expressing interest as well. Ultimately, the agreement dissolved during due diligence, and Health Canada ordered three NeuroReset products removed from sale. Joe Mimran later acknowledged that he had been misled by their presentation.
Overview
11 Wednesdays at8pm 20 October5 ,2016 March22 ,2017 2016-17 1.4 Yes 12 Thursdays at8pm 20 September28 ,2017 April5 ,2018 2017-18 0.519 No 13 Thursdays at8pm 20 September20 ,2018 March7 ,2019 2018-19 14 Thursdays at9pm 9 September26 ,2019 November21 ,2019 2019-20 No 15 Thursdays at9pm 10 October22 ,2020 December17 ,2020 2020-21 16 Thursdays at8pm 10 October21 ,2021 December16 ,2021 2021-22 17 Thursdays at8pm 10 September15 ,2022 November17 ,2022 2022–23 18 Thursdays at8pm 10 September21 ,2023 November30 ,2023 2023–24 19 Thursdays at8pm TBD September26 ,2024 January9 ,2025 2024–25| Season | Broadcast Time (EST) | Number of Episodes | Season Period | Average Weekly TV Audience
(millions) |
Netflix Availability | Viewership Rank | Rating | Panel of Dragons | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start Date | End Date | Television Year | ||||||||
| 1 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 8 | October 3, 2006 | November 22, 2006 | 2006-07 | 0.35 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Wood, Lewin, Herjavec | ||
| 2 | Mondays at 8 pm | 10 | October 1, 2007 | December 3, 2007 | 2007-08 | 0.7 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Lewin, Herjavec | ||
| 3 | Mondays at 8 pm | 12 | September 29, 2008 | December 15, 2008 | 2008-09 | 1.1 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Wilson, Herjavec | ||
| 4 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 21 | September 30, 2009 | May 30, 2010 | 2009-10 | 1.6 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Wilson, Herjavec | ||
| 5 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 21 | September 22, 2010 | June 11, 2011 | 2010-11 | 2.0 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Wilson, Herjavec | ||
| 6 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 22 | September 14, 2011 | June 3, 2012 | 2011-12 | 2.5 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Croxon, Herjavec | ||
| 7 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 20 | September 19, 2012 | April 14, 2013 | 2012-13 | 3.1 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Croxon, Chilton | ||
| 8 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 20 | October 2, 2013 | April 2, 2014 | 2013-14 | 2.8 | No | Treliving, O'Leary, Dickinson, Croxon, Chilton | ||
| 9 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 20 | October 15, 2014 | April 8, 2015 | 2014-15 | 2.3 | Yes | Treliving, Wekerle, Dickinson, Vij, Chilton | ||
| 10 | Wednesdays at 8 pm | 22 | October 7, 2015 | April 6, 2016 | 2015-16 |
Yes |
Treliving, Wekerle, Romanow, Minhas, Mimran | |||
|
Treliving,Wekerle,Romanow ,Minhas,Mimran | ||||||||||
|
Treliving,Wekerle,Romanow ,Dickinson ,Minhas,Mimran | ||||||||||
|
No |
8.4/10 (tv.com)7.2/10 (IMDb.com) |
Treliving,Romanow,Dickinson ,Minhas,Merrifield,Guzzo | ||||||||
|
Treliving,Romanow,Dickinson ,Minhas,Merrifield,Guzzo | ||||||||||
|
Treliving,Romanow,Dickinson ,Minhas,Merrifield,Guzzo | ||||||||||
|
Minhas,Guzzo,Dickinson ,Hall,Romanow | ||||||||||
|
Herjavec,Guzzo ,Minhas,Dickinson ,Hall,Romanow | ||||||||||
|
Herjavec,Guzzo ,Minhas,Dickinson ,Hall,Romanow | ||||||||||
|
Herjavec,Guzzo ,Minhas,Dickinson ,Hall,Romanow | ||||||||||
Episode overview
| Season | Episode | Company or Product Name | Summary | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Personalized gift cards; nap lounges; fitness equipment; tidal energy technology; natural dressings; pelvic muscle trainer. | October 3, 2006 | |
| 2 | Optical boutique for women; emotion-themed cards; energy-efficient computer gadget; bath water warmer. | October 11, 2006 | ||
| 3 | Water purification vending machine; organic first aid supplies; online job board. | October 18, 2006 | ||
| 4 | Water park attraction; innovative popcorn packaging; petite-sized workwear; lingerie line for plus sizes. | October 25, 2006 | ||
| 5 | Underwear for men and women; shower brush for body cleansing; nutritious snack options. | November 1, 2006 | ||
| 6 | Pet memorial caskets; insect museum; haunted attraction; amusement park concepts; advertising billboards. | November 8, 2006 | ||
| 7 | Pelvic floor exerciser; digital gift cards; portable grill. | November 15, 2006 | ||
| 8 | 'Dragons' revisit standout entrepreneurs from the inaugural season. | November 22, 2006 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Core abdominal workout system; technology news portal; sports trivia literature; banana storage device. | October 1, 2007 | |
| 2 | Nutrition and fitness software; fan helmets for sports enthusiasts; mobile language learning programs; aromatherapy products. | October 2, 2007 | ||
| 3 | Tea shop in Calgary; provocative reality TV show concept; weight loss tent innovation; marriage-themed board game. | October 15, 2007 | ||
| 4 | Baby apparel with punk style; electromagnetic wave detector device; vacuum designed for horses; mobility aid. | October 22, 2007 | ||
| 5 | Indian spice blends; compact razor design; rifle scope product; hairstylist directory service; gym-generated power solutions. | October 29, 2007 | ||
| 6 | Tailor-made jeans; homemade dog treats; prosthetic bra innovation; ventilated pizza box design; inflatable skateboard attraction. | November 5, 2007 | ||
| 7 | Saxx Apparel | Trailer for show dogs; underwater vehicles concept; men's underwear pitch by Trent Kitsch; luggage identification tags. | November 12, 2007 | |
| 8 | Sanitary seat covers and ponchos; personalized stationery products; fruit harvesting tools; sweet tomato preserves. | November 19, 2007 | ||
| 9 | Spring water bottling enterprise; cereal breakfast bar product; baby carrier for pools; wheeled snow shovel innovation; organization filing system. | November 26, 2007 | ||
| 10 | Hydroponic vegetable growing business; seasonal Christmas merchandise line; therapeutic horse treats. | December 3, 2007 |
Accolades
- On June 13, 2011, Dragons' Den received the award for best reality series at the Banff World Television Festival.
- Recipient of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Reality/Competition Program or Series.
- Honored with the Gemini Award for Best Reality Program or Series.
Derivative series
Two individual-focused spinoffs have been produced: Redemption Inc., starring Kevin O'Leary, and The Big Decision, featuring Arlene Dickinson alongside Jim Treliving.
External links
- Articles with short description
- CBC Television original programming
- Canadian television series based on non-Canadian television series
- Non-Japanese television series based on Japanese television series
- 2000s Canadian reality television series
- 2010s Canadian reality television series
- 2020s Canadian reality television series
- 2006 Canadian television series debuts
- Television series by Sony Pictures Television
- Television shows filmed in Toronto
- Business mass media in Canada
- Business-related television series
- Canadian English-language television shows
- Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Reality Series winners
- Dragons' Den