The Most Successful Dragons’ Den Products
The businesses that went on to become household names after pitching the Dragons.
Knixwear
No deal on the show
Joanna Griffiths' deal with Jim Treliving from season 9 did not close because she determined she needed more capital than his offer provided; she instead raised $750,000 independently. By the time of this season 10 update, Knixwear had grown from about $375,000 in revenue at the time of the pitch to a projected $4 million in sales, and had launched a new athletic line called FitKnix as well as begun development on a new sports bra.
SmartSweets
Deal: $100K for 10% with Jim Treliving
Tara Bosch pitched SmartSweets, a sugar-free candy company, in Season 9. She later sold the company for $360 million and, as of this Season 20 special, has launched a new venture called Snackish and a mentorship program called Bold Beginnings for female founders under 40.
Endy Sleep
Deal: $1M for 7.5% with Joe Mimran & Michele Romanow & Arlene Dickinson
Aashish Nathwani and Mike Gettis from Toronto, Ont., present their Canadian e- commerce mattress company.
Essentia
$350Kfor 30%
Jack Dell'Accio from Laval, Que. has invented the world's first, natural memory foam mattress.
FixMeStick
$500Kfor 20%
FixMeStick, the virus removal device business that took a deal with Arlene Dickinson and David Chilton in season 8, grew sales from $400,000 to $15 million and is now sold in over 3,000 stores in Canada and 10,000 stores in the United States. The founders redesigned their packaging and were promoting the product through TSC, aiming to sell around 7,500 units in a single televised sales event.
Holy Crap
$120Kfor 20%
Brian and Corin Mullins give the Dragons a taste of their promising breakfast cereal business.
Hush Blankets
Deal: $400K for 10% with Jim Treliving & Lane Merrifield
Lior Ohayon and Aaron Spivak from Toronto, ON, demonstrate their weighted blankets.
OMG Candy
$250Kfor 30%
This Winnipeg, MB, candy company hopes the Dragons will want to take a bite out of their business.
Balzac’s Coffee Roasters
$350Kfor 20%
Five years after her Season 6 pitch with Dragons Bruce Croxon and Arlene Dickinson, Diana Olsen has expanded Balzac's Coffee Roasters to 13 Ontario locations and moved headquarters into a new 6,000 square-foot roasterie. The company is now selling its coffee beans in over 200 grocery stores including Loblaws, Fortinos, Whole Foods and Goodness Me, with sales of about $10 million last year and further growth expected.
Steeped Tea
$250Kfor 20%
Steeped Tea, which took a deal with David Chilton and Jim Treliving in season 7, has expanded into a 30,000 square foot warehouse and was acquiring another 20,000 square feet due to rapid growth. The company reported moving 65 tons of tea in the past year and topped $20 million in sales, with about 5,000 Canadian consultants selling through home tea parties and nearly 3,000 consultants in the United States.
inkbox
Deal: $100K for 2% with Michele Romanow & Joe Mimran
Tyler Handley and Braden Handley pitch their temporary tattoo products in the Den.
MappedIn
$150Kfor 10%
Hongwei Liu & Desmond Choi from Waterloo, ON, pitch their interactive indoor navigation system.
Ten Tree Apparel
$100Kfor 20%
As of this Season 20 update, tentree has grown from $150,000 in sales and 15,000 trees planted at the time of its original pitch to over half a billion dollars in lifetime sales and more than 115 million trees planted. The company now has a partner network of over 1,000 retailers in Canada and abroad, and rebuilt its supply chain after taking the Dragons' advice on balancing cost with brand image.
Bushbalm
Deal: $400K for 10% with Arlene Dickinson
Bushbalm, a natural skin care brand focused on razor burn and ingrown hair prevention, had sales of $2 million in the year it appeared in the Den and has since grown 10 times to over $20 million this year. The company has expanded its clinical ingredient formulations, added gynaecologist and dermatologist approval to its products, and is now sold in over 5,000 waxing salons across Canada and the United States, with plans to reach about 50,000 locations.
Three Ships
Deal: $350K with Jim Treliving
Three Ships, a natural beauty brand founded by Connie Lo and Laura Thompson, appeared in season 20 for a one-year-later style update (originally from season 15). Since their original appearance, the company raised $6 million in funding, grew from two founders to a team of 22 people, moved into a 4,000 square foot warehouse shipping 10,000 orders a month, secured a Target partnership expected to be worth a million dollars by year end, and grew from a projected $1 million in sales to an expected $16 to $20 million this year.
The Unscented Company
Deal: $300K for 20% with Michele Romanow
Anie Rouleau from Westmount, Que., pitches her unscented cleaning products.
Monos
Deal: $1.6M for 15% with Michele Romanow
Victor Tam & Hubert Chan from Vancouver, BC, pitch their luggage company.
Kabo Fresh Dog Food
Deal: $250K for 20% with Michele Romanow
Kabo is a direct-to-consumer pet food brand that delivers freshly cooked, human-grade dog food portioned perfectly and sent right to your door.
Lucky Iron Fish
Deal: $200K for 5% with Manjit Minhas & Michele Romanow
Gavin Armstrong from Guelph, Ont., pitches his Lucky Iron Fish cooking tool to the Dragons.
Abeego Designs, Inc.
Deal: $140K for 30% with Wek & Jimmy
Toni Desrosier pitches her natural antibacterial food wrap in the Den.
Hillberg & Berk Jewelry
$200Kfor 33%
Rachel Mielke's jewellery company, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, grew from working out of her house to occupying an entire building plus an additional building across the street, and by this Season 11 update was projecting over $15 million in sales for the year with over 150 staff. The company had opened five locations across the prairies, designed a broach worn by the Queen in 2012, and was marking its ten-year anniversary while purchasing a 31,000 square foot warehouse to move into the following year.
Flytographer
No deal on the show
Flytographer, founded by Nicole Smith of Victoria, BC, had accepted an offer of $175,000 for 10% from Joe Mimran and Michele Romanow in an earlier season. One year later, the company had expanded to every continent except Antarctica, tripled its team, and quadrupled its monthly revenue, putting it on track for over $2 million in revenue that year, with the founder projecting it could become a $100 million company by 2020.
RateHub
Deal: $1M for 7% with Joe Mimran & Jim Treliving
Alyssa Furtado presents her educational financial resource website in the Den.
Love Child Organics
$300Kfor 10%
John and Leah Garrad-Cole, who accepted a $750,000 deal from David Chilton and Arlene Dickinson in Season 8, expanded Love Child Organics to 30 different products with sales climbing steadily each month. At the time of this Season 10 update, the company had been sold to another Canadian company, GreenSpace, for $6 million, though John and Leah continue to run the business from Whistler, BC as major shareholders alongside their existing employees.
Status is based on our latest check of each business’s website. Spotted something out of date? Let us know at the email in the footer.