Ameri-Can eChopper Bicycles

Bruce Dean, from Victoria, BC, asked for $20,000 for 20 percent of Ameri-Can eChopper Bicycles, a company making custom electric chopper-style bicycles. The bike uses a Saskatchewan-made frame, can be ridden with pedal power or an electric motor, and Bruce plans to sell finished bikes for about $6,000, compared to a competitor's similar product at $7,500. Bruce, who is on disability after knee injuries, said the bike has been prescribed to him as a mobility aid and covered by his health benefits, and that his website gets between 5,000 and 10,000 hits a day without any marketing spend.

Michele Romanow went out, saying Bruce is not yet a businessman for this stage. Joe Mimran went out, saying $20,000 was not enough for the marketing, production, and accounting the business would need. Manjit Minhas went out, calling the business still a dream with nothing to invest in. Jim Treliving went out, suggesting Bruce instead take the design to a large supplier for a royalty rather than build the business himself. Michael Wekerle, who owns an electric bicycle himself, offered the full $20,000 for 20 percent, which Bruce accepted.

We haven’t confirmed whether Ameri-Can eChopper Bicycles is still operating.