$1Mfor 10%
Protein Candy
Valued at $10M
The pitch
Akosua Asari from Deep River, ON, pitched Essence Luxe Couture in Season 15, Episode 4, asking the Dragons for $150K for 20% of the company.
- Asked for$150K for 20%
- Valuation$750Kimplied by the ask
- OutcomeDealwith Manjit Minhas
- Final deal$150K for 25%valued at $600K
Offers in the Den
| Dragon | Offer | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Guzzo | No offer, felt the website branding contradicted her personal story | Out |
| Manjit Minhas | $150,000 for 25% | Accepted |
| Lane Merrifield | No offer, said wigs were not his area | Out |
| Arlene Dickinson | No offer, praised the founder but chose not to invest | Out |
| Michele Romanow | $150,000 for 35% | Declined |
Akosua Asare, founder and CEO of Essence Luxe Couture in Deep River, ON, pitched an e-commerce business selling custom human-hair wigs designed to fit and look like a customer's own hair, asking for $150,000 for 20% of the company. She started the business after experiencing hair loss herself, sources hair from Asia and South America, and is developing an AI app that uses selfies to recommend hairstyles based on facial features and skin tone. The company grossed just under $100,000 total, with $73,000 of that in the last 12 months, and projects $250,000 in the next fiscal year; she has been approved for programs to bring on two additional team members to help her scale.
Vincenzo Guzzo went out, saying the website's branding contradicted her personal story, and Lane Merrifield and Arlene Dickinson also declined to invest despite praising the founder. Michele Romanow offered $150,000 for 35%, and Manjit Minhas offered $150,000 for 25%; Akosua Asare accepted Manjit Minhas's offer.
Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.
Essence Luxe Couture today
- StatusStatus unknownLast checked September 2026
We haven’t confirmed whether Essence Luxe Couture is still operating.