$1Mfor 10%
Protein Candy
Valued at $10M
The pitch
Ben McHugh from Montreal, QC, pitched MakeMyBellyFit in Season 10, Episode 3, asking the Dragons for $70K for 30% of the company.
- Asked for$70K for 30%
- Valuation$233Kimplied by the ask
- OutcomeDealwith Manjit Minhas
- Final deal$70K for 15%valued at $467Kplus a royalty: 7% royalty for five years, then Manjit Minhas takes a 15% equity stake
Offers in the Den
| Dragon | Offer | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Wekerle | $70,000 for 35% (later revised to 29% and other counter-offers) | Declined |
| Jim Treliving | $70,000 for 30% (what he came for) | Declined |
| Michele Romanow | $70,000 for no equity, 20% royalty | Declined |
| Manjit Minhas | $70,000, 7% royalty for five years then 15% equity stake | Accepted |
| Joe Mimran | Went out, citing past negative experience in maternity business | Out |
Ben McHugh, from Montreal, asked for $70,000 for 30% of MakeMyBellyFit. The company makes the BellyFit, a jacket extender that attaches to an existing jacket to accommodate a pregnant belly or a baby carrier, allowing the same jacket to be worn during pregnancy and afterward for babywearing. The product costs $16 to manufacture and retails for $60, is made in Montreal, and sold through independent stores and mainly online; the company sold 1,800 units last year.
Michael Wekerle and Jim Treliving both offered to fund the full ask at higher equity stakes, moving between roughly 29% and 40% during negotiation. Michele Romanow offered $70,000 for no equity but a 20% royalty on sales. Manjit Minhas offered $70,000 with a 7% royalty for five years, after which she would take a 15% equity stake, and offered help with retail and manufacturing. Joe Mimran went out, saying pregnant women try to avoid maternity-specific products. Ben McHugh accepted Manjit Minhas's offer.
Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.
MakeMyBellyFit today
- StatusIn businessLast checked September 2026
Ben McHugh's jacket extender business Make My BellyFit was featured as a season 12 update after originally pitching in season 10 and making a deal with Manjit Minhas. Sales tripled within six months of appearing in the Den, the team doubled in size, and the product is now stocked in over 100 stores. The company launched a new universal adaptor product designed to work with any jacket zipper, and the business has grown from a sideline into Ben McHugh's full-time job.