$1Mfor 10%
Protein Candy
Valued at $10M
The pitch
Dan Mangan and Laura Simpson from Halifax, NS, pitched Side Door in Season 17, Episode 8, asking the Dragons for $500K for 5% of the company.
- Asked for$500K for 5%
- Valuation$10Mimplied by the ask
- OutcomeDealwith Arlene Dickinson
- Final deal$500Kplus a royalty: Convertible note at the pitched valuation
Offers in the Den
| Dragon | Offer | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Herjavec | Out - valuation too aggressive given revenue traction | Out |
| Manjit Minhas | Out - revenue does not justify the $10 million valuation | Out |
| Vincenzo Guzzo | Out - not charging enough, will burn too much money | Out |
| Michele Romanow | Out - valuation too high based on current traction | Out |
| Wes Hall | Out - declining revenue makes it a hard investment despite liking the founders | Out |
| Arlene Dickinson | $500,000 convertible note at the pitched valuation | Accepted |
Laura Simpson and Dan Mangan, from Halifax, NS, asked for $500,000 for 5% of Side Door, a marketplace platform connecting artists with hosts of spaces to book live shows anywhere. The platform handles booking, ticketing and automatic revenue splits, taking 10% of an in-person show and 15% of an online show, and has facilitated 1,800 shows since launch. Last year the company did about $720,000 in ticket sales generating roughly $150,000 in revenue, is projecting about $500,000 in ticket sales this year during a pandemic-related transition, closed a $3 million U.S. seed round at an $8 million valuation, and pivoted during the pandemic to build a secure ticketing portal for online shows, working with artists such as Vance Joy and being listed as a top platform by Billboard.
Robert Herjavec, Manjit Minhas, Vincenzo Guzzo, Michele Romanow and Wes Hall all went out, citing the valuation being too high relative to current revenue and traction, along with declining revenue concerns. Arlene Dickinson offered the full $500,000 as a convertible note at the pitched valuation, which the founders accepted.
Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.
Side Door today
- StatusStatus unknownLast checked September 2026
We haven’t confirmed whether Side Door is still operating.