Sodcrete Urban Innovations

Paul Zysko and Ronnie Woroniuk
Thunder Bay, ON

The pitch

Paul Zysko and Ronnie Woroniuk from Thunder Bay, ON, pitched Sodcrete Urban Innovations in Season 16, Episode 3, asking the Dragons for $100K for 50% of the company.

Asked for$100K for 50%
Valuation$200Kimplied by the ask
OutcomeNo deal

Offers in the Den

Dragon	Offer	Result
Vincenzo Guzzo	Out - not scalable or defensible	Out
Michele Romanow	Out - no proven business model	Out
Manjit Minhas	Out - not a fit for the trend	Out
Wes Hall	Out - easily replicated	Out
Arlene Dickinson	Out - not a game-changer, advised sticking to day job	Out

Paul Zisco and Ronnie Warnick, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, pitched Sodcrete Urban Innovations, asking for $100,000 for 50%. The product is stamped, tinted concrete designed to resemble grass while retaining the strength of concrete, intended for use in urban infrastructure to allow water diversion for plants and trees; the founders estimated pricing at $20 to $30 per square foot and had a patent pending on the grass stamp design. The founders had invested about 100 hours and $10,000 and had made prototype stamps by hand in a garage, with no revenue or completed jobs yet.

All five Dragons declined to invest. Vincenzo Guzzo said the idea was not scalable or defensible, Michele Romanow and Wes Hall noted there was no proven business model and the concept could be easily replicated by existing concrete companies, Manjit Minhas said it did not fit current trends, and Arlene Dickinson said it was not a game-changer and suggested the founders stick to their day jobs. No deal was made.

Pitch details from CBC’s Dragons’ Den pitch page.