Well, perhaps it is only surprising that Mark Burnett, master reality TV show producer, of Survivor fame, took this long to produce a show on finding funds from investors.  Shark Tank will air this fall on ABC.

Canadians will find it interesting to see two of the Dragon’s from CBC TV’s Dragon’s Den, Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavic now re-cast in the animal kingdom as “sharks.”  Apparently Dragon’s are not native to the United States…

You can see more on the news at the link above and watch this pre-view which in typical cheesy reality show fashion, describes the premise.  If you want to practice your pitch, take advantage of the free platform at www.fundfindr.com and get connected to investors, services, advice  - minus a few sharks.

Last year, fundfindr helped top start-ups that we featured on fundfindr.com or had networked with get an audience with the producers of CBC TV’s Dragon’s Den.  The producers at the time told us they appreciate our ability to filter deal flow and that the Dragon’s were getting testy - “if we see one more Web 2.0 start-up…”

That said, whether you are a tech start-up or something more traditional, fundfindr may be able to assist you in standing out from other applicants.

The fact is video is an important part of raising investment today - both to refine your pitch and to distribute it.

If you upload a free video pitch yourself at www.fundfindr.com, we will review and share top prospects with the show’s producers.

Plus you will reach an audience of Angels - not Dragon’s - and be able to easily share your pitch with prospects directly.

If you would like our Riiplay.tv service to help produce a professional video pitch for your application to the Dragon’s Den, Angel Forum, Angelsoft, VANTEC or other investor sites, we’ll make sure as Danny Robinson says “…you look good even if you aren’t”.  Thanks Danny!

Contact us for rates and more info at info@riiplay.tv.

See this post for FAQs on your prospects, tips and what you need to know.  Well, Season 4 is rolling around and auditions are scheduled in BC including:

• Victoria - Monday, March 30th
• Prince George - Tuesday, March 31st
• Nanaimo - Wednesday, April 1st
• Campbell River - Friday, April 3rd
• Vancouver - Friday, April 3rd and Saturday, April 4th
• Nelson - Tuesday, April 7th
• Kelowna - Thursday, April 9th

More details on the Dragons’ Den auditions and online application here.

More tips from Mike Volker and VANTEC including exclusive fundfindr.tv interviews by clicking on thumbnail below and here. 

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A recap and wish for 2009,

As another year turns the page, fundfindr.tv has been pleased to present some of the top minds in investment, entrepreneurship and events for your viewing pleasure this past year.  Our mission has always been to democratize venture capital and venture success.  Key to this goal is sharing great content - over 153 posts - with you, our viewers.  Herewith, some of these Top posts and videos from the past year.

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Interviews:  Over 45 exclusives including highlights from The Funded’s Adeo Ressi.

Adeo was definitely one of the amazing people we met - no bullshit and committed to  helping leveling the playing field between the ideas and money.  In his New Year’s message he announced great plans for Thefunded.com next year - ping us and we’ll send you his message.  We also highly recommend you check out and register for the site if you are a CEO.

Other no nonsense types with valuable advice, we had the pleasure of featuring included: Robin Chakrabarti who started the year as a key man in The Dragon’s Den, Bootup Lab’s Danny Robinson, Super blogger John Chow and Miss 604 Rebecca Bollwitt. Robin shared some success snacks with our viewers and ended up joining Boston Pizza International CEO Mike Cordoba in launching a new Investment company targetting mid-market firms with high growth potential.  No doubt, we’ll hear much more from Robin in the coming year.

Danny launched his latest venture Strutta as a destination video competition’s site, transformed it to an API licensing model all while launching an exciting new Vancouver-based incubator Boot-Up Labs geared to build real companies first and attract VC later.

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Straight from the investor’s mouth: We gathered pearls and nuggets from leading Angel Fund managers and investors like Basil Peters, Mike Volker and Yaletown Venture’s Ralph Turfus.  The video thumbnail above  features Part III of the exclusive fundfindr.tv interview with Mike Volker on Angel funds and how they are structured for success.

Webisodes and Features: Our first Webisode set the tone on our mission to educate entrepreneurs and our many features including a growing roster of top expert speakers like Dr. Geordie Rose, Barry Jinks and Eric. T Petersen ended the year with a big finish.  Look for their excellent knowledge sharing and upcoming presentations by Darrin Barefoot at IMC, Mossadiq Umedaly at VEF and many more on backbonemag.com and fundfindr.tv.

Can’t miss Events: Way too many to cover them all but fundfindr.tv was there capturing the excitement at: New Ventures BC, New Media B.C’s Fusion Forum, Small Business BC, Enterprize 2008, VEF Momentum, VANTEC, Massive Tech Show.  Riiplay some of the excitement here and look for much more in 2009.

fundfindr News: Like many of our subjects, fundfindr Media also transitioned through the year.  Stay tuned for much more Knowledge on Demand, top opinion leaders and experts captured on video as we put finishing touches to the upcoming launch of the Riiplay.tv Alpha - covered here on Techvibes.

We are convinced that in today’s economy Knowledge is Power and we’re committed to helping you get it.  Register for an Alpha invite at www.riiplay.tv today.  Just hit the riiplay button and provide your email.

So, set your goals high, attack the year with optimism,  reflect on  hits and misses from the past year and learn as much as you can to prepare yourself for success.  Make 2009 your best year ever!  We will.

Thanks for watching,

Bret Conkin and the fundfindr.tv team

fundfindr Media is pleased to announce a collaboration with Backbone Magazine to share top business and technology event video content on backbonemag.com.

fundfindr provides turn-key content services to capture and share leading events, speakers and content providers like New Ventures BC, New Media BC, International Internet Marketing Association and Vancouver Enterprise Forum Momentum. Backbone magazine has been Canada’s leading technology, business and lifestyle magazine and website since 2000. Viewers see top experts in a convenient delivery system and organizers and speakers receive valuable exposure.

Check out this new Knowledge on Demand destination and look for much more quality content in the coming months. All the videos share the high quality production that fundfindr is known for. Just ask Stephane Dion if quality video production matters….

Let us know your feedback and whether you would like to see more speakers and more events by commenting or sending us a note to info@fundfindr.com.

fundfindr.com was recently featured on a Get Connected TV episode on start-ups. Check out host Mike Agerbo on the Get Connected website talking about how one of the biggest challenges for new businesses is funding. You can also see the feature via the You Tube link in the video thumbnail above.

Get Connected TV describes fundfindr as an “easy to use pitching site” and a “great resource to hone your pitching skills.” Mike demonstrates many of the features and benefits so check it out.

You can also see this feature in a podcast at getconnectedradio.com. This episode also featured our friends and Pitchies sponsors at Sitemasher - we recommend you check their exciting new website builder and CMS out!