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.

We are big fans of this new widget for Twitter news on your website, simply click link to get the widget which comes in 3 styles and different sizes on your site.  Twitter is all the rage and an important way to connect and discover connections, advice and knowledge.  Follow riiPlay.tv by clicking on the widget button or this link.

More media coverage for fundfindr with a feature yesterday on vator.tv, Entrepreneur Matchmaking sites. Is there a market for services that bring ideas and money together?

Vator.tv is a media site that features innovation, new ventures and social networking. We’ve been a fan since we discovered them last summer and we recommend posting your pitch on vator as well as fundfindr to extend your audience. In this regular feature, Vatorbox, host Bambi Francisco, Investment Banker Ezra Roizen and Analyst Lise Buyer discuss fundfindr and RaiseCapital.com - two of the emerging professional networks for small business.

The panelists reinforce that services like fundfindr are definitely needed with over 80,000 small businesses registered on Facebook alone, a million new small businesses annually in the U.S. and 57,000 angel investments last year. They discuss the challenge in business models that entrants face, provide a pitch critique and pick a winner - thanks Bambi! The signal is clear - venture capital will be disrupted and complimented by convenient, cost-effective and efficient services like fundfindr.

To see our comment on other players in this space and clarifying a couple of points - like the feature’s error that fundfindr does not have original content - click here and scroll down to comments.

An excerpt of the comment: “ Like Bambi suggests of vator, fundfindr will also take a collaborative approach and partner with complimentary services and events (like Vator). The space is dynamic including: i) deal flow software providers (Fundability) that as Bambi said will battle with Angel Soft, ii) funding request sights charging for investor access (GoBigNetwork, Findthatmoney), iii) training/education (Fundinguniverse modules) or charging for broadcasts of VCs chatting (Fundingpost - anyone paying?), iv) idea forums (didn’t go so well for Cambrian House) and v) media sites with pitches like Techcrunch and Vator. Our take is there is a substantial market to serve here but not simply based on business models of advertising or success fees. And not by throwing more dealflow (video) over the transom as Lise mentioned - the key is customized, quality deal flow, quality content and creating the efficiency and liquidity Ezra mentioned.”

June 23, 2008 Vancouver: fundfindr Media Inc. is pleased to announce the additions of Angel Fund manager Basil Peters of Vancouver as an expert reviewer of elevator pitches on fundfindr.com. fundfindr CEO Bret Conkin commented, “The addition of Dr. Basil Peters as our first Expert Reviewer is very positive news for fundfindr’s clients - entrepreneurs and investors - and fundfindr itself.” He added, “Essentially we are applying technology to venture development by offering innovative entrepreneurs the opportunity to get expert feedback via the Internet to better enable them to become investor ready.”

“I am committed to giving something back to the entrepreneruial community and encouraging young entrepreneurs. So I am pleased to collaborate with fundfindr in their innovative online offering where start-up pitches can get my direct feedback,” stated Basil Peters. Basil Peters is a well-known figure in the West Coast angel and entrepreneurial community and is currently manager of his third technology investment fund, Fundamental Technologies II. Mr. Peters was co-founder of Nexus Engineering while still in school and led it to an exit as Nexus Group over a decade as CEO. Mr. Peters is a frequent speaker on best practices among angel investors, a guest contributor on Techvibes blog and has his own well-regarded blog Angel Blog.

Over the next 4 months, a selection of promising pitches will be selected each month for FREE expert feedback by Basil. More expert reviewer announcements are expected shortly. These pitches will also be eligible to be selected as semi-finalists in the exciting new Pitchies competition. Simply register, upload your elevator pitch video and profile and you could be closer to Venture Success!