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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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!

We are pleased to advise that The Pitchies competition is being extended. We will be announcing some exciting news over the next week or so. In our rounds, we determined that pitch competitions of all sorts (live, taped, screencasts, mock and live again) were being held at many events. So rather than just holding another distinct competition, we will be integrating The Pitchies with another event to make it bigger and better.

The wind-up date had originally been scheduled for early November but the new date will be announced soon. Don’t miss your chance to enter for over $20k in great start-up prizes today!

Have you submitted your pitch to The Pitchies competition yet for your chance to win over $20k in prizes? Our experts want to see the finest new innovations so get your webcam or videocamera in action. We are just coming up to the announcement of our first semi-finalists so simply enter your pitch in our Compete section after you have uploaded it.

We also wanted to share some more background on the stellar judges we have lined up for the big November event where the Expert Pick winners will be announced. Plus, don’t forget to get your network voting for you for the People’s Choice Awards!

2008 Pitchies Judges - Bios

Basil Peters , Angel Investor, Entrepreneurial CEO, Fund Manager

While still in grad school, Basil co-founded Nexus Engineering. Nexus grew to seven companies with over 300 employees with operations in Hong Kong, Jakarta, London and five Canadian cities.  Basil is currently the manager of the Angel Fund Fundamental Technologies II.  Full bio

Greg Wolfe, Executive Vice President, Operations of SAP-Business Objects

Greg Wolfe is responsible for managing SAP-Business Objects operations and ensuring customer success in the Americas and EMEA. Wolfe has a strong track record of success in creating and managing high-growth and customer-obsessed organizations. Full bio

Mike Desjardins , Driver, Virtus

Mike is the Driver of Virtus and Past President of the Vancouver chapter of EO - the Entrepreneurs Organization. A graduate of UBC’s Commerce Faculty with a specialization in Marketing. Mike also spent three and a half years as the President of Purity Water Treatment Products. Full bio .

Robin Chakrabarti, Vice President, Corporate Development of T & M Group of Companies

The T&M Group have over 30 years of experience investing in, acquiring, building and growing profitable businesses, including Boston Pizza, Mr. Lube and Global Entertainment. In 2005, Robin was named one of BC’s top 40 businesspeople under 40. See Robin’s profile on Linked In

Ron Bertram, General Manager, Nintendo of Canada Ltd.

Ron Bertram is the Vice-President, General Manager for Nintendo of Canada Ltd . He is responsible for all of Nintendo’s business activities in Canada. Under Ron’s stewardship, Nintendo of Canada’s business has quadrupled in size to over ½ billion dollars. More bio here.

Ron Moravek, Chief Executive Officer, Sitemasher

Ron Moravek’s extraordinary ability to identify business opportunities and execute business plans made his joining Phil Calvin a natural next step in Sitemasher’s development path. The results-oriented, creative, high-energy leader comes packaged with an inspirational, fun and empowering management style. Full bio

Thomas Hellmann, B.I. Ghert Family Foundation Professor in Finance and Policy, Sauder School of Business University of British Columbia

Dr. Thomas Hellmann is a Professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He holds a BA from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Stanford and teaches executive, MBA and undergraduate courses in the areas of entrepreneurship and strategic management. Full bio