As she officially launched the 2017 edition of the Dragons' Contest during the recent Entrepreneurs' and Co-operators' breakfast, RDÉE executive director Bonnie Gallant noted the 2016 edition attracted 13 contestants. Three of them were chosen for the finals, which were held jointly with the Entrepreneurs' Gala.
Over 100 people watched as the three finalists presented their entrepreneurial project proposal to a national jury. The seven-minute presentations were made similarly to those done on the TV show, “Dragons' Den”. Then, at the end of the gala, organizers presented a $10,000 cheque to Karine Gallant and Iain McInnes from the Productions Piroune malthouse.
"This edition attracted a lot of interest from the community, in the media and among governments," said Gallant. "We therefore decided to repeat the competition, but this time we're trying to increase the value of the prize."
The new edition of the contest is again aimed at any francophone or bilingual person wishing to establish a new business, launch a new product or service or expand on an existing business. The product or service must be available in both of Canada's official languages and the business must be in P.E.I.
All those who are interested must fill out an online application form, which can be accessed at http://garago.net/forms/dragons, by Feb. 3, 2017.
All contestants must then attend a full day of "pitch training" in early February to learn how to present their entrepreneurial project in a concise and convincing way. They will make their presentation before a local panel of judges in February. This jury will select the three top contestants to compete in the provincial finals. The judges will offer suggestions for project improvements to all contestants.
The three finalists will compete in the March 11 finals in Summerside before another panel of entrepreneurial experts. The winner will receive the cash prize to get their business project off the ground, along with several other gifts, including free memberships to Chambers of Commerce.
All requests for information can be addressed to the contest’s coordinator, Nicole Allain, at [email protected] or at 902-370-7333, ext. 401.
