Pitching for a trip to the Dragons' Den

Mark Hamelin is a math teacher who wants to revolutionize bathroom etiquette.

Jeff McPherson designed an original smart phone case using hockey skate laces and plans to sell his invention with NHL team logos and colours.

Marc Francis and John Andrews are already planning to turn CBC TV's Dragons' Den into a mini indoor bicycle park, hoping to secure a $500,000 investment for their modern and unique sports facility.

The entrepreneurs gathered with other business owners and dreamers at Georgian College in Barrie on the weekend, each hoping that their ideas would catch the attention of a panel of producers tasked to recruit pitchers to appear on the next season of Dragons' Den.

More than a dozen local entrepreneurs put their best pitch forward to earn a spot on the show where ordinary people aim to strike a deal with self-made multi-millionaires to take their ideas to the next level.

From beer bread to a device that makes hanging drywall easier and a 25-year-old robotic boat, the creative juices were flowing in Barrie.

Francis told the panel that a serious mountain bike crash that left him with a broken femur and a determination to return to biking and snowboarding.

"I have always been looking for the next challenge," he said. "Now we want to build a modern indoor facility that is climate controlled and never closes due to bad weather.

"We are targeting the modern mountain biker ... the people with five $5,000 bikes in their garage."

The vision is a 100,000 square foot facility in the Collingwood area where he would build ramps, elevated wooden platforms, teeter-totters and dirt trails.

To build Ride On Indoor Bike Park, Hamelin and Andrews need a $500,000 investment from a dragon.

"We've already thought a lot about this and when we get to the Den, we are going to entertain the dragons," Andrews said. "We know that we are the hardest working entrepreneurs you are going to see ... and this is the deal that the dragons want."

They were encouraged by the producers comments at the end of their presentation.

"It's really good that you guys have thought about what you would do in the den, and that you are passionate and are really good presenters, so ... Ride On," said Nicole MacKay.

With thousands of pitches to choose from, the producers will choose a few hundred to attend filming in Toronto from April 20 to the end of May.

"We are looking for passion for the business and ethusiasm," MacKay explained. "Because we are a TV show, the end goal is to produce an entertaining, reality-based TV show."

To be successful, pitchers must show their passion, personality and innovation.

"Who they are as presenters is as important as what their product is," MacKay said.

Those moving to the next step will be matched with a producer to refine their pitch before entering the Den.

Dragons film for 20 days, and they are only given the presenters' names prior to filming.

"It's quite a different experience when a pitchers walks down the stairs and all five dragons are sitting there in the den," MacKay said.

"Sometimes people freeze ... but we work with them to help them know what to expect."

Mark Hamelin is hopeful that Tut_Swvet tissue mist caught the panel's attention.

"Are we all comfortable with our bums today?" he asked as he started his presentation displaying a product that could eliminate wet wipes and end "dry wiping."

He says everyone faces the "tissue issue" and his superior water-based formula that is dermatologist tested and eco-friendly, will flush away the problem. A simple mist on any grade of toilet paper changes everything, he said.

The idea for the mist, which is sold in bottles that fit inside a toilet paper roll or a purse for "on the go" wipes.

If he makes it to the Dragons' Den, Hamelin plans to ask for $100,000 for 25 per cent of his business.

"Moisture matters," he concluded. "So why are we dry-wiping?"

Producers are hitting the road on a 35-city audition tour to find Canada's best small businesses in need of a Dragon investment.

The audition tour welcomes participants of all ages, with businesses at any stage of development. Aspiring entrepreneurs should prepare to pitch their concept to the Dragons' Den producers in five minutes or less. If they show the producers they have what it takes to pitch in the Den, they could be invited to Toronto to face the Dragons.

Barrie is just one of 38 cross-Canada stops for Dragon’s Den auditions and this weekend's presenters will have to wait about two weeks before they find out if they advance to the real den. Filming will start in Toronto in April.

Producers say as many as three or four businesses pitched here will move onto the den.

They are usually hooked by an idea in the first five minutes of the pitch.

"The dragons are in the den for 20 days and they can be long days," MacKay said. "We like to keep them entertained."