Episode 30 of Bloom features an interview with the founders of Umay, who pitched their Rest tool on Dragons' Den and came away with an offer.
CEO Ali Habib said reality TV was not exactly part of his company's plan, but when the opportunity came along, it struck him as a "low-risk, high-reward, medium-effort" way to promote and maybe fund the device he developed with his sister, Sharmin Habib.
They tell Faaiza Ramji what it was like to hear "no" from most of the Dragons, and how it felt to get a yes to their offer of $380,000 for 5% of their company. "You're in such a state of execution," Ali said. "When you get that one yes, you celebrate it, you feel good about it, you feel heard, and that's a great feeling."
Investment aside, a show like Dragons' Den is a marketing opportunity, and Ramji advised the Habibs to take full advantage of this moment.
"In the liquor business, I learned the phrase 'sips to lips' — the more sips you can get to more lips, the better your business is going to be," she said, referring to her company, Field Notes. "I think it's the same thing with Umay. The more people that try it out, and the more people that are buying it, the more people you have talking about it."
Hear the whole Umay story on the Sept. 22 episode, where you'll also get updates on Claire Theaker-Brown of Unbelts, who was on Dragons' Den three years ago, and Mallory Yawnghwe of Indigenous Box, who recently pitched on Bears' Lair.