Modelled after CBC’s popular TV show, The Dragons’ Den, where qualifying entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a group of potential investors, Junior Dragons’ Den, which started as a West Kootenay-Boundary-wide student business competition two years ago, will expand throughout the Columbia Basin starting this fall.
Launched and created by CFDC Greater Trail, the competition is now open to students from Grade 8 through to the post-secondary level throughout the Basin.
In order to enter, students must submit a business concept paper explaining their business idea or expansion (in the case of an existing business). Submissions are then short-listed and those students selected, matched with a mentor to refine their idea into a one page business plan and video pitch, before advancing to compete in one of 3 regional competitions or qualifiers (depending on where they go to school). These regional competitions will take place in Cranbrook, Revelstoke and Trail.
The program is led by the CFDC of Greater Trail and the CFDC offices in Revelstoke and Cranbrook.
The top three winners from each competition, automatically advance into the finals, which will be held at the Charles Bailey Theatre Saturday April 30 in Trail. The grand winners are awarded a combination of cash and other prizes; the cash portion of which must be used for a business start-up, launch or continuation (in the case of an existing business) or go toward the students’ continuing education.
Submissions are evaluated based upon: finances, marketability, the product or service idea and the overall plan presented.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Community Futures Revelstoke and Community Futures Cranbrook as partners in the Junior Dragons Den initiative,” Don Freschi, general manager of the Greater Trail CFDC. “We’re optimistic that the program launch throughout the Columbia Basin in the 2015/16 school year, will be followed by a provincial launch in 2017 through increased participation from other offices in the Community Futures family.”
Here is the line-up of live Regional Junior Dragons Den shows:
| Cranbrook | Thursday, April 7 |
| Revelstoke | Thursday, April 14 |
| Trail | Thursday, April 21 |
The Junior Dragons Den finals will be held on Saturday, April 30, at 7 pm in the Charles Bailey Theatre in Trail.
For more information on Junior Dragons Den please go to http://www.juniordragonsden.com or check out its Facebook page at Junior Dragons Den on FB
