MHC entrepreneurs pitch ideas Dragon’s Den-style

By Jeremy Appel on December 8, 2018.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Medicine Hat College entrepreneurship students had the opportunity to pitch business ideas to a Dragon’s Den-style panel of judges Friday, the culmination of a semester-long project.

Miranda Davies, the MHC business instructor who organized the event, says the course is done in conjunction with Calgary’s Mount Royal University, whose students are participating in a similar pitching event.

“When it’s exciting and there’s skin in the game and they’re nervous and there’s risk associated with it, students learn so much more,” said Davies.

This isn’t the students’ first time pitching to judges. Throughout the semester, they’ve had three other pitches that are critiqued by different judges and refined in anticipation of the final event.

Like Dragon’s Den, the students give a five-minute presentation before asking the judges for an amount of money and stake in their company.

One of the business ideas was a local commercial kitchen repair service.

“There’s basically no other competition for it in the Hat,” said Shaylund Samson, one of three students involved in the business idea.

“Other local businesses we’ve talked to (have) waited anywhere from six to eight weeks for the service. We’re hoping we can shorten the wait times for them.”

It takes so long to get an estimate because the nearest company — LDI Technical Services — is based in Calgary, according to Nick Kush, another student involved with the pitch.

The students’ plan is to provide estimates within a matter of days.

“It’s such a unique thing in the city. It doesn’t exist,” said Kush. “If we wanted to get certified, we would have such a good opportunity to do this business in Medicine Hat because no one else is doing it right now.”

ATB, whose branch manager Jerri Gainner was one of three judges, donated $2,025 to be divided among the top pitches.

First place in each of the course’s two sections get $450, second place gets $300 and the overall winner gets an additional $525.

The other two judges were Christie Wilson, who’s with the MHC’s entrepreneur development centre, and Ryan Jackson of Rameco and Invest Medicine Hat.

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