Local firm makes ‘sleepy’ pitch to Dragons’ Den

A viewing party is being planned to watch a Kelowna company make its pitch on the CBC show Dragons’ Den.

Earlier this year, Second Slumber attempted to sell its business model to the reality show’s investment stars, looking for a funding partner to scale up its business, which re-purposes and re-sells lightly used mattresses, providing them at affordable rates and keeping them out of landfills.

The company features former Okanagan College professor Rick Maddison and several OC students and alumni on its team.

“When Rick and I walked onto the set it was pretty surreal. There are cameras everywhere, lights shining in your eyes and people you have only seen on TV staring back at you,” said Second Slumber CEO and founder Scott Amis. “It would be a tough setting for most, but we practiced our pitch hundreds of times and had friends tear it apart, so we felt ready. There are lots of entertaining moments that I think people will appreciate as the Dragons were in kind of a goofy mood.”

Dragons’ Den has been on CBC for 17 years and is one of the top-rated shows in Canada. The network says about 1,000 businesses apply every year to be on the show and only 50 make it to air.

Amis and Maddison pitched their idea in May of this year, spending 45 minutes with the Dragons. They have no idea what the final TV product will look like but have worked in collaboration with OC to raise money for student mental health.

“We are thrilled to have the event hosted at Okanagan College and see what our pitch looks like for the first time,” Maddison said. “Many of our Second Slumber staff are current students or alumni, and prior to Second Slumber I was teaching marketing at OC so it’s a special place for our scrappy and kind company. We can’t wait to watch the program with all those who supported us and continue to do so.”

The fundraiser and viewing party will take place Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. (PST) and feature Lakehouse chef-inspired canapés, Sandhill Wine pairings and refreshments from Big White Brewing. To purchase tickets or donate to the fundraiser, go to trellis.org/dragonsdenatoc.

The following is a preview of the Second Slumber presentation:

Second Slumber provides premium open-box mattresses that were returned within the 100-night sleep window for sale, so far, giving over 600 plus families access to a better night’s sleep and keeping like-new products out of the landfill. Partial proceeds from each mattress sold by Second Slumber are donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association in Kelowna.