Disruption and Dragon’s Den Investing

Emmet McGonagle

June 17, 2022

Randy Stewart Thompson – chairman of Valhalla Private Capital, managing director of Old Kent Road Financial and co-owner of Peterborough United Football Club – has looked back at the impact of “dragon’s den investing” on his decade-spanning career as an investor.


“I was thinking about 32 year old me, ” Randy began, “that’s when  it all started”.


Randy’s first venture into business was Alberta Supernet - one of Alberta’s first internet service providers which was sold to Cyberion, a subsidiary of NorSat, in 1996. 


After leaving the company, however, Randy revolutionized Alberta’s working model for investing through his “Dragon’s Den approach”, which he had adopted four years before the TV show’s Canadian inception in 2006, for which he was a judge for the first two seasons.


“I like to say I had a face for radio,” Randy continued, “but the reason they asked us to do [the show]  was that there were only four groups in the country that were putting entrepreneurs in a room with investors. 


“There weren't a ton of us, and so it made sense,” he added.


More than 15 years since its small-screen debut, Dragon’s Den has been running for 16 seasons and earned two Canadian Screen Awards for Best Reality/Competition Series, alongside two Gemini Awards for Best Reality Program or Series.


On the topic, Randy remarked: “You're 32,with this fresh idea that nobody's doing of putting investors and entrepreneurs together.


A self-proclaimed “old dog”, Randy maintains that his experiences as an angel investor are more valuable than trying to make Valhalla appear “disruptive and hip” in the startup ecosystem.


“The core of what we're doing is still cool, but it's really hard to figure out how to reinvent that and get comfortable with it,” Randy said. 


“I used to think we had to be disruptive and hip, but I don't think that's where we're going - we're moving towards street confidence and trust as a traditional brand.”


Randy has also discussed how best to avoid the pitfalls of “soul crushing” and nurture North America’s startup ecosystem, with reference to the methods of The Apprentice’s Lord Alan Sugar.


Do you have a question about angel investing? Get in touch with Valhalla Private Capital via our contact page.

Canadian Unemployment Grows in ‘Labour-Constrained Economy’

By Emmet McGonagle • December 1, 2023
Canada’s unemployment rate has trended higher once again this month, according to the latest iteration of Statistics Canada’s November labour force survey.

Workers Call for Pay Transparency

By Emmet McGonagle • November 29, 2023
More than half of workers believe that disclosing worker compensation details on job postings will lead to better equality in pay, according to the latest iteration of LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index . The index - which is based on a survey of 3,302 members in Canada between June and September 2023 - found that 52% of people asked felt that people sharing their pay information (including salary and bonus) would improve workplace equality, compared to 48% in 2022. This number varies between different generations, with younger Canadians more likely to express support for pay transparency (73%), followed by 69% of Millennials, 46% of Gen X and 44% of Baby Boomers. However, 37% of those surveyed remarked that they felt anxious about sharing their pay information - a 2% rise from the year prior. Likewise, just under half (49%) said they felt well compensated for the work they do while 74% expressed that the pay gap between CEOs and employees had become too wide. The people of LinkedIn have come out in their dozens to give their two cents on the topic, with Adrienne Tom , executive resume writer for executives, saying: “ I'm all for salary transparency, so long as the number is clear and legit. Some postings list salary ranges so wide that the actual salary number isn't entirely clear, leaving job seekers confused.” “If you have a manager who is not advocating for the pay gap, you are working for the wrong manager,” remarked career strategist Sweta Regmi , while noting that women in Ontario earn an average of $0.87 for every dollar earned by men. On the topic, she added: “Salary ranges with job postings can help close the gender pay gap while allowing companies to find qualified candidates more quickly.” Do you have a question about angel investing? Get in touch with Valhalla Private Capital via our contact page .
Share by: