Sarah Doherty and Kerith Perreur-Lloyd are the latest Coasters to tame the Dragons, coming home from the Dragons’ Den TV show with a deal worth $60,000 for their company SideStix.
That deal was kept quiet until Nov. 30, however, when around 100 SideStix supporters gathered with Doherty and Perreur-Lloyd to watch the episode featuring their trek into the Dragons’ Den at Buccaneer Restaurant in Sechelt.
“It’s really hard not to say anything,” a beaming Doherty confessed while waiting for their segment to air on CBC Wednesday night.
Anxious supporters huddled around TV screens and watched intently as Doherty and Perreur-Lloyd presented their adaptive forearm crutches to the Dragons and asked for $60,000 for 20 per cent of their company.
Doherty related her story of being hit by a drunk driver at 13 years old and how losing her leg in the accident forced her to get creative to continue living an active life. Through perseverance and ingenuity, Doherty became the first amputee to climb Mount Rainier on her first prototype of SideStix.
Right off the bat, it seemed the Dragons were impressed with Doherty’s story and interested in her product.
New Dragon Bruce Croxon asked to try the crutches, and soon Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec were racing each other on different models of crutches across the set. They immediately noticed the benefits of the special shock absorbers, forearm padding and grips in SideStix.
O’Leary cut to the chase and asked what the price difference is between SideStix and the crutches currently available on the market.
Doherty told him SideStix costs $450 to $700 more than the standard crutch.
