Preparing for Dragons’ Den: NotaryPro’s Experience

They say luck is where preparation meets opportunity. For NotaryPro, the circumstances leading up to landing on Dragons’ Den can be described as just that.

Preparing to face the Dragons was no easy feat, but we wouldn’t trade the adventure for anything. In this blog, we’ll dive into preparing our Dragons’ Den pitch, from auditioning to taking the iconic stage.

Left to Right: David Barder, Chief Marketing Officer; Robert Onley, CEO; Charles Segal, Chief Revenue Officer.

What Was Filming Day Like?

At NotaryPro, our vision is bold yet simple: to make notary and legal document services easy, convenient, and accessible to all Canadians. Since launching in 2016, we’ve gained considerable traction, and pitching on Dragons’ Den felt like the perfect next step.

NotaryPro has transformed the legal landscape by blazing a new trail, innovating the outdated in-person service model to facilitate seamless digital delivery. What’s more, we’re saving Canadian individuals and businesses millions in time and expenses. Our notary platform enables users to meet with a notary public anytime, anywhere, without leaving their homes or offices. 

In 2025, NotaryPro achieved incredible milestones, including expanding across Canada, launching Canada’s first bilingual online notary solution, and securing partnerships with leading brands. With over 350,000 individuals and 1,000 corporations served across Canada — and a rapidly growing notary network — this was our time to shine. 

We felt confident showcasing our value to the Dragons, knowing we had the numbers and momentum to make our case. But it wasn’t just about exposure — we also wanted to secure funding to fuel the next chapter of our growth.

Auditioning for Dragons’ Den

Landing the Dragons’ Den audition was a serendipitous experience. Charlie Segal, Chief Revenue Officer at NotaryPro, stumbled upon his audition with a stroke of luck. 

He had arrived at our Invest Ottawa office on a random Tuesday in April, and Dragons’ Den producers happened to be conducting auditions. He couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask whether he could add NotaryPro to the audition list (despite having no pitch prepared!). 

The time came for Charlie to deliver his NotaryPro pitch, but it ended up being a comfortable, free-flowing conversation. Charlie started the discussion by asking, “Don’t you hate dealing with lawyers?” and illustrated how NotaryPro offered a better legal services solution.

His passion shone through, catching the attention of another entrepreneur who instantly recognized NotaryPro. This entrepreneur started raving about her incredible experience with NotaryPro’s platform just a week prior. After receiving that glowing endorsement while Charlie was onstage pitching, the producers offered a spot on Dragons’ Den.

Preparing Our Dragons’ Den Pitch

After the audition, we made everything official by applying online. Two weeks later, the wait ended with an incredible email — NotaryPro was invited to pitch in the Den! The moment was absolutely surreal; as longtime fans of the show, we could hardly believe we’d be taking the stage! 

Pitching to investors wasn’t new to us, but being on national television brought everything to a different level. This wasn’t just a pitch — it was our chance to showcase NotaryPro’s game-changing online platform to millions of Canadians.

We knew this moment could define our future, and we had to deliver with precision, passion, and purpose. To ensure we were ready for anything, we hired Winston Wilmont, an Ottawa-based press agency, to help with our pitch. It was a pleasure to work with Chris Day and the rest of the Winston team; they definitely helped steer us toward success. 

We also made a list of possible questions the Dragons could ask us. We re-watched past seasons and pooled together questions we received from other investors. We had every detail down to a science, ready to back up everything in our pitch and more.

Although we only had two weeks to prepare, we poured countless hours into crafting our pitch. We then rehearsed endlessly, pitching to family, friends, and team members until it felt effortless.

To learn about our experience of being on the show, see our blog about taking the Dragons’ Den stage.

Deciding on a Valuation

Our first challenge was deciding how much funding to ask for and ensuring we could justify our ask. We’ve all seen entrepreneurs struggle to justify their numbers on Dragons’ Den, so we wanted to avoid that. 

We made sure we could justify our valuation and funding request in our sleep. We looked at past funding rounds and revenue to arrive at a valuation. Then, we honed in on showing how much we could expect NotaryPro to grow in the future.

We decided to ask for $1 million CAD for 6.5% of our company, placing NotaryPro’s valuation at $15 million CAD.

Final Thoughts on the Dragons’ Den Experience 

To any fellow entrepreneurs thinking of taking the plunge: prepare meticulously and bring your A-game. Knowing your numbers inside and out, and having confidence in your valuation is non-negotiable. Practice your pitch until reciting it feels like second nature — and then practice some more.

Pitching on Dragons’ Den is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Interacting with the Dragons was a breeze, and learning that they supported our vision put our nerves at ease. Watch our episode to see us pitch and learn whether any Dragons join our bold journey to redefine Canada’s legal landscape!

Did NotaryPro Get a Deal?

Yes, we did get a deal! We were thrilled to learn that Michele Romanow was interested in investing in NotaryPro. She offered us 1 million CAD in funding in exchange for 9% of our company. After a brief team huddle we determined that we were happy with this number, and gladly accepted!