Callia Flowers founder Catherine Metrycki holding one of their bouquets. (HANDOUT)
Investor and entrepreneur Manjit Minhas holds a Callia Flowers bouquet on “Dragons’ Den.” (CBC / HANDOUT)
A Winnipeg-based online flower delivery start-up that stepped inside the “Dragons’ Den” has walked away with a fresh-smelling deal.
Callia Flowers and its 29-year-old tech entrepreneur, Catherine Metrycki, appeared on the CBC reality show Thursday night. Metrycki pitched her company to the venture capitalists and landed a $500,000 investment from Manjit Minhas for a 12.5 percent stake.
“I’m thrilled my pitch connected with Manjit,” says Metrycki. “We share a Prairie sensibility when it comes to business. She appreciates that we’re tackling a difficult industry, and she likes our product and sees the opportunity to grow.”
Metrycki says her company is profitable in some of the 22 cities it services, but still loses approximately $15,000 per month. The investment will help Callia Flowers to scale its operations and expand to other Canadian markets.
“It’s difficult to get criticism from people that you really respect,” she said after answering a fire round of questions from some of Canada’s top entrepreneurs. “That’s always the case and that’s part of building a business because if it was a home run, everybody would be doing it.”
At only two-years-old, Callia Flowers prides itself on delivering fresh, hand-tied seasonal bouquets in only five clicks, while guaranteeing a luxury delivery experience in their signature box.
Metrycki, who says she’s a tech company rather than a floral company, says being a disruptor in the retail sphere isn’t just about smarter algorithms or marketing savvy; genuine care for user experience informs every action.
“We don’t sell flowers — we make it easy for people to share their feelings and create moments of delight.”
We made a deal! ? So excited and grateful to have said “yes” to the amazing @manjitminhas as we’ve expanded to make more Callia moments ? across Canada! ??@cbcdragon #cbcdragonsden pic.twitter.com/d8FacWeHa8
— Callia Flowers (@CalliaFlowers) November 22, 2019
Excited for my deal with @CalliaFlowers !! Gorgeous flowers and a beautiful strong entrepreneur running this company. #cbcdragonsden pic.twitter.com/BRvPB1QLzZ
— Manjit Minhas (@manjitminhas) November 22, 2019
