The next generation of entrepreneurs will meet two impressive new Dragons in the upcoming second season of Next Gen Den. Harley Finkelstein, chief platform officer (CPO) at Shopify Inc., and Nicole Verkindt, founder of OMX (Offset Market Exchange), will join season one's Michael Hyatt, chairman of Bluecat, as they look to invest in young, up-and-coming entrepreneurs pitching start-ups and early-stage businesses.

Season two premieres online on Oct. 7 alongside the broadcast premiere of season 10 of Dragons’ Den.

Who are these Dragons?

Harley Finkelstein

Harley Finkelstein is an entrepreneur, lawyer, and the Chief Platform Officer (CPO) at Shopify Inc. Shopify is an industry leader in the online-shop building biz and Canada's first Internet startup since the dot-com crash to reach a billion-dollar valuation. But before he hit it out of the park with Shopify, Harley was active in the Canadian startups and eCommerce scene. He founded his first company at age 17 while a student at McGill. Harley completed his law degree as well as his MBA at the University of Ottawa, where he co-founded the JD/MBA Student Society and the Canadian MBA Oath. Harley is a Mentor at Founder Fuel and Invest Ottawa, is on the Board of the C100, and is an Advisor to Felicis Ventures. Today Shopify has grown to have over 750 employees across Canada, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Waterloo and Montreal.

Nicole Verkindt

She may have cut her chops in her family’s aerospace business, but when Nicole Verkindt spied a chance to create her own company – she flew the nest and hasn’t looked back since.

Nicole founded OMX- for Offset Market Exchange, and invented a software solution that matches up the biggest aerospace players with Canadian technology partners. Her customer list includes industry heavyweights like Lockheed Martin and British Aerospace.Currently Nicole's busy schedule has her jetting around the globe to high-level meetings with world leaders as she oversees the international growth of OMX.

Michael Hyatt

Michael Hyatt, a self-made millionaire by age 25, is a mentor and investor in many start-ups, including the Rotman's School of Business Creative Destruction Lab and The Founders Institute. He has built two highly successful tech firms, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, and is a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40™ award. He chairs his family’s charitable foundation, and is the Executive Chair of BlueCat, one of Canada’s leading growth companies. Michael is a weekly business commentator on CBC News.​

Auditions are now open for our next season of Next Gen Den! Are you a young entrepreneur with an early-stage or startup business? To be eligible, entrepreneurs must be 40 years old or younger, looking for investment of $100,000 and under. Are you one? Apply now!

Can't wait for new Next Gen Den? Watch the first year of Next Gen Den online now!