BURSTA Kelowna woman is walking into a den of dragons.
Billie Christiansen, the founder of the Little Kitchen Company, will be featured on an upcoming episode of Dragons’ Den, a reality TV series where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas and inventions to a panel of venture capitalists in hopes of securing financial investment and mentorship.
Christiansen tells Black Press Media her latest creation is built around demand-driven innovation by developing original and practical products that solve frustrations that arise in the kitchen.
“Rather than simply introducing variations of existing products, my focus is on creating genuinely innovative kitchen tools with thoughtful engineering, premium materials and distinctive designs. That commitment to innovation has resulted in 13 patents worldwide: one granted and 12 pending,” said Christiansen.
Her latest invention, called the Twist, is a stainless steel chicken shredder and, according to her, is the only one in the world.
Christiansen can’t give away what happens on the show, but she said it was a nerve-racking experience.
The local entrepreneur uses software to identify high consumer demand for products that don’t exist.
“From there, I essentially reverse-engineer the product development process, design it, create prototypes, patent it, manufacture it and bring it to market,” she explained.
Christiansen claims her first invention, a stainless steel meat chopper, was No. 1 on Amazon New Releases for 90 straight days.
Those who love cooking and puttering around the kitchen can catch Christiansen on Dragons’ Den when episode nine of season 21 airs on Thursday, Nov. 12, on CBC.