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![]() Welcome to the launch of my new Dragon’s Den fund for new, aspiring MMA Tycoon managers! This is a new venture that I am going to be running where newer VIP managers will be able to make a pitch to me to receive funding for their goals and aspirations.
The fund currently stands at $2.5m of my own Tycoon cash, and there will be no restriction placed on the size of any individual amount given to a manager. What will be vital, however, in keeping with the style of the Dragons’ Den TV programme is that the person applying for the money will need to justify what the cash will actually be used for.
To help, below are some FAQ that I would anticipate being asked in due course...
So how do I apply? Well it could hardly be any easier really – all you need to do is PM me with their pitch, which can be as long or short as they like, and tell me why you need the amount that you are applying for. Whilst the length of the pitch is up to the applicant, they will need to provide sufficient detail to support their application in order to meet my credit-scoring model (which will not be shared).
Isn’t this a Stacey Taylor memorial fund scholarship rip-off? No. With QRash’s fund, the money is basically dished out to any new manager who asks, and for simply a general purpose. My Dragon’s Den fund is specifically designed not to be giving handouts to any new manager who happens to come along. This venture is to support committed managers (i.e. they must have already purchased VIP) that wish to be the best (and this part is deliberately left vague, so it does not necessarily refer to being the number 1 manager, or owning the best org, or anything like that – this is something that each pitch should seek to cover). As a result, it is my expectation that the individual amounts given out by this fund will, on average, be larger than that of QRash’s fund as it is my intention that it serves a different purpose.
How “new” does a manager have to be in order to apply? There is no hard and fast rule on this, but suffice to say that it is one of the factors involved in weighing up each application, and will also impact the likely level of funding that can be gained.
Why are you doing this? Primarily because I want to, but to provide a little more explanation there are two main reasons. First, I’ve now played the game for just over two years and it has provided me with a lot of enjoyment in that time. A not insignificant step towards that was the help provided by more experienced players when I first joined and so I am looking to give something back. By insisting that applicants have already signed up for VIP as well, I am trying (admittedly just a small way) to also be helping Mike that it may help to build a larger base of committed new users. The second reason is more personal, in that I had a kidney transplant in November last year, which came from one of the many anonymous organ donors. I wouldn’t say that this has changed my perspective on things particularly (because it hasn’t), rather it has reinforced my belief of doing what one can to help others.
Are you seeking additional donations to the fund? Not specifically, no, but if people feel inclined to donate money then so be it but I will not be soliciting any donations from others. This fund has raised its money by me making use of my overblown manager ranking to pick up (generally terrible) free agents that happened to hold a lot of cash, as some people noticed, and then releasing them again. In doing so, this has cost me a considerable amount of VIP time (and therefore some of my own, real life money), and all of that money is being used in this fund. Whilst it was happening, some people felt my pillaging of free agents in that way was improper, but now they should see that it was justified. At this point I should thank those store owners who helped me channel the funds back from these free agents, they are: Stu’s Therapeutic Designs (Stu Pidasol), Hell’s Kitchen Lab Corp (Justin Sharpe), Steel Penn’s 160! (Cian Coggins), Atticus Black (Adam Rabago), and Shot in the Arm Nutrition (Yevgeny Memenski) – thanks to all of them for offering great deals in order to maximise the funds available to the Dragon’s Den venture.
When can a manager apply? With the publication of this thread, the Dragon’s Den fund is now launched and so people can start making their pitch right away! There is also no restriction on the number of applications that each person can make (successful or unsuccessful).
When I applied, I ended up getting a load of questions in reply – what gives? Well if you think it’s odd that I ask you questions in response to your pitch, you’ve probably never watched Dragons’ Den on the TV. As stated above, this is not a fund for people to simply come along and say they’re broke and they’d like to be bailed out. It is for people with a plan, and so the corollary to that is that I will make enquiries about the feasibility of those plans. Unlike Dragons’ Den on TV, I am not intending to provide the capital in return for a share of future returns. The intention is that these will be grants without recourse. (I reserve the right to alter this aspect in exceptional circumstances, and only in agreement with the applicant) Don’t get too worried about this, though, as it is fair to say that I will be applying less exacting standards than the TV Dragons, and so you should expect the requisite threshold to be met in order to gain funding to be rather easier to achieve than on Dragons’ Den.
What happens when the $2.5m runs out? In truth, I’m not sure. I may well add more capital to the fund in the future. Much depends on the level of interest I have from applicants and my own enjoyment in running this.
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