Michele Romanow

Michele Romanow is a Canadian tech entrepreneur, television personality, board director, and venture capitalist. She co-founded SnapSaves, which was acquired by Groupon in June 2014 and renamed Snap by Groupon. She co-founded Buytopia.ca, a Canadian Deal site that was #3 on Canada’s list of fastest growing companies. She is recognized among WXN’s “100 Most Powerful in Canada” and was named as one of the Forbes' “Millennial on a Mission.” Romanow joined the cast of CBC’s "Dragons' Den" in Season 10. She was also honored as the Angel Investor of the Year by the Canadian Innovation Awards.

Romanow launched her first business, The Tea Room, the first zero-consumer-waste coffee shop, in 2006 while studying at Queen's University. Following this, Romanow, along with two colleagues from her engineering class, Anatoliy Melnichuk and Ryan Marien, co-founded Evandale Caviar, Buytopia.ca, and SnapSaves. Romanow graduated and administered Evandale Caviar, a vertically integrated fishery that distributed high-end sturgeon caviar to luxury hotels and restaurants. She later became the Director of Strategy for Sears Canada.

In 2011, Romanow started Buytopia.ca, which by 2013, had 2.5M subscribers and had offered over $100M in savings. Buytopia grew by acquiring six competitors. Romanow initiated SnapSaves, a mobile couponing app that provides cash back to shoppers buying specified items, partnering with consumer packaged goods companies. Her extensive involvement in entrepreneurial pursuits includes co-founding Clearbanc, a financial services platform directed at providing freelancers and entrepreneurs with growth capital. She was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards and a global finalist for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award.

Furthermore, Romanow has a significant presence in various boards, serving as director for Vail Resorts, Freshii, League of Innovators, Queen's Business School, and Shad Valley. Her dedication to fostering entrepreneurship extends through her co-founding of the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative with Richard Branson, aimed at supporting small-business owners, including offering specialized financing options for female entrepreneurs. Romanow’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship has earned her several accolades, including the Queen’s Tricolour, the highest honour awarded by Queen’s University.