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January 28, 2010 | Vol. 5, No. 9
By Anna Sarkissian
Cognizant of the need to brand their product, Mark Bajramovic (left), PhD candidate in industrial psychology at the John Molson School of Business, and Oren Tessler (right), a chief resident in plastic surgery at McGill University commissioned photos by professional photographer and Concordia grad Riccardo Cellere featuring their AirMouse.
PhD candidate Mark Bajramovic and his partner Oren Tessler walked onto the set of the CBC reality show Dragon’s Den with a business proposal.
When their eight-minute segment was done, they walked away with $75 000.
The duo, who met in the MBA program at McGill in 2000, had no problem convincing the panel of investors to help them develop their product, the AirMouse.
Dressed sharply and with confidence to spare, Bajramovic and Tessler presented their wearable computer mouse.
“As you can see, the AirMouse is a new revolutionary computing mouse technology. It is medically endorsed and it is designed to relieve symptoms of repetitive stress injury,” Bajramovic explained.
Composed of lightweight breathable fabric, the mouse allows the hand to maintain a neutral position and minimizes stress on the carpal tunnel. They also have plans to create a model which can significantly increase gaming speed.
To prepare for their appearance, they watched the last four seasons online and looked out for the investors’ red flags. They also got on-air advice from Bajramovic’s wife, Nadja David, who appears on Le Banquier, Quebec’s version of Deal or No Deal.
“I like you guys. You guys are smart,” said investor Robert Herjavec, CEO of the Herjavec Group, one of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies.
Arlene Dickinson, CEO of Venture Communications, also liked what she saw. She and Herjavec agreed to invest together.
Bajramovic said that it has been a real pleasure dealing with those involved in the show. At the end of the day, he is a real believer in the value of human relationships.
“Products will come and go. Ideas will come and go. What really matters is the people,” he said.
He feels deeply indebted to his mentors at Concordia for their support and guidance.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have worked with Dr. [Muhammad] Jamal and Dr. [Marylène] Gagné. I am so thankful to them,” he said.
The AirMouse should be available within a year and will retail for around $129. Catch Bajramovic and Tessler on season five, episode three of Dragon’s Den. (Segment starts at 8:00.)
Page Title: Cool, calm and collected - Concordia University - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Page URL:http://cjournal.concordia.ca/archives/20100128/cool_calm_and_collected_.php...p
Date Printed: Tue April 23, 2024
