Paper-shredding lovebird won investment on Dragons' Den

Mary McQueen from Victoria, BC, Canada, is the founder of Hand and Beak greeting cards, a unique line of cards featuring collages of various designs made from shredded paper. Her business partner is Luigi the lovebird who shreds paper that she then uses to create the designs.



To create the cards, Luigi uses his beak like a sewing machine needle to shred paper into precision strips. McQueen then crafts whimsical collages from his shredding and creates greeting cards from the original artwork.


YouTube link.

Mary and Luigi recently appeared on Dragons' Den in Canada to pitch their company. They sought a $10,000 investment in exchange for 25 per cent of the company. Mary's story, wit and product won over David Chilton, former stockbroker, author of the best-selling personal finance book The Wealthy Barber.


YouTube link.

"As Mary and Luigi took the stage, I was immediately intrigued," said Chilton. "I think Mary is smart, witty and has a unique product. Entrepreneurs get a boost in attention and interest after appearing on our show and I'm excited to see where we can take this together." "This whole experience has been beyond thrilling," said McQueen. "I never dreamed I'd actually get a deal on the show. It's a surreal, but incredible feeling."