The pitch
What walked into the Den
Hussein Dahrouj created Sole Saver, an adhesive shield that guards the soles of pricey shoes, and he pitched it in season 17.
The ask was $100,000 for 20 percent, a straightforward split that values the product at $500,000.
After the show
What happened next
Hussein Dahrouj left the Den with a deal. Manjit Minhas offered $100,000 for 35 percent, well above the 20 percent he walked in offering, and he accepted.
The product is still available to buy. As of July 2026 the site carried Buy Now buttons for Canada and the United States, with orders fulfilled through Amazon Prime.
Our read
The Hub verdict
A $500,000 valuation, $100,000 for 20 percent, is one of the more grounded asks in this group, which fits a single-product accessory rather than a sprawling business.
Manjit Minhas took it at 35 percent, well above the 20 Hussein Dahrouj walked in offering, so closing the raise cost him nearly twice the ownership he planned to sell. A protective shield for the soles of designer shoes is a narrow single-use accessory, and equity is what a founder pays when the product cannot carry the valuation on its own. It is still buyable through the brand's site for both Canada and the United States.
That fulfillment route is worth reading as its own signal: a founder pointing buyers at a stocked marketplace listing, rather than a dormant landing page, is the kind of small tell that separates a live product from a stalled one.
