In the high-stakes world of startups, where ideas ignite or fizzle in the blink of an eye, few figures embody resilience and innovation quite like Michele Romanow. Born in 1985 in Calgary, Alberta, and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Romanow has carved out a legacy as a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and television personality. At 40 years old in 2025, she continues to shape Canada’s tech landscape, co-founding unicorns, investing in bold visions, and mentoring the next generation of founders. Her journey—from a zero-waste coffee shop in university to a seat on the board of a global resort giant—offers a masterclass in turning “no” into “next.”
Roots in Resilience: An Early Spark
Romanow’s story begins in a family steeped in ambition. The eldest daughter of Marvin Romanow, the former President and CEO of Nexen Energy, and Dagmar Romanow, she grew up with the grit of the Canadian prairies. Of Ukrainian and Slovak descent, she credits her oil-and-gas lineage for instilling a strong work ethic; even as a teenager, she rebelled against it by embracing environmentalism. “Being part of an oil-and-gas family, it was only natural that my 19-year-old self was bent on becoming a ‘bleeding heart environmentalist,'” she once reflected.
Her academic path led her to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where she pursued dual degrees in Civil Engineering and an MBA. It was here, in 2006, that her entrepreneurial fire was kindled. While most students chased summer internships, Romanow co-founded The Tea Room, Canada’s first zero-consumer-waste coffee shop. Armed with vermicomposters—red wiggler worms that devoured food scraps and produced sellable soil—she turned sustainability into a side hustle. The venture not only funded her studies but also earned her the prestigious Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award in 2007, Queen’s highest student honor. This early win foreshadowed a career defined by audacious bets on green innovation and scalable ideas.
Building an Empire: From Deals to Dragons
Post-graduation, Romanow’s ventures multiplied like startups in a bull market. By age 35, she had launched or co-founded six companies, each a testament to her knack for spotting consumer pain points. She dove into gourmet foods with Evandale Caviar, then pivoted to e-commerce with Buytopia.ca, a daily deals site that acquired competitors like Shop.ca and WagJag. Buytopia skyrocketed to #3 on Profit Magazine’s Hot 50 list of fastest-growing companies and #21 on the W100 with a staggering 3,163% three-year revenue growth.
Her big break came in 2012 with SnapSaves, a mobile couponing app she co-founded. Acquired by Groupon in 2014 and rebranded as Snap by Groupon for the U.S. market, it honed her expertise in digital marketing and tech scalability. These successes caught the eye of CBC, leading to her 2015 debut on Dragons’ Den—Canada’s answer to Shark Tank. As the show’s youngest Dragon, Romanow brought fresh energy, grilling pitchers on e-commerce metrics and scalability. Her on-screen savvy, blending tough love with actionable advice, has made her a fan favorite, with the series even earning a 2025 Canadian Screen Awards nomination.
Clearco: Revolutionizing Funding for Founders
Romanow’s crown jewel is Clearco, co-founded in 2015 with Andrew D’Souza (her former romantic and enduring professional partner). What started as Clearbanc—a revenue-sharing platform offering non-dilutive funding to online businesses—has ballooned into a unicorn, investing over $5 billion in more than 10,000 entrepreneurs across 13 countries. By ditching traditional equity stakes in favor of a “pay-as-you-grow” model, Clearco empowers founders to scale without losing control—a radical shift in venture capital.
The company’s trajectory hasn’t been without turbulence. In 2022, amid a tech slump, Clearco laid off staff and scaled back international ops, including a €500 million German launch. Romanow stepped up as CEO that year after her personal split with D’Souza, emphasizing streamlined decision-making for the firm’s 500 employees and $100 million+ revenues. Challenges persisted into 2025: In March, Clearco cut 30% of its workforce, and Romanow transitioned to executive co-chair, handing the CEO reins to advisor Andrew Curtis while staying on the board. “We’re under the same pressures as every other company to become profitable,” she told TechCrunch, underscoring her commitment to hard decisions.
Yet, Clearco’s impact endures. Romanow’s angel investing prowess—honored as Canada’s Angel Investor of the Year in 2018—shines through in Dragons’ Den deals, like her $1 million CAD investment in NotaryPro in January 2025. The legal tech startup’s pitch for accessible notary services earned her a nod for its “bold vision.”
Net Worth
Michele Romanow’s net worth in 2025 is estimated to be between $235,000 and $1.62 million, depending on valuation sources.
Net Worth Estimates
- GuruFocus (2025): Lists her net worth at $235,996, based on her holdings of 1,663 shares of Vail Resorts Inc. (MTN).
- Phras.in (2025): Estimates her net worth at at least $1.62 million, highlighting her broader entrepreneurial journey and investments.
- Range of Estimates: The variation comes from whether calculations include only her stock holdings or her business ventures and investments.
Sources of Wealth - Vail Resorts Inc.: Romanow is a Director and owns shares valued in the hundreds of thousands.
- Entrepreneurship: Co-founder of Clearbanc (now Clearco), a fintech company that provides revenue-based financing to startups.
- Dragons’ Den: As a star investor on Canada’s Dragons’ Den, she has invested in numerous startups, diversifying her portfolio.
- Other Ventures: Previously co-founded ventures like Buytopia.ca and SnapSaves, both acquired by larger companies.
Career Impact - Romanow is recognized as one of Canada’s leading tech entrepreneurs, often cited among the country’s most influential businesswomen.
- Her net worth reflects not just stock holdings but also private investments and entrepreneurial success, which are harder to quantify.
In summary: Michele Romanow’s net worth in 2025 is estimated between $235K and $1.62M, with the lower figure tied to her public stock holdings and the higher figure reflecting her broader entrepreneurial ventures.
Sources:
Would you like me to also break down her career timeline and major ventures so you can see how she built this wealth step by step?
Beyond the Boardroom: Advocacy and Accolades
Romanow’s influence extends far beyond pitches. In 2017, she backed Ruma Bose and Richard Branson in launching the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative, a non-profit fostering inclusive startups. She sweetened the deal with 10% loan discounts for female applicants via Clearco— a nod to her mission of empowering women in tech. As a director for Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN), Queen’s School of Business, Freshii, and Shad International, she advises on digital strategy for giants like P&G, Netflix, and Starbucks.
Her trophy case gleams: Forbes’ only Canadian on the 2013 “Top 20 Most Disruptive Millennials on a Mission” list; Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2020; World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2019; and WXN’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2015. With an estimated net worth of $150–187 million CAD, her wealth stems not just from exits but from a philosophy: “To succeed as an entrepreneur, you need more than one great idea.”
2025 and Beyond: A Dragon’s Enduring Fire
This year, Romanow remains a force. No new X posts since January suggest a deliberate focus on high-impact work, but her public footprint remains vibrant, with speaking engagements at 2025 innovation and equity conferences. On Dragons’ Den, she’s reviewing 250 pitches per season, prioritizing data over dazzle. Personally, she and D’Souza, godparents to a young girl named Julia, maintain a “yin and yang” professional harmony post-split.
Michele Romanow isn’t just building companies; she’s building a more equitable ecosystem. In a world craving solutions to “the toughest challenges,” as she puts it, her blend of engineering precision, investor instinct, and unyielding optimism lights the way. For aspiring Dragons, her mantra endures: “The key is not to be afraid and to try and try again.” In Romanow’s Canada, failure isn’t fatal—it’s fuel.
