Early in 2002 I was discussing potential business ventures with an acquaintance who asked ‘What do people need the most' and the first thing that came to mind was “Air”

It's right at the base of Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs. 3 or 4 minutes without it and brain death commences. Every human death is as a result of hypoxemia or lack of O2 to the brain.

Well, air is free, of course and thankfully widely available. However in smoke filled burning buildings it is a valuable commodity. A person would give a lot for just a few cubic feet of it. Insurance is sold with this philosophy, when you need it you'll be glad you have it!

So, from that initial thought, the concept developed.

My first conception had similarities to the prick punch mechanism found in mini CO2 cylinders that air rifles and soda dispensers use, however that turned out to be a problem for production reasons related to charging the device.

The idea sat in limbo for a few years until I was persuaded by a friend to audition for the CBC investor reality show Dragons Den. On a Tuesday night in April 2007 I checked out the Dragons Den web page and as it turned out the auditions for the new season were the following Saturday.

There was a line of about 40 or so ahead of me at the CBC's Atrium. Many adroit and clever as well as simply silly business plans were presented one after the next. There was a character with a one foot skate spinning back and forth on the terrazzo floor with a larger than life helmet secured tautly to his bobbing and lolling head. The host of the auditions, Sean Wise seemed to be crazy about this Homo Semi Sapiens. Skater boy wound up directly ahead of me in queue. After his frankly pedestrian pitch the crew attempted a regimen of ‘whooping' him up. Clearly, they wanted to use this guy. As they were micing me up I asked Wise, “You like that guy, eh?” “Sure, he's really something” I said “His thing is already in Canadian Tire.” Wise remarked “That's good, right” “No, not his thing, someone else is already selling them.” Wise cracked… “Is that how you want to start your pitch?” “Well, I though might like to know that.” He says “You just worry about your pitch and let me decide who to use, alright?” What a sweetheart. I wondered aloud, “Don't you think a little healthy competition between entrepreneurs makes for good TV?” Again, “Let me worry about that.”

Suprisingly they called me up the next week, “Congratulations Bill You have been chosen to Audition in front of the Dragons.”

Lucidair Gemmell: Hello Dragons, I'm Bill Gemmell this is my partner Tom Hurley. Together we're Lucidair. We're here today in order to secure a $250,000 venture cap loan, and to facilitate that we're willing to relinquish a 25% share in our fresh and exciting young business.

Briefly, here's my pitch…

Your home is on fire! Thick black toxic smoke is billowing under your bedroom door. You reach for a Lucid airpack… deploy the charge and with a burst of fresh and cool air, you gather your thoughts and family together and safely execute your escape plan.

The product is a tank of compressed air linked to a soft mini face mask, technically known as an egress SCBA, but let's just call it an Airpack. It's the next logical step from fire extinguishers on the one hand, which it resembles, and carbon dioxide/smoke detectors on the other. Products fire code legislated in many, or in the case of smoke detectors, most North American municipalities.

I want to launch and you want to be part of a product that has the potential to gain that kind of captive market.

Differing mainly in cost but also in basic design from the Airpacks used by miners and firefighters worldwide, the Lucid airpack user deploys the charge by simply grasping the grip, rotating the tank and placing the mask to their face. It's that simple, your six year old could do it. In fact, my six year old has done it.

Dragon Kevin O'Leary: Isn't there something like this out there already?

Lucidair Gemmell: Well… Yes there is. There's a tank, a hose, and a bag you put over your head. I don't let my kids put bags over their heads.

Dragon Robert Herjavec: I think it should have a trigger.

Lucidair Gemmell: Well, we looked at triggers, but they leak. We needed a more robust mechanism. It has to sit and retain the charge for years.

Dragon O'Leary: I don't like that it takes 2 hands to open and close it.

Lucidair Gemmell: Well, admittedly it does take two hands to open it, but we don't recommend closing it. Open it and get out.

Dragon Laurence Lewin: This is one of those fire safety products, no one even buys smoke detectors.

Lucidair: Ah, According to my market research 97.3 % of my respondents have smoke detectors, that's not no one, (holding up the stack of market research papers) would you like to see it?

Dragon Lewin: No… not right now.

Dragon Herjavec: How long does it last – can I see it?

Lucidair Gemmell: Well, (walking up to dragons) for an adult man under exertion about a minute. A woman 90 seconds and children well over 2 minutes.

Dragon Herjavec: I don't think that's long enough.

Lucidair Gemmell: (returning to cue point) Admittedly, most people are highly conservative about the time it takes to get out of their dwellings. I live on the fifth floor of a condominium complex and blindfolded, I opened up a unit inside my apartment, went out into the hall and down five flights of stairs then out of the building with still a significant charge.

Dragon O'Leary aside to Herjavec: Maybe your house is too big.

Dragon Arlene Dickenson: You keep mentioning your children, what's that about. – (No pause) Where did you get the idea from?

Lucidair Gemmell: Well, my grandfather was the safety guy in a mine, it came from that. But also, at the base of Mazlov's hierarchy of human needs, there's air. You need air the most. What do you sell people? The things they need the most. You sell it to people like insurance companies sell their product. “One day you'll be glad you have it.”

Dragon O'Leary: Ok, So… what's your margin.

Lucidair (Gemmell turning to Hurley) Hurley: 28% $28 our cost, $35.70 for retailers. $49.99 shelve price.

Dragons one by one: No margin. I'm out. Yea' your margin sucks. I'm out. I'm out.

Dragon Jim Treliving: (Still scrutinizing the product) Yea, I guess I'm out.

Lucidair: Thank you, thank you very much.

To the best of my recollection this was the gist of the time in the den, there was also a short session in the ‘Kiss and Cry' with Diane Buckner.

Buckner: Bill you started out with a lot of energy then what happened?

Gemmell: I guess I could tell they weren't biting.

Buckner: So will you still pursue this.

Gemmell: Sure, isn't that what every pitcher says.

After Tom and I were outside of the studio the Dragons had at least one comment that I was not privy to until seeing the aired segment.

O'Leary: You know I think this would be a great cure for hangovers, there's a market for that. (O'Leary seems to misconstrue the contents for pure oxygen, that of course, would be explosive and stupid. I pointedly say that it is a tank of compressed 'air' and 'with a burst of fresh cool air' and on no less than four occasions refer to it as an 'Air'pack)

The sad fact is that Dragons Den is not a venue for promoting fledgling business' but for individuals who have existing business' to shamelessly promote them and themselves. The evidence for this lies squarely within the argument that the Dragon with the most salient product, Treliving, (Boston Pizza) is widely revered as the fairest and kindest Dragon, and O'Leary, a Report On Business ‘talking head' is the flat out nastiest. What Treliving has to loose by an outburst of cruelty is obvious. What O'Leary has to gain is again too plain a point to belabor. Suffice it to say, discussions with his executive producer concerning his upcoming salary no doubt start with… “Do you realize how many people discuss my character around the watercooler?”

For the better part of the summer of '07 I worked on producing a production unit. Fully functional and packaged. As you can see for yourself from the home page pictures that goal has been achieved, partly as a result of the impetus of the Dragons Den audition.