# Michele Romanow

> Michele Romanow is a Canadian entrepreneur and investor based in Toronto. She co-founded Clearco, previously served as its president and CEO, and moved to executive chairman in January 2023. A Dragons’ Den investor since 2015, she previously co-founded the Tea Room, Evandale Caviar, Buytopia and SnapSaves, which Groupon acquired in 2014.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Clearco; Partner at Athena North; Investor on CBC’s Dragons’ Den
- **Organizations:** Clearco, Athena North, CBC Dragons’ Den, Vail Resorts, Groupon, SnapSaves, Buytopia, Evandale Caviar, The Tea Room, Sears Canada, Queen’s University
- **From:** Calgary, Canada
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** BSc in Civil Engineering, Queen’s University, Master of Business Administration, Queen’s University
- **Known for:** Co-founded SnapSaves, acquired by Groupon in 2014., Joined Dragons’ Den in 2015 as its youngest Dragon to that date., Queen’s University Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award, 2007.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Co-founded the Tea Room while studying at Queen’s; public accounts differ on the founding year.
- **2007** — Graduated in engineering and received the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award.
- **2008** — Completed her MBA; developed Evandale Caviar with Anatoliy Melnichuk and Ryan Marien. The venture was affected by the financial crash and export restrictions.
- **2010-2011** — Launched Buytopia after working in corporate strategy at Sears Canada; launch accounts describe late 2010, while corporate biographies use February 2011.
- **2014** — Groupon acquired SnapSaves; she subsequently worked there until March 2016.
- **2015** — Joined season 10 of CBC’s Dragons’ Den and co-founded Clearbanc.
- **2016** — Joined Vail Resorts’ board of directors.
- **2021** — Clearbanc rebranded as Clearco and announced a financing round at almost US$2 billion valuation.
- **2022** — Became Clearco CEO in February, succeeding Andrew D’Souza.
- **2023** — Stepped down as Clearco CEO in January and became executive chairman; Andrew Curtis succeeded her.
- **2024** — Became a partner at Athena North in February, according to Vail Resorts’ 2025 proxy statement.

## Achievements

- Co-founded SnapSaves, acquired by Groupon in 2014.
- Joined Dragons’ Den in 2015 as its youngest Dragon to that date.
- Queen’s University Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award, 2007.
- Named among Forbes’ 20 disruptive Millennials on a Mission in 2013.
- Canadian Innovation Awards Angel Investor of the Year, 2018.
- RBC Women of Influence Innovation Award, 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Vail Resorts’ 2025 proxy statement lists Romanow as a partner at Athena North since February 2024 and co-founder and executive chairman of Clearco.
- **2024-02** — Became a partner at Athena North, as documented in Vail Resorts’ 2025 proxy statement.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheleromanow/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/micheleromanow
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheleromanow/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michele-romanow
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08