Michael Wekerle

Michael Wekerle (born December 17, 1963) is a Canadian merchant banker and television personality, best known for being an investor on the Canadian reality show Dragons' Den for three years, first appearing in the ninth season.

Business career Born in Toronto, Ontario, In this capacity, he was one of the key figures in Rogers Communications' takeover of Maclean-Hunter in 1994.

He left First Marathon in 1995 to join Griffiths McBurney and Partners (GMP). In his role with GMP as vice-chairman of trading, he was closely involved with the 1997 initial public offering of Research in Motion. Wekerle left Griffiths McBurney in 2011 by mutual consent, receiving a severance package in return for agreeing to a non-compete clause.

Wekerle launched his own merchant banking firm, Difference Capital, in 2012 to invest in technology startups. His investments through Difference Capital include the film and television studio Thunderbird Films, and the technology firm Vision Critical.

Dragons' Den In March 2014, he was announced as one of two new dragons, along with restaurateur Vikram Vij, who would join Dragons' Den in its ninth season following the departures of Kevin O'Leary and Bruce Croxon. In one of his first dragon deals on the series, he invested in Covergalls, a new line of workwear designed for women in industrial jobs. He left the show after the 12th season.

Other activities He is a partner in the Canadian franchise expansion plans of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers chain of restaurants. Wekerle is a former owner of El Mocambo, a live music venue in Toronto, which he purchased in 2014.

In 2013, he was a participant in the Humour Me Comedy Classic, a charitable event in which business executives train to perform stand-up comedy routines as a fundraiser for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. He is also a sponsor of "Wekfest" annual charitable fundraising music festivals in Waterloo.

In other media Wekerle made a special guest appearance in Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series.

Personal life He was married twice and his first marriage ended in divorce. In 2024, he married his long time sweetheart, Yasmin Castellon. In 2010, Wekerle experienced a bout of depression A valet with the hotel filed a lawsuit against Wekerle in 2013, alleging that he had suffered a permanent injury as a result of Wekerle's behaviour.