Simu Liu: The Actor Who Took a Seat in the Den
Simu Liu
Simu Liu was born in China and grew up in Ontario, and worked in accounting before turning to acting.
He became widely known for the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience and then for playing the lead in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
A different route to the table
Liu has written and spoken publicly about being laid off from an accounting job before his acting career began, a story that made him an unusually relatable figure to founders who have been knocked back.
He arrives at a pitch from the audience side rather than the operations side, which changes the kind of question a consumer brand gets asked.
Joining the panel
He joined Dragons' Den in 2023, one of a run of newer panellists brought in as the Canadian show refreshed its table.
He is the rare dragon whose following comes from outside business entirely, which changes both who watches a pitch and who a founder is really speaking to.
Products Simu Liu backed in the Den
