Who is Manjit Minhas, who’s involved in the bubble tea drama with Simu Liu? The Dragon’s Den judge disagreed with the Marvel star over claims of cultural appropriation, but later pulled her investment
When two business partners pitched a ‘healthier’ version of boba, the Barbie actor raised the issue of cultural appropriation, but Minhas disagreed, saying that ‘not everything has to be traditional’
There’s discord in Dragons’ Den – and the internet is invested.
To bring you up to speed, Dragons’ Den Canada is a popular Shark Tank style reality show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to secure investment from a panel.
However, fellow Dragon Manjit Minhas had a different point of view as she dismissed Liu’s concerns about cultural appropriation as “a little heavy”, saying, “there can be new takes on things … not everything has to be traditional”. Minhas, who is the co-founder and co-owner of Minhas Brewery, Distillery and Winery, went on to invest US$1 million for 20 per cent of the company.
Liu, on the other hand, doubled down: “I started this venture company for a lot of reasons but really primarily to uplift minority entrepreneurs. Not only do I feel like this is not happening here, but that I would be uplifting a business that is profiting off of something that feels so dear to my cultural heritage. I want to be a part of bringing boba to the masses, but not like this.”
So, just who is Manjit Minhas?