Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the only person to have invented a social network worth billions of dollars, Lane Merrifield has too. In 2005, he launched Club Penguin, a network for children, which quickly acquired 15,000 users. By 2007, it had 11 million users and was bought by Disney for $350 million. With Merrifield becoming executive vice president of Disney Online Studios, Club Penguin’s membership soared to 30 million, and it became a billion-dollar brand. Merrifield was 28 years old.
In 2012, feeling the itch to return to entrepreneurship, Merrifield left Disney to begin a new venture, FreshGrade. An educational tool connecting children with parents and teachers to personalise and develop learning, FreshGrade is currently used by 80% of Canadian districts. He has also founded Wheelhouse, a firm that helps tech startups to grow through mentorship and access to capital and networking. Among Wheelhouse’s achievements to date is the creation of a $35 million Innovation Centre in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Since 2019, Merrifield has starred as one of the Dragon’s on the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den, furthering his work in helping up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Among the innumerable awards he and his team have picked up are a BAFTA (for Club Penguin) and a Webby. The Hollywood Reporter named him as one of their Top 35 Executives Under 35 and the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce named him Business Leader of the Year. He also sits on numerous boards, including the British Columbia Technology Council, Spin Master, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, and the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia.