"A Lair for the Fierce King" - Lions display immense courage during relay's final event.
The grand finale of "The Lion's Den" was filled with passion and original business concepts. Tonight's episode of The Lion's Den (Mondays, 8:15 PM on Vox or RTL+) saw innovative business ideas and compassionate founders meeting lions who either negotiated deals or collaborated. Low-carb snacks for diabetics secured investors, as did jewelry filled with life memories. It seemed like no deal was imminent in the last pitch of the season until Niels Glagau (48) decided to take action with the motto "No more hesitation - just do it!"
"We have nothing to show you."
At first, the lions struggled to warm up to Igor Bukin's product. He presented without a logo, packaging, or any sales figures. His crunchy, round "Chipolo" chips had the lions skeptical, but his emotional story of living with diabetes for over a decade won them over. Igor Bukin lives with diabetes like many others in Germany, facing restrictions, dietary changes, and health issues. Near-sight blindness happened to him as well. But he refuses to give up on sweets. Developing his "Chipolo" chips from soy, which contain 99% less carbohydrates than traditional potato, lentil, or pea chips, he offered 50,000 euros for 25% of the start-up and got them gushing: "It's incredibly tasty and light, a genius product!" Niels Glagau approved the soy balls after tasting them, and they finally won Ralf Dümmels (57) over: "These people deserve help." Igor agreed, and the deal was done.
Jewelry founders convince the lionesses
Programmers Henrik Hühn (28) and Moritz Tschischkale (29) from Düsseldorf aim to preserve lifetime memories with their smart "Jourries" jewelry. Their necklaces work as keys to the best moments with their built-in NFC technology. They offered 15% of the company for 100,000 euros to establish a strong brand in the jewelry segment. Lioness Janna Ensthaler (40) was charmed, so was senior investor Dagmar Wöhrl (70). Both offered 100,000 euros for 20%. The founders left for consultation, and the two lionesses quickly came together. They could imagine making a joint investment for 25%. However, the founders returned and chose both lionesses: Double deal!
No deal for the bathroom revolution
Claudia Klemmer and Katharina Geißel have created the smart, small "Turnies" shower balls to promote sustainability in the bathroom. Their goal is to ban plastic bottles in Germany. The "Turn" dispenser can portion the balls, and they are free of microplastics and water. Claudia Klemmer: "We want to turn the tide in Germany's bathrooms." The founders sought 15% of the company for 150,000 euros. The lions were skeptical about the valuation and competitiveness of the product, leading to one after another exit.
"Space flight" over
Three years ago, Ralf Dümmel and Denise Hahn became partners for the "Summersaver" deal, a leg warmer preventing inner thigh itching. The Lions were convinced three years ago, leading to a multi-million euro success story with 20 employees, the product available in all German pharmacies, and plans to conquer international markets.
"I'm out of this space flight!"
Robin Göbel (27) and Max-Felix Müller (25) want to make homes safer and smarter with their new room sensor that can recognize people who don't move. The "Inventife System" can connect to smart home control and automatically adjusts lighting and heating. Suitable for private homes, apartments, nursing homes, and office buildings, the system saves costs and risks. For ten percent of the company's shares, they offered 200,000 euros. The lions had questions about the company's value and sensor system positioning. Lastly, Carsten Maschmeyer said, "This space flight is too much for me." The founders left the Lion's Den without a deal.
Luis Kesten (age 27) and Fabio Lehnert (age 26) are long-time friends who have a shared love for animals. They've dedicated their time and efforts to their company, "Hunderunde," to promote animal welfare. The funds they've generated from selling armbands have aided animal shelters in Romania. They also manufacture vegan dog treats, some of which are made from leftover fruit and vegetables, with the intention of using these proceeds for philanthropic purposes.
Their proposal to the Lions involved a €100,000 investment in exchange for 15% of the company's shares. Unfortunately, four Lions backs out because they were already putting money towards similar startups. The duo was thankful for the attention and encouragement they received, but ultimately, they were left without a deal.
However, their charisma caught the attention of Carsten Maschmeyer, who described them as "confident, but not arrogant, and totally likeable." Despite the interest, Maschmeyer declined to invest. Niels Glagau, a different Lion, had a change of heart and placed a €100,000 investment on the table for 20% of the company's shares. Glagau's philosophy for investing in animal welfare was, "Viele reden, wenige tun - wir wollen handeln!" (translation: "Talk is cheap - we want to act!")
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In the episode of "The Lion's Den" on RTL+, Janna Ensthaler and Dagmar Wöhrl were impressed by the smart jewelry concept of Henrik Hühn and Moritz Tschischkale. Their necklaces, containing NFC technology to preserve life memories, caught their interest, leading to an investment offer of 100,000 euros for 20%. Despite their initial offer of 15% for 100,000 euros, the founders decided to accept both lionesses' offers, sealing a double deal.
During the show, Igor Bukin presented his low-carb, soy-based "Chipolo" chips to the lions. Despite initial skepticism and the lack of packaging and sales figures, his emotional story of living with diabetes for over a decade moved the lions. They offered him 50,000 euros for 25% of his start-up, securing an investment and praise for his "genius product."
Aiming to preserve lifetime memories, Janna Ensthaler and Dagmar Wöhrl also invested in RTL+, supporting the jewelry start-up RTL+. They agreed upon a 25%, 150,000 euros investment, impressed by the innovative necklace concept and NFC technology.
While some entrepreneurs left the Lion's Den without a deal, like the "Hunderunde" duo, others, such as Igor Bukin, emerged victorious, securing investments for their unique products. The series continues to attract entrepreneurs looking for investment and lions ready to back up their vision with financial support.
