The Lair of the Lion - Lions display immense heart during relay's concluding event.
The "Den of the Lions" saw a finale filled with emotions and innovation in the last spring episode of "Die Höhle der Löwen" (Mondays, 8:15 pm, Vox or RTL+). Innovative business ideas and sympathetic founders faced lions who either made deals or cooperated. Soja-chip balls for diabetics got investors, just like jewelry filled with life memories. It seemed like a deal was far off in the last pitch, but Niels Glagau stepped in with the motto, "Don't mess around - act!"
Helping Those in Need
No logo, no packaging, no sales figures. Multitalented Igor Bukin made it challenging for the lions to warm up to his product at first. "We have no idea and are completely tense," greeted Carsten Maschmeier the inventor to the presentation. Igor's round, crispy "Chipolo" chips tested the investors' patience, but his moving life story won them over. Igor has been living with diabetes for years, like eleven million people in Germany. Dietary restrictions, nutritional changes, and health problems result from this condition. He even risked going blind several times. However, Igor refuses to give up on sweets. He developed his "Chipolo" snack on a soy basis, containing 99% less carbohydrates than traditional potato, lentil, or pea chips. After the first taste, Niels Glagau praised, "Very tasty and light, a genius product." Igor finally won Ralf Dümmlers heart saying, "People like you have to be helped." Igor agreed, and the chip deal was sealed.
Preserving Life's Memories
Programmer Henrik Hühn and his co-founder Moritz Tschischkale from Düsseldorf want to preserve life memories such as photos, videos, and texts using their smart "Jourries" jewelry. The necklaces act as keys to the most valuable moments, with NFC technology making these memories visible on a smartphone near the jewelry. To create a strong brand in the jewelry segment, the two founders offered 15% of the company's shares for 100,000 euros. Lionesses Janna Ensthaler and Dagmar Wöhrl were inspired by the beautiful memory necklace. Both offered 100,000 euros for 20% - initially separately from each other. While the founders withdrew for consultation, Dagmar and Janna teamed up, imagining joint investment for 25%. Back from the lions, the founders withdrew again and decided on the complete package with the two lionesses: double deal!
No Deal for a Bathroom Turnaround
"Turnies" are the smart, small shower balls by Katharina Geißel and Claudia Klemmer. Their goal: To promote sustainability in the bathroom. These balls can be easily portioned through their "Turn" dispenser and are free of microplastics and water. Claudia Klemmer: "We want to create a turnaround in German bathrooms and ban plastic bottles forever." For 150,000 euros, they offered ten percent of the company shares. The lions harbored doubts about the product's valuation and product competition. Carsten Maschmeyer blatantly stated, "With such a space flight, I'm out!" The founders left the lion's den without a deal.
Agency4Ed founder Denise Hahn and Ralf Dümmel's reunion three years ago led to the "Summersaver" deal. The stick, which prevents the itching on the inner thighs, convinced the lion back then. Today it's a real success story, with both selling 600,000 units and generating over ten million euros in revenue. For Denise, 20 employees now work, the product is available in all German drugstores. The next goal: international conquest.
In the "Den of the Lions": Uncertainty over the smart home idea
Robin Göbel and Max-Felix Müller aim to make homes safer and smarter. They've developed a new room sensor that can identify people for the first time who don't move. The sensor can connect to the smart home control and switch off the light and heating. The "Inventife System" is suitable for private homes and apartments, but also for nursing homes and office buildings. The system automatically switches off the lights and heating, which is a real cost saver. Furthermore, it recognizes a distressed person and sets off an alarm. For 200,000 euros, they offered ten percent of their shares. The lions expressed doubts about the company's worth and the sensor system's positioning. Carsten Maschmeyer made a harsh judgment, "With such a space flight, I'm out!" The founders left the lion's den without a deal.
Luis Kesten and Fabio Lehnert have been friends since childhood and have a shared love for animals. They run a company called "Hunderunde" that promotes animal welfare. They've already used their profits to help animal shelters in Romania. Their vegan dog treats, made partially from fruit and vegetable scraps, are designed to benefit animals in need. "We couldn't believe the idea that we could feed our own dog and an animal in need simultaneously," Luis Kesten says. They offered to give 100,000 euros for a 15% stake in their company to support lions. Sadly, four lions turned down the offer as they were already investing in other startups in the same industry. They met Carsten Maschmeyer, who described them as "self-confident, but not arrogant, and totally sympathetic." Despite his positive impression, he still declined to invest. Finally, Niels Glagau decided to invest 100,000 euros for a 20% stake in the company. His principle for investing in animal welfare is "not just talking - doing!"
