“The Lion’s Den”
Lions show big heart at the season finale
Interested in intelligent jewelry from “Jourries”: Lioness Janna Ensthaler.
© Photo: RTL / Bernd-Michael Maurer
Whether it’s diabetic chips or a necklace with life memories – the lions once again invested heavily in the season finale of “The Lion’s Den”.
It was a season finale full of emotions and innovations. In the last spring episode of “Die Höhle der Löwen” (Mondays, 8:15 p.m., Vox or On the 10th anniversary of the show (on RTL+), innovative business ideas and likeable founders once again met lions who either fought over deals or cooperated. Soya chips balls for diabetics found investors, as did pieces of jewelry filled with life memories. And when a deal seemed a long way off at the last pitch of the season, Niels Glagau struck under the motto “Don’t talk – do it!”
“Guys like you need help”
No logo, no packaging, no sales figures. Multi-talented Igor Bukin didn’t make it easy for the lions to warm to his product at first. “We have no idea and are full of excitement,” said Carsten Maschmeier, welcoming the inventor at the presentation. But Igor did manage to make his crispy, round “Chipolo” chips appealing to the quartet of investors: with his moving life story. Like eleven million people in Germany, Igor has been living with a diabetes diagnosis for years. The result is deprivation, a change in diet and health problems. He was even threatened with multiple blindness. But he still doesn’t want to give up snacks. Igor developed his “Chipolo” snack based on soy, which contains 99 percent fewer carbohydrates than conventional chips made from potatoes, lentils or peas. Igor offered a whopping 25 percent of the start-up for 50,000 euros. “Very tasty and light, a brilliant product,” said investor Niels Glagau after the first tasting of the soy balls. With wit, charm and his delicious low-carb balls, Igor finally won Ralf Dümmel’s heart: “Guys like you have to be helped.” Igor agreed and the chip deal was sealed.
Jewelry founders snap up two lionesses
Programmer Henrik Hühn and his co-founder Moritz Tschischkale from Düsseldorf want to use their smart “Jourries” jewelry to preserve life memories such as photos, videos and texts forever. Their necklaces serve as a key to the most beautiful moments. The built-in NFC technology makes the memories visible on a smartphone that is held to the piece of jewelry. In order to build a strong brand in the jewelry segment, the two founders offered 15 percent of the company shares for 100,000 euros. Lioness Janna Ensthaler, like Dagmar Wöhrl (70), was inspired by the pretty memory necklace. Both offered 100,000 euros for 20 percent – initially separately. While the founders withdrew to consult, Dagmar and Janna briefly joined forces – and could also imagine a joint entry for 25 percent. Having just returned to the lions, the founders withdrew again and ultimately decided on the complete package with both lionesses: a double deal!
No deal for the turnaround in the bathroom
“Turn.ies” is the name of the smart, small shower balls from Katharina Geißel and Claudia Klemmer. Their goal: to ensure more sustainability in the bathroom. The balls can be easily portioned using their “Turn” dispenser and are free of microplastics and water. Claudia Klemmer: “We want to create a turnaround in Germany’s bathrooms and banish plastic bottles there forever.” The founders offered the lions 15 percent of the company shares for 150,000 euros. The lions doubted the product’s value and competitiveness and pulled out one after the other.
Three years ago, Ralf Dümmel and founder Denise Hahn came together for the “Summersaver” deal. The stick, which prevents chafing on the inner thighs, convinced the lion at the time – today it is a real success story. In a short time, both were able to sell 600,000 units and achieve a sales turnover of over ten million euros. Denise now has 20 employees and the product is sold in all German drugstores. Next goal: conquering the international market.
“The Lion’s Den”: Doubts about smart home idea
The founders Robin Göbel and Max-Felix Müller want to ensure a safer, smarter home. They have developed a new type of room sensor that can, for the first time, also detect people who are not moving. The sensor can be connected to the smart home control system for lights and heating. The “Inventife System” is suitable for private houses and apartments, but also for nursing homes and office buildings. The system automatically switches off lights and heating, for example, which is a real saving factor. The sensor also detects a person who has fallen and makes an emergency call. They offered ten percent of their shares for 200,000 euros. The lions doubted the company’s value and the positioning of the sensor system. Carsten Maschmeyer ultimately made a harsh judgment: “I’m out of this kind of suicide mission!” The founders left the lion’s den without a deal.
“The Lion’s Den”
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Luis Kesten and Fabio Lehnert have known each other since childhood and have always been real animal fans. Both are therefore committed to animal welfare with their company “Hunderunde”. They have already used the proceeds from bracelets to support animal shelters in Romania. The proceeds from their vegan dog treats, which are partly made from fruit and vegetable scraps, will also go to a social cause: “The idea that I could feed my dog and an animal in need at the same time stuck with us,” says Luis Kesten. Their offer to the lions was 100,000 euros for 15 percent. Bitter for the two: four lions dropped out because they were already investing in start-ups in the same segment. “Self-confident, but not arrogant, and totally likeable” – that’s how the founders seemed to Carsten Maschmeyer. But he also declined. So no deal? Niels Glagau changed his mind again and invested 100,000 euros for 20 percent. His motto for his investment in animal welfare: “Don’t just talk – do it!”