“The Lion’s Den”
“Without hesitation for humans too” – Michael Ballack drinks his own plant fertilizer
Bernhard Unger, Michael Ballack and Thomas Hüster (from left) demonstrate the ecological harmlessness of their plant product
© Bernd-Michael Maurer / RTL
It’s been a long time since there was so much glamor in the “cave”. Michael Ballack presented his start-up, with which he wants to stir up the fertilizer market. The premiere of the young guest juror Sarna Röser almost went under – also because an adult lion aggressively staked out its territory.
No sooner does a prominent soccer player enter the “Lion’s Den” than Ralf Dümmel becomes a fan. “Wow,” the multi-millionaire stammered and shrank to the size of a child in his seat when Michael Ballack lined up in the founders’ arena. It was hard to decide which of the two was more nervous – the world star, who was in the unfamiliar role of suitor and support for his start-up LuckyPlant was looking for, or the sales king from Hamburg.
The presented products
- Better Crackers: The crackers recycle previously unused leftovers from food production such as apple fiber and pumpkin seed flour. The product was originally called “Retter Kräcker” and was later renamed.
- Le Gurque: The dishwashing sponge consists of dried loofah cucumber and is intended to be a natural alternative to plastic sponges.
- read-o: The Books app offers its users personalized, emotion-based recommendations. To do this, artificial intelligence has so far combed through around 1.6 million book reviews.
- LuckyPlant: The fertilizer consists exclusively of ecological ingredients, including components of pitcher, and is intended to support the growth of plants in a natural way.
- Xeem: The digital platform brings students together with business. The core are so-called “challenges” that companies upload and in which young talents can prove themselves and win prize money.
Boom Boom Ballack
The stroke of fate that happened in Michael Ballack’s life in 2021 only lasted for a brief moment. The ex-soccer player talked about the allergic skin irritation that “one of my sons” suffered after a game. Presumably because of chemical fertilizers in the lawn. That was one of the starting shots for LuckyPlant– the “energy drink for plants”, which, according to self-promotion, is safe for nature, animals and people. To prove it, Ballack and his two partners dissolved three fertilizer tablets in water and drank the entire eco-cocktail in one gulp. “Does this also make your hair grow better?” joked Carsten Maschmeyer.
It was the only positive statement from the ex-AWD boss in this pitch. The rest: embarrassing boasts. “I advise some world-famous footballers,” Maschmeyer began and, after a series of similar capers, rose to mega-hubris: “There is no lion who knows more about gardens and stands for it more than I do.” How uncomfortable. Ballack obviously thought so too and did business with Dümmel.
The vaguest idea
The name already gives an indication of the special quality of the vegetable: sponge gourd, also known as luffa cucumber. A founding couple from Hamburg made it Le Gurque –and gave Judith Williams a late insight. “We fly to the moon and drive electric cars, and I’m still washing up with the same plastic junk I used to do?” she fumed. She allied herself with Ralf Dümmel for the bio-sponge (“We haven’t made a deal together for five years”), but lost out to guest lioness Sarna Röser and Dagmar Wöhrl. Swam over it.
Digital deals of the week
Sarna Röser, heir to a cement pipe dynasty and chairwoman of the German young entrepreneurs’ association, scored points at her premiere with her friendliness and subtle references to her age (34). She was in every respect the antithesis to Carsten Maschmeyer, who apparently felt encouraged by the majority of women on the jury – Röser, Williams, Wöhrl – to let the capitalist puke hang out. With a tough either/or negotiation tactic, he snatched 25.1 percent off two tech start-ups – i.e. the much-invoked blocking minority, which gives the investor the right to veto important decisions. The team of read-o At the end of his presentation, the grim threat was slammed in his head: “I’m out if I don’t like the answers to the questions I’m asking now.” With the two founders of Xeem Maschmeyer moderated himself a bit, but he directed his two business partners Röser and Wöhrl like a boss would his secretaries. “You start, you go on, I’ll screw it up.” Man Maschmeyer!
applause and out
Alas, the lions don’t like it. Then the politeness is quickly over. The complaints from Maschmeyer and Co. to the Better Crackers / Savior Crackers however, almost bordered on bashing. Judith Williams: “I once had a guinea pig and the food looked similar.” Carsten Maschmeyer: “I assume it tasted that way too.” That’s how it started – and it didn’t get any better until the end. Maschmeyer in particular kept making new attempts to communicate his displeasure to the founding trio. At some point he snapped at her: “You three are all food technologists, so you must somehow get a better taste for it.” The three promised more salt, but even that didn’t save the jury’s appetite.
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