In the eighth episode of the 13th season of “Lion’s Den” there is a showdown between a younger and an older lion duo.
Right at the beginning of the new episode of “Die Höhle der Löwen” (8:15 p.m., VOX and RTL+), the students Frederic, Felix and Raul ensure squabbling lions. One evening in their shared apartment, they were once again annoyed that the beer heated up so quickly during beer pong. So they invented “frats”, a party cup with cooling – without watering down the beer. And this is how it works: The reusable cups consist of a double cup wall containing cooling liquid. The “frats” cooling cups are placed in the freezer two hours before the party and then keep the drinks cold all evening.
The lions are excited. Nils Glagau (47) and Tillman Schulz (33) withdraw and whisper. “Craziness!” “Also for football stadiums” – from the fragments of words that can be heard, it is clear: The lions really want the deal. “The battle plan is in place,” Schulz says happily at the end. Happy too soon? Because now Carsten Maschmeyer (63) is whispering to Ralf Dümmel (56).
Glagau gets going: “We already had a few visions, football fans, cinema, garden party, I think your trophy fits really well in many situations. We’re good young guys too, we’d be up for it.” The young lion duo offers 125,000 for 30 percent.
Now Dümmel steps in: “Awesome presentation, I think the product is so cool because the target group is between five and 70. I’d be up for it.” Maschmeyer adds: “I would hook you up as a mentor, could get influencers, that would be our package. And I would love to be your founding father.” The somewhat older lion duo also offers 125,000 for 30 percent.
Now the founders are spoiled for choice and exchange ideas. “Man…I have no idea,” moans one. “I’ll cry if we vote out the fool,” commented another. In the end, no tears need to be shed, because the founders choose the lion duo Dümmel and Maschmeyer.
“Lovelstar”: Suddenly there is a horse in the lion’s cage
Then things get animalistic in the lion’s cage. Motorcyclist Patrick Pauliner developed “Lovelstar”, illuminated stirrups, together with veterinarian and horseback riding enthusiast Veronika Hajek. The idea came about when Patrick almost collided with a rider on his motorcycle in 2017 and realized that only a few riders had the appropriate lighting.
He developed extremely bright LEDs for stirrups that the rider can switch on and off at any time and have a lighting range of over 300 meters. So far they are only available via an online shop. Now the founders also want to offer their stirrups in retail. For this they need 150,000 euros and offer 15 percent.
The two have brought in reinforcements for the pitch: Michael Schuhböck, who takes care of marketing, and Torro. Veronica rides her horse into the lion’s cage.
“A real horse,” marvels Janna Ensthaler (38). As if to prove it, the horse is about to drop some horse droppings. The lions can examine the stirrups and get some treats for Torro. “Lovelstar” costs 69.95 euros in a set, the founders have sold 600 pieces in the past two years.
Wöhrl objects that nowadays it is no longer possible to ride out without a light. “Yes, but so far no one has anything with them,” explains Veronika.
Enthalter wants to know how many stirrups are sold each year. The founders don’t know. A no-go for Glagau: “I would have liked more numbers, that’s too much risk for me, so I’m out.” Enthalter also gets out. “Every rider who can be saved is worth buying the product. But we lions want the money we invest to come back. I think that could be a problem with the market in Germany, that’s why I’m out.”
When Dümmel asks about the patent, another snag comes to light. It turns out that there are two other people on the patent.
Williams waves him off. “That’s an absolute red flag. You have a patent, but there are two people left in it, so I’m out.” Woehrl too. Stay Dumb. “I’m not really into the horse market, I like the idea, but unfortunately I’m out.” No deal for “Lovelstar”.
Nils Glagau grabs “lynes”: Somehow we’ll manage it”
The aim of the brothers Tobias and Sven Hubbes is to get people to switch to environmentally friendly means of transport. To do this, they rely on incentives instead of bans and have developed a bonus program for sustainable mobility with “lynes”.
As soon as the “lynes” app is installed on the smartphone, users can collect points by choosing environmentally friendly means of transport. These points can then be exchanged within the app for vouchers and discounts at various companies and brands. In order to reach even more people, the two founders need 180,000 euros for the further development of the app and offer 20 percent company shares.
“lynes” has been on the market in NRW for four months and has around 1,000 registrations on the app. But this year the founders will be left with a minus.
Schulz doesn’t get in. “Great story, but I don’t see the rapid scalability, so I’m out.” Dumb too. “You’re so honest, I think that’s sensational. I’d like to be with you two, but I’m not the big helper for the project, I’m out.” Maschmeyer thinks that the two founders went wrong when choosing a partner. “My advice: your partners should be the city and the federal government. I’m out, as commendable as I think that is.”
That leaves Glagau, who struggles with himself: “You radiate honest charm. I think your idea is honest. You need many users. It all costs a lot of money. It’s still so immature. But … I’ve had enough, we’ll manage it somehow .” But he still wants to readjust the business model. He wants 25 percent for 180,000. Deal.
“Häppysnäx” leaves Ralf Dümmel hungry
When her youngest daughter stopped eating fruit and vegetables, Marina Herter, founder of the “Häppysnäx” dried fruit roll, remembered her childhood in Ukraine. At that time, she and her grandmother made dried fruit themselves. The fragrant fruits were halved and dried on the garage roof. The result was a delicious candy.
The founder developed “Häppysnäx”, smoothies made from 100 percent organic dried fruit, for her daughter. The fruits are first mixed and dried and then packed into a handy roll – the smoothie roll. The important nutrients, vitamins and minerals in the fruit crisps are preserved thanks to gentle drying at below 45 degrees Celsius. In order to be able to offer her healthy fruit chips to even more people, the “Häppysnäx” founder needs 100,000 euros for 25 percent of the shares.
Each lion gets to try a role. There are now seven varieties, a bag costs 3.99 euros. “It’s expensive,” says Maschmeyer, but he likes it. “The combination is healthy and I’d love to add you to our founding family. But I’m not the right investor for you. I’ll be a customer, but I’m out.” Glagau doesn’t bite either. “I don’t like the product, the price is too high, so I’m out.”
Wöhrl and Schulz talk, Dümmel writes. Wöhrl makes the offer to the lion duo. “The product is as refreshing as you. It’s important to me who I work with, I want to build a brand. You can make it big with that. The product has to go to market. I want to be your partner with Tillman”. Schulz adds: “We have 60 years of expertise in the food sector. We have to build a brand. Together we are offering 100,000 euros for 30 percent.”
Now only Dümmel is missing, who is obviously hungry for the deal. “I would give you 100,000 euros for 30 percent. I’m losing a bit of weight because of you and I would like to walk the path with you.” The founder consults with a friend and decides on the lion duo. Dummel pouts.
The founders of “Paleo Chair” remain seated on their furniture
Sitting is the new smoking. Sitting for a long time is bad for your health. That’s why the founders, Raphael Schneider and Toni Hackmann, invented the “Paleo Chair”, functional seating furniture for healthy and ergonomic sitting: the upper side of the seat cushion is designed to be softer than the underside. For example, the underside is better for crouching.
“So that we adults can sit functionally again, whether at the dining table or at the desk, we did something incredibly simple: we brought the floor up,” the two present their invention.
The “Paleo Chair” is now available in different versions. Since the market launch, the founders have made over one million euros in sales. It costs 349 euros.
Raphael and Toni are personal trainers and YouTubers. “Children don’t have any problems sitting, they do everything right, constantly change their sitting position, this avoids one-sided strain on the body,” they explain their product. The lions should sit on a mat and join in the gymnastics.
Maschmeyer’s knees hurt. “I don’t think the bosses buy that and want you to sit like this. I have my doubts that the growth will continue like this. Too many question marks, so I’m out.”
Dümmel thinks the furniture is cool. “But that’s not my typical business, so I’m out.”
Woehrl too. “It’s great when you show that. But it needs to be explained. And I don’t see the scalability that way. That’s why I’m out.” Glagau does not invest either. He lacks passion. “I don’t have much knowledge in the area, so unfortunately I’m out.” no deal