“The Lions’ Den”
The invention of three young Swiss people is too ingenious for the lions – and too expensive
As usual, the Lions carefully scrutinized the deals – and discussed them diligently
© Bernd-Michael Maurer / PR
Scented doping for cats, a survival app for allergy sufferers and a sausage that had to save an entire existence: Rarely has a DHDL episode been so full of kitsch and emotions. The biggest excitement came from a wheelchair startup – with the highest capital requirements in the show’s history.
By Mark Stöhr
Five million euros. The pen almost fell from the lions’ hands. Never before has a founding team in the “Den of the Lions” asked for such a high investment. And that with a participation offer of just ten percent. Anyone who appears so self-confident must have brought an amazing invention with them. And the makers of Scewo did not disappoint investors.
The presented products:
• Catlabs – Cat toys with scented filling
• Don’t eat anything – Currywurst in a glass
• Hackboe – Brush cutter to remove weeds
• HealthMe – App for detecting food intolerances
• Scewo – E-wheelchairs with a staircase function
Most expensive no-deal ever
“Is that a science fiction film?” Asked Dagmar Wöhrl when the Scewo wheelchair opened the caterpillars to climb a staircase and later even presented a lifting function. The three Swiss inventors had actually thought of everything. They had even learned their marketing lessons. Their vehicle is “probably the coolest electric wheelchair in the world”, the “Tesla of wheelchairs”. Nobody in the jury contradicted this. Amazement and admiration everywhere.
The immense capital requirement alone brought the lions back into the present. “I would like to be part of your journey,” said Nico Rosberg, “but the amount is beyond the scope for me. I can’t put that much money into a single startup.” Carsten Maschmeyer pondered the longest. He even called a business partner for advice – a novelty that did not go down well with all colleagues (Georg Kofler: “I always thought that we would make decisions on the spot”). In the end, Maschmeyer decided against an investment. “You built a Rolls-Royce,” was his reasoning, “but there are only a few Rolls-Royce drivers in the wheelchair segment.”
Dümmel and Kofler are working together for the first time
They came together in the cozy cat world, who would have thought that. Ralf Dümmel and Georg Kofler were equally impressed by Catlabs, a cat toy filled with organic catnip or organic valerian root. “The area is huge”, Dümmel cheered – and Kofler offered the founder the prospect of turning her brand into an “international company”. Even the ethically correct manufacture of the goods, to which the label boss attaches great importance, did not deter the two big capitalists.
Catlabs is produced in a felt factory in Kathmandu as part of a social project. Nils Glagau saw a crack here through which he could perhaps come to a deal. He noted that he once lived in a monastery in the Nepalese capital. “Whenever you want to fly there, I’ll be the first to sit on the plane with you.” He flashed off. Instead, Dümmel and Kofler, who have never bagged a deal together, are making their maiden flight.
The founder of the heart
That has not yet existed either: a capital claim of 49,000 euros for 49 percent. For the Duisburg food truck owner Marco, his pitch was about everything. He had lost his entire business due to Corona and was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time of the recording. His currywurst in the glass, which he goes by the name Don’t eat anything (the star has tested the product) has so far sold in selected supermarkets, should bring about the turning point. The feedback from the lions: super delicious. The veggie variant also received storms of enthusiasm.
Even more than the sausage, the investors were won over by the founder, who introduced himself as a “bright guy” and made no secret of his confused situation. Ralf Dümmel entered the stage (“Your story moves me”) and made the deal clear with a handshake. In the end, the usually gruff Georg Kofler raised the floor: “You take your fate into your own hands and have just become a huge role model for many.” Standing ovations at the exit – there wasn’t that in the cave either.
App for allergy sufferers
25 million people in Germany suffer from one or more food intolerances. Your everyday life: researching possible culprits in the small print. But often even the smallest trace elements that are not even documented on the packaging are enough to trigger major allergic reactions. With her app HealthMe, a 24-year-old student wants to offer a way out of the gluten and lactose confusion. She has stored four million products in the database of her digital helper.
Nils Glagau immediately jumped on the subject. His two children do not tolerate tomatoes. Carsten Maschmeyer also found the app’s “instant diagnostics” great. “I would like to hook you up,” he offered the founder avidly. Together with Glagau, he made her a combined offer. Judith Williams after the deal: “Great girl. Your mom must be so proud.”
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