“The Lions’ Den”
Blind 68-year-olds moved investors
Georg Kofler finds fear of cell phone radiation “ridiculous”.
© Photo: TVNOW / Bernd-Michael Maurer
A visually impaired lady delights with a spice mixture – and lets Maschmeyer chat about the culinary skills of his wife Veronica Ferres.
Disinfectants made from cell phone cords and paper to avert 5G rays? Investor Georg Kofler feels in the second episode of the tenth season of the VOX show “Die Höhle der Löwen” as if he were among hypochondriacs or in a sect. A visually impaired elderly lady, on the other hand, moves all lions.
“portHy”: Mobile phone holder as a disinfectant
The first product feels a few months late: Jonathan Tenge, Paul Böhlhoff and Julian Hesse from East Westphalia have invented a mobile phone chain that can be used to transport disinfectants. The three young men would like to have 200,000 euros for 10 percent of the company’s shares in “portHy”. Your presentation advertises with findings that seem like from the fortunately past times of the initial phase of the pandemic: “We have found that 80 percent of all infectious diseases spread through the hands”. The lions are confused. The hygienic mobile phone holder for Carsten Maschmeyer (62) arrives “too late”. The investor is fed up with masks and disinfectants that can be found everywhere anyway. Colleague Georg Kofler is afraid that the product will come across as a hypochondriac. Nils Glagau (45) does not want to earn any money with the pandemic and Ralf Dümmel (54) the chain is too expensive with a price of 70 euros. Everyone gets out.
“Frau Poppes”: Spice mixture as a brand
Thomas Leiendecker wants to score with the ready-made “Frau Poppes” spice mixes. The cook, who trained with Eckart Witzigmann (80), restaurateur of the century, ate the best meatballs of his life with his mother-in-law Angelika Poppe. The special thing about it: The 68-year-old went blind in an accident at the age of 21, but continued to cook with confidence in her taste. Now her son-in-law wants to earn money with her spice mixtures, under the daring claim “Blind trust in good taste”. “I can say that,” says Ms. Poppe, who presents her secret recipe in the studio. Bread is in the bags, which Maschmeyer likes with a swipe at the cooking skills of his wife, Veronica Ferres (56). A product that is linked to a touching fate: it always goes down well with investors. Dagmar Wöhr (67) sees a brand in Ms. Poppe and her product. Like Ralf Dümmel, she wants to pay the required 150,000 euros for 20 percent. Ms. Poppe and son-in-law opt for Dümmel.
“MINIATOURING”: Trailer as a caravan replacement
Camping was too uncomfortable for him, a caravan too inflexible and too expensive as a student, so Hannes Trautmann invented an ultra-light camper. “MINIATOURING” is what he calls the self-made device, which he initially hides secretly under a tarpaulin. The trailer with an empty weight of 250 kilos has an integrated cooking module, an extendable awning for outside and a bed with slatted frame inside. The lions are enthusiastic about the young man’s tinkering skills. But the product, which should cost around 8,000 euros per copy, is too special and not scalable for them. “Find a mentor”, advises Maschmeyer to the founder, who has just come on the show for this. But neither Maschi nor the other lions want to take on this job for 95,000 euros for 25 percent shares.
“KOGPA”: paper as heating and radiation trap
Walter Reichel and his colleague Peter Helfer promise a revolutionary product. After a long time of tinkering, the two paper engineers invented KOHPA paper, which is mixed with carbon fibers and can conduct electricity. The 75-year-old Reichel and his 20-year-old partner rejected an offer for a patent worth six million euros because they see even more potential in their development. After all, it is “the first heating paper on the market”. It should also protect against electromagnetic radiation. At this point the lion spirits part. Georg Kofler feels reminded of sects, he finds the fear of rays “ridiculous”. Colleagues Nico Rosberg (36) and Carsten Maschmeyer, who comes around the corner with the story of a neighbor who, according to a dowser, got cancer because of electrical radiation, see it differently. Together with Dagmar Wöhrl, they are offering 200,000 euros, but for 33 percent instead of the 15 offered. But the KOHPA makers are doing it.
“Tape Art”: adhesive tapes as the “paint box of the future”
“Only those who stick are alive” is the motto of Timm Benjamin Zolpys and Mohamed Ghouneim. The two run the “Klebeland” in Berlin. A shop that specializes exclusively in adhesive tapes. Her best customers are Stephan Meissner and Nicolas Lawin, who as tape artists need sticky strips in all colors and shapes. Together the four now offer “Tape Art”, a starter kit for everyone who wants to become an adhesive artist. A starter set with ribbons in different designs, plus a cutter and an instrument for smoothing. For this they want 100,000 euros from the lions for 12.5 percent of their company shares. Maschmeyer refrains from doing this because he suspects that the quartet “doesn’t have their numbers under control”. But Kofler and Williams see a future trend in the “paint box of the future” (according to the founders). They team up and bid 150,000 for 20 percent. The glue fans accept.