“The Lion’s Den – Finally Christmas”: Make the world a better place with dog wool and grass wrapping paper

“The Lion’s Den – Finally Christmas”
Make the world a better place with dog wool and grass wrapping paper

The lions say goodbye for this year with a premiere. At the contemplative time there was a special of the VOX show “Die Höhle der Löwen – Finally Christmas” (also on RTL+). In a chic outfit and between glittering Christmas decorations in the studio, Judith Williams (51), Carsten Maschmeyer (63), Nils Glagau (47), Dagmar Wöhrl (68) and Ralf Dümmel (56) are in the best of festive moods. Which founders get a deal as a Christmas present from the lions?

The friends Melusine Bliesener (24) and Katharina Lehmkuhl (24) started it off. The two students could no longer bear the huge piles of rubbish made of wrapping paper that are produced every year at Christmas. After all, the production of the pretty paper uses a lot of energy, a lot of chemicals and, of course, trees as raw materials. Conventional wrapping paper cannot be recycled and is therefore a case for waste incineration. “Packing gifts as before was no longer an option,” said the “Papydo” founders of the waste of resources. Your wrapping paper is made from fast-growing grass from Germany. “Papydo” is available in different designs dyed with vegetable dyes. This means that “Papydo” can be recycled in waste paper. Gift ribbons, cards, plastic-free adhesive tape and cards are also part of the range. For their start-up, the founding duo needed a sum of 100,000 euros for a 12.5 percent stake in the company. “But it doesn’t smell like a meadow,” Carsten Maschmeyer did the smell test first, while Ralf Dümmel did the tear test, which it survived unscathed.

The students’ pitch and a margin of 80 percent made the lions’ eyes shine. The spark jumped over immediately with Carsten Maschmeyer, who surprisingly got up and handed the “Papydo” inventors a check for 100,000 euros. “You both are great, if you want, you have a deal,” explained Maschmeyer, who teamed up with Judith Williams and also did not want to negotiate higher company shares. Nils Glagau and Ralf Dümmel had also caught the scent of fat loot and made the same offer as a team. “I think they’re more interested in us,” whispered Glagau to his colleague, confident of victory. Dagmar Wöhrl also wanted to get into the business on the same terms. A competition for the investment broke out. Carsten Maschmeyer added influencers who would advertise “Papydo” online. The founders gave the contract to the Maschmeyer-Williams duo. The “brand competence of Judith Williams and the enthusiasm of Carsten Maschmeyer” were decisive, the founders explained.

“Chiengora” – Create a hype with dog hair

It was cuddly and fluffy in the cave with Ann Cathrin Schönrock (31) and her two four-legged companions. The fashion and knitwear designer wants to start a revolution with dog hair. “I wanted top quality, it mustn’t damage the earth and animal welfare shouldn’t suffer either,” is the claim of the founder of “Chiengora”. In return, dog owners send their pets’ hair to them. Ann Cathrin then separates the top hair from the fine undercoat that is needed for processing. The Berliner sells the sustainable yarn, but also ready-made clothing such as sweaters, socks or scarves. The entrepreneur’s goals are big, because she wants to reach the fashion industry directly and establish dog wool. A heart project to save resources from the garbage and to save animal suffering. For this, the founder needed 200,000 euros in capital for a 10 percent stake in her company. When Carsten Maschmeyer examined a hat more closely, he was worried about his dog hair allergy. The founder tried to take away the lion’s concerns, since in most cases an allergy is triggered by the dog’s saliva and not by the fur. Nevertheless, the investor immediately felt a tingling in his hands. “I don’t think it’s the allergy, it’s more psychological,” Maschmeyer explained, but didn’t want to get into the business for the reasons. But the other lions were impressed by the soft fabric, which reminded everyone of cashmere and does not scratch. “A niche product that’s more for idealists,” said Dagmar Wöhrl, explaining her exit. Nils Glagau and Judith Williams, on the other hand, saw great potential in dog wool. “One of the strongest founders we’ve ever had here in the cave,” was the flattering words of the investor, who wanted to trigger a hype with “Chiengora”. In return, she asked for 20 percent of the company’s share, the same offer as Nils Glagau’s. Difficult decision for the founder. Ann Cathrin made a counter offer of 18 percent. Both lions agreed to do so. The deal went to Judith Williams.

With Janik Prasuhn (31), Holger Schönenberg (46) and Michael Pelster (52), the “three holy kings” moved into the lion’s den. Because that’s how the founders of “pure&spice” pitched. And as befits the wise men from the Orient, they brought spices from far-off lands with them. During a holiday trip to Bangkok, the entrepreneurs discovered a spice extract that is said to provide a taste explosion. The chef then gave them the recipe. In a steam process, the oils and flavor carriers of the plants are extracted. Just a few drops should pimp up every meal. The trio wants to become the market leader when it comes to liquid spices. The founders hoped for a 150,000 euro deal for 20 percent of their start-up. The lions had porridge with cinnamon drops and guacamole with garlic seasoning as samples. A complete success for the founders. Although Dagmar Wöhrl initially had doubts about the unique selling proposition of the liquid spices, the entrepreneur wanted to respond to the desired offer. Judith Williams, Ralf Dümmel and Nils Glauchau joined their lion colleague. The latter promised to build the company “lovingly, sustainably and profitably”. That’s exactly what the trio wanted from a lion. When Dümmel assured them that he wasn’t “about making a quick buck” either and that he would also take care of a well-considered company development, the managing director was able to land the deal for himself. The product appeared on the show as “Purespice” but was renamed “pure&spice” after the recording.

“Bedtime Story App” doesn’t get a deal

The Nuremberg founders of “Pfeffer & Frost” were also concerned with spicy things – more precisely with gingerbread. Johannes Prein (39), Elisabeth Prein and Jannik Zinkl (27) presented their Elisenkuchen in der Höhle, a specialty from Franconia. Of course, Dagmar Wöhrl, from Nuremberg, was the trio’s first choice. The special thing about their pastries is the 100 percent degradable packaging film and the chic cookie jar, which is illustrated by various designers. In addition, the gingerbread is made in a traditional regional bakery, is organic and there is a vegan version. The start-up needed 100,000 euros for a ten percent share in the company. But the proud price of 21.90 euros for five pieces in a can had a deterrent effect. “You can’t really sell that in normal retail,” Ralf Dümmel was certain. Dagmar Wöhrl was the only lioness interested in the deal and offered the money for a 20 percent stake in the company. An attempt by the trio to negotiate the lioness down to 15 percent failed. Nevertheless, a deal was made with her dream lioness, even if it cost the founders a 20 percent share in the company.

Connecting families and making children’s eyes shine, that is the mission of Janina Jauch (35), Peter Frank (34), Felix Köllner (37) and Alexander Heidt (35). Your children’s app “Lesido” is intended to bring together families who are physically separated and encourage reading aloud. “Lesido is a digital library with hundreds of children’s books from well-known publishers that can be read aloud remotely,” explains founder Janina of her invention. Grandma can use a video call to read her grandson a bedtime story. “A bit of babysitting at a distance,” Dümmel recognized another positive effect of the app. “I think the idea is great,” enthused Carsten Maschmeyer, who remembered the time when his children were small. At that time, the investor recorded cassettes with stories that he read to his children. However, the fact that no paying customers have used the app so far and that the founding team consists only of business graduates did not go down well with the lions. For “Lesido” there was no deal for Christmas.

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