Surprise at “Die Höhle der Löwen”: In the current episode, Giulia Siegel presents her business idea. Not only they can convince.
Reality star Giulia Siegel, 46, causes a surprise in the eighth episode of the current “Die Höhle der Löwen” season. But the daughter of music legend Ralph Siegel, 75, can also find a deal with Judith Williams, 49, Dagmar Wöhrl, 67, Carsten Maschmeyer, 61, Ralf Dümmel, 54, Nico Rosberg, 35, Georg Kofler, 64 or Nils Glagau, 45, to lock?
The lion’s den: Celebrity candidate Giulia Siegel and her team impress three lions with “Greenbill”
Right at the beginning of the program, Giulia Siegel steps in front of the lion’s circle. Together with her partner, the restaurateur Ludwig Heer, 39, and the developer Tobias Kiessling, 38, she presents her start-up “Greenbill”. The company, founded in 2019, declares war on annoying and environmentally harmful paper receipts. Instead, a small technology gadget enables simple digitization on site. In the restaurant, for example, receipts can be transferred, paid for and saved directly – and without an app – on smartphones and the like.
The costs for the subscription model, which can already be taken out, amount to just under 49 euros per month with a minimum contract term of twelve months. “Mega performance”, judges Ralf Dümmel, but he does not want to invest. Neither does Judith Williams. In the case of the other lions, however, interest has been piqued. Carsten Maschmeyer, Nils Glagau and Dagmar Wöhrl finally join forces and grab “Greenbill” for an investment of 250,000 euros with the option of a further 150,000 euros – but not for ten, but 18 percent of the company shares.
Carsten Maschmeyer calls the “bath sofa” “incredibly comfortable”, but Ralf Dümmel makes the deal
The two mothers of three Annika Götz, 41, and Natalie Steger, 41, are “dying to enter” “Die Höhle der Löwen”. They have been working on their business idea since 2018, their goal is to make the experience in the bathtub much more comfortable. The solution for your start-up “Bath sofa” is a water-permeable bathtub pillow that neither molds nor floats on the surface of the water. The founders already have five different colors and four different sizes in their range, with prices ranging from 99 to 199 euros.
“I think I can give in here,” admits Carsten Maschmeyer when testing the product in the free-standing tub. “It’s incredibly convenient.” However, some lions feel the price is too high and the nature of the sofa cushions as a premium product raises doubts. In the end, Judith Williams and Ralf Dümmel are both interested, whereupon the beauty entrepreneur lets her colleague go first. However, instead of 15 percent, he demands 33.3 percent of the company’s shares for an investment of 150,000 euros – and gets it.
GALA carried out a detailed test itself. You can read the result here.
Fish sausage products from “marée” taste good, but arouse skepticism
Next, 57-year-old Andreas Tatzel appears in front of the cameras. He is not only a three-time German runner-up in judo, but also a trained butcher. However, after he had to close his butcher shop, he changed saddles and has been sitting in the bus driver’s seat for almost twelve hours a day. He then wanted to start again with an innovative sausage idea and mostly converted his cellar into a butcher’s shop himself. His sausages made from fish, for which he processes catfish, he sells under the name “marée”. The advantage: Omega-3 fatty acids and a high protein content.
The lions are amazed when they test the product, which consists of just four ingredients and does not contain any flavor enhancers or preservatives. Nobody can taste the fish. For 25 percent of his company shares, founder Tatzel wants 40,000 euros as an investment. However, none of the celebrity investors see themselves in a position to give him a helping hand despite a lot of sympathy.
Health app “zanadio” is “too risky” for the lions, reusable cup attachment “udo” only barely gets the deal
Another pitch comes from 33-year-old Nora Mehl. She is a doctor of psychology and wrote her license to practice medicine on obesity. Together with Tobias Lorenz and Hendrik Emmert, she founded the start-up “zanadio” in 2019, which developed an app to help people get their weight problem under control. The scientifically based treatment method has only been tested in theory so far, but the app has already been approved as a medical product. However, no lion wants to invest 500,000 euros for only eight percent of the company’s shares. The reason, according to Nico Rosberg: The undertaking is “simply too risky”.
Last but not least, a second familiar face ventures in front of the investors. Studio unit manager Dennis Krey, 33, worked behind the scenes of “Die Höhle der Löwen” for three years. Together with designer Carina Frings, 28, and the recyclable reusable cup attachment “udo” he now wants to make a deal himself. The founding duo is already on the market, their product currently costs 1.99 euros. However, both the benefits and the business model itself do not convince all Lions. Ralf Dümmel is still investing 100,000 euros, albeit as an equal partner for 33 instead of 20 percent of the “udo” shares.
Our colleagues from BRIGITTE have “udo” tested myself. You can read the report here.