Lions’ Den: Jurors argue over expensive children’s glasses

TV review

“The Lion’s Den”
Class struggle in the capitalist paradise: Lionesses quarrel over more expensive children’s glasses

Who wouldn’t want glasses for their visually impaired child that meet all the cool-kids attributes: light, robust, flexible and also sustainable and super stylish? The Berlin start-up Manti, Manti (city) has brought a model like this onto the market. The material is based on the oil of the castor oil plant, better known as castor oil, and is practically indestructible. A quality product, unfortunately also in price: each pair of glasses costs 200 euros and up with lenses. Premium offers are not uncommon in the portfolio of the founders’ show. But differentiating between children? Difficult subject.

Juror Tijen Onaran thought so too. When the two extremely smooth, anything-but-cheap manufacturers explained the high price of their visual aids by saying that there are also bicycles and school bags for which parents are prepared to spend more money, it became too much for the entrepreneur. “I think it’s privileged. My parents couldn’t have afforded it,” she said, and then asked the heretical question: “What is your vision of reaching people who have a certain social background?” This brought Judith Williams into the picture. In the best free democratic tradition, she explained that entrepreneurs must be separated from social responsibility. She growled at her lion colleague: “You’re not wearing cheap clothes either.”

For two founders, the lion’s den becomes hell

The fact that no deal was made in the end was not due to class struggle. The investors simply had too many other business angels on board. The founding couple of TämptasticHis tempehs – ciabatta-like blocks of fermented soybeans originally from Indonesia – were not accepted by the lions. Carsten Maschmeyer summed up the general tone with the catchy formula: “I don’t like it, I don’t understand it, it doesn’t smell like success.”

The “cave” was really going to hell for the two inventors of FiniBeeThe product: a rental station for power banks that you can use to charge your cell phone battery on the go. One sentence from Judith Williams was enough to bring the business model to a standstill: “There’s always a power outlet somewhere.” The rest was done by the extremely low user numbers. Rarely did a founder duo leave the show stage and leave the show disheveled. What they fortunately didn’t have to hear in the studio was Williams’ verbal rebuke: “That was by far the worst pitch I’ve ever experienced.”

Sneakers made from fruit waste

But money was also distributed in the third “DHDL” episode. 500,000 euros flow into the start-up Bicycle rentalLike two excited teenagers, Ralf Dümmel and Nils Glagau jumped onto the retro-chic electric motorcycles, which can travel at a maximum of 50 km/h and, if desired, can also sound like dirty combustion engines. Glagau (“Cool guys, cool bikes”) shares the business with Maschmeyer, who asked the two mechanic friends about their “exit scenario”. “Our dream would be Porsche” – “I have a few contacts there.”

The strongest performance and the strongest product was presented by a 29-year-old. Vlace The young entrepreneur has succeeded in creating vegan sneakers that, according to Janna Ensthaler, do not feel like “hard plastic” when rolling. The material is partly made of obstacles and is processed by hand in Portugal. That comes at a price: a pair costs 185 euros in the online shop. The lions quickly reacted with panic when it came to shoes. The many returns, the comparatively high working capital that is required – “there are many things involved,” said Janna Ensthaler, “that hurt when growing.” She invested 200,000 euros in the start-up, more out of enthusiasm for the tough founder than for the stylish sneakers. “You are my Christmas and birthday combined.”

Note from the editors: Like VOX, Stern belongs to RTL Germany.

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