The concept of the show is simple. Founders and inventors can pitch their business ideas to prominent and successful entrepreneurs and investors. If you like the business concept, some get the chance to make a lucrative deal with the lions. The ideas of the founders are put through their paces: What about the finances? What is the USP? Who is the target group? What is the industry like? Since the first episode aired on TV in 2014, the network has produced eight seasons. And it seems as if the business ideas are not running out – in April 2022 another season of the popular TV show started and with it further successful The Lion’s Den startups were presented.
Who are the most successful Lion’s Den startups?
If the founders can survive in front of the lions, advantageous deals beckon in most cases, which can lead the startups to greater success. The following DHDL startups, which were able to generate sales and profits in the millions after the broadcast and are therefore considered successful The Lion’s Den startups, prove that this is possible.
LIZZA
The startup Lizza of the two Frankfurt founders Marc Schlegel and Matthias Kramer shot through the roof in 2016 after participating in the show. The two young entrepreneurs offer a low-carb variant of a pizza and have proved to be lucky with this concept. The manufacturers of linseed pizza were offered a deal in which the two lions, Frank Thelen and Carsten Maschmeyer, joined forces. They wanted to invest 150,000 euros and receive 25 percent of the company shares. Schlegel and Kramer didn’t wait long and struck. Business was good. So good that the founders sold their company to Cremer, a Hamburg company, at the beginning of 2020 and thus managed to exit.
EVOPARK
The four founders of Evopark also pitched in the lion’s den in 2016. The Cologne startup by Maximilian Messing, Marik Hermann, Tobias Weiper and Sven Lackinger uses an app to display free parking spaces in multi-storey car parks. The lions also sensed the success of this business idea and offered the young entrepreneurs the highest investment in the history of the show at the time. A total of 1.5 million euros were on the table. But the four boys turned down and looked for other investors. They didn’t have to wait long before Porsche also made an offer worth millions for around 22 percent – and the founders agreed. The start-up was then sold to a medium-sized car park company in 2017 and the exit was successful.
VELUVIA
In 2017, Jörn-Marc Vogler stood in front of the lions with self-developed vitamin capsules, which are suitable food supplements based on superfood, plant substances, vitamins and minerals. With this business idea, the founder of Veluvia hoped for a deal with one of the investors. And two bites. Carsten Maschmeyer and Ralf Dümmel each invest 150,000 euros and receive ten percent of the company shares. A few years later, the startup was so successful that Veluvia changed hands in 2019. Vogler sold the entire company to the teleshopping broadcaster Channel21, and the founder also exited here. Therefore, Veluvia can also be counted among the most successful The Lion’s Den startups.
FOODIST
Foodist is one of the first successful DHDL startups from the show. In 2014, Alexander Djordjevic, Ole Schaumberg and Andreas Brandt presented their business idea to the lions. Their concept: tasting boxes with delicacies and other ingredients as a subscription. The startup, which previously raised 1.5 million euros through crowdfunding, made high demands on potential investors. They demanded 125,000 euros for 25 percent of the company shares. Too much for the founders and the startup went away empty-handed. But success was not long in coming. In 2016, the entire company was transferred to the Ströer advertising group, making it possible for the founders to exit.
GITTI
The founder Jennifer Baum-Minkus wanted to stir up the beauty industry with a vegan nail polish and founded the company gitti in 2019. And that’s exactly what she did. Her successful business idea: A nail polish, also called Gitti nail color, without a pungent odor and without harmful ingredients. Not only with her many years of experience in product management in large corporations, she was able to inspire the jury immediately, but above all with her self-confident appearance and the first lucrative sales with the product. Due to the impressive pitch of the gitti founder, all lions were immediately in the starting blocks for a deal, but in the end only Judith Williams, as an experienced investor in the cosmetics industry, was able to assert herself. It paid off
ANCHOR
Ankerkraut offers numerous spice mixtures without flavor enhancers. The founders Anne and Stefan Lemcke came up with the idea for the lovingly packaged spices and unusual mixtures by chance and above all through their passion for exotic spices. Frank Thelen recognized this passion immediately when they introduced themselves to the TV start-up show in 2016. Her concept was convincing and Thelen got involved as an investor. Ankerkraut products made it into numerous supermarkets and enabled annual sales in the tens of millions. The more than 100 employees from over 20 nations and four of our own Ankerkraut stores are now part of this success story.
WATERDROP
In 2018, the three founders Christoph Hermann, Martin Donald Murray and Henry Wieser from Waterdrop managed to get a deal worth millions at the lion’s den. The suppliers of sugar-free fizzy cubes want to encourage people to “drink water” again. Their concern: protect nature and promote health. The lions also recognized that this idea could revolutionize the beverage market. Dagmar Wöhrl and Ralf Dümmel jointly invest one million euros and were guaranteed shares in the company. A year later, the DHDL startup of the three founders already has an annual turnover of around 20 million euros with 40 million waterdrops sold. By participating in the show, the young company can now expand and further expand its customer base.
ASPURA CLIP
The start-up AspUra Clip wants to be at the top of the market with a mini inhaler. On the show, founders Wolfgang Kleiner and Vinh-Nghi Tiet introduced their U-shaped clip, which is used to inhale essential oils with each breath. Two lions were enthusiastic about this idea: Ralf Dümmel and Carsten Maschmeyer expressed their interest and immediately invested 600,000 euros in the company. The media presence is beneficial. Shortly thereafter, they were guests on a teleshopping channel and were able to sell a large number of the clips there. The product is now available in drugstores and an expansion into the Asian market is also planned. By the way: The start-up has changed its name in order to differentiate itself more clearly from the competition and to create visual proximity to the design of the clip. The initial aspira clip then became AspUra Clip.
