"The Art of the Deal" in the Swiss Lion's Den

While the first program of the seventh season was a rather tame affair for certain TV viewers, the show on August 26 was a lot livelier. The entrepreneurs were of course responsible for this, but the lions themselves also provided some excitement. One investor even jumped over her shadow for once and invested in a company that didn't fit into her portfolio at all. But more on that later.

Case with potential sold too badly...

First there was the real estate platform Avendo, represented by Camil, Daniel, Ficht and Roland. Their platform offers a daily updated price estimate for properties. Property owners can enter all the data relevant to their home. What's more, you can even create a digital twin of it and receive real-time information on developments in the real estate market. If you want to sell a property, you can create documentation much more quickly thanks to the information from Avendo. But the four founders came across the lioness Anja Graf, herself a real estate professional. And she literally "grilled" the four of them - so much so that they became increasingly flustered in their attempts to explain the purpose of their real estate platform. "That's the most bullshit I've ever heard," commented Anja Graf. And the capital requirement also caused a big frown: the four founders wanted 1 million against a 5 percent stake. How they arrived at such a high company valuation of CHF 20 million was only explained in a slightly vague manner. It seemed as if the four entrepreneurs - some of them with considerable business experience - had to put a stop to their deal early on. Anja Graf was the first to leave, Roland Brack and Nicole Büttner-Thiel also made no offers, as did Tom Zimmermann: he would have been in if the high valuation had been underpinned by a profit in the millions. An annual turnover of 1.4 million francs was quoted. That left Felix Bertram: he offered the million, but wanted a 10 percent stake. He acknowledged the subsequent information that another co-investor was already involved with a big sigh. The Avendo founders tried a counter offer: 1 million against 7.5 percent. Felix Bertram declined with a heavy heart; "1 million is a lot of money, I should already have the 10 percent".

Conclusion: An interesting case with potential. However, the four founders shot themselves down with too high a rating and somewhat clumsy answers to the questions. Nevertheless, the entertainment value for the TV viewers was high.

Everything for vegan lovemaking

Founder Martina launched feelgood condoms. Feelgood claims to be the first certified vegan Swiss condom brand. The highlight: Feelgood condoms do not contain casein, a substance that often has an allergenic effect and can lead to the misconception that latex is intolerable. In combination with a vegan lubricant and a self-developed love toy, Feelgood offers a complete product range for the most beautiful thing in the world. Naturally, everything is sustainably produced using FSC latex and green energy. In order to finance further growth, Martina needed 80,000 francs and offered a 5 percent stake in the company. The lioness present and the four other lions asked their usual questions about turnover and sales prices. At ten francs per condom pack, the latter are actually slightly below the price of competing products. Lukas Speiser criticized this: "You don't have to sell it cheaper than other condoms. Because it has a USP that sets it apart from others." But overall, all five lions were impressed by the presentation and praised Martina's strategy so far. Nicole Büttner-Thiel and Tom Zimmermann did not make an offer, however. Roland Brack was different: he offered 80,000 francs in exchange for 15 percent. Felix Bertram, who is also a specialist in venereology, i.e. sexually transmitted diseases, entered the bidding contest with 80,000 francs in exchange for 7.5 percent of the company shares. Lukas Speiser - the founder of Amorana with a wealth of experience in the love toy market - also offered 80,000 Swiss francs, but in return for an 8% stake and a loan of 100,000 Swiss francs. This prompted Roland Brack to improve his offer, but in the end Lukas Speiser won the race. "Together we will make Feelgood great," he said with conviction.

Women's fashion with ethical standards

Fashion by women for women: This is what stands behind the label Moya Kala with its two founders Sabina and Claudine. High-quality women's fashion made from cupro (regenerated cellulose fibers, formerly known as artificial silk, but actually a waste product from cotton processing), produced by seamstresses from Bulgaria, who are paid fairly and receive a share of the sales. Moya Kala also aims to combat the exploitation of women by deliberately focusing on jobs in Eastern Europe. The target audience is people who are tired of the affluent society and therefore prefer sustainably produced textiles. The garments on show - "affordable luxury" - have been well received in the lions' den. The two ladies have now sold 5,000 items and generated a turnover of 340,000 francs. Now international expansion is to ensure further growth, Sabina and Claudine wanted to see 400,000 francs invested and offered 15 percent of the company shares in return. So far, so good. But lion Tom Zimmermann was bothered by the fact that men are excluded from this label. "Aren't you just pushing half the market to one side?" he asked. But Sabina and Claudine refused to let go of their focus on women. "We stand by it," was their clear statement. Ultimately, no deal was made; Lukas Speiser simply saw a niche market that promised too little growth. For Bettina Hein, it was the wrong sector, and Felix Bertram addressed a different problem: an ethical approach is good and important, but not always attractive to investors. This was also the conclusion of this business case.

Beauty products with a sense of family

We continued with Valeria and Viktor, who market beauty products based on honey from the Balkans with their brand of the same name. The honey, which has been harvested in the family garden in Serbia for generations, is mixed with other ingredients to create skincare products. Cleopatra already knew that honey has a nourishing and healing effect on the skin - and now Kate Middleton does too. Valeria and Viktor now offer their "Balkan Honey Blend" as a foot cream, lip balm and body lotion. So far, they have sold 2000 products via their webshop. For further growth and the step into stationary retail, they would like an investment of 120,000 Swiss francs in return for a 12% stake. The lions were impressed by the products and particularly praised the packaging and graphic design, as well as the olfactory properties of the products. Industry expert Felix Bertram warned against focusing too heavily on "Wellness & Spa". The market there is "brutally tough". That's why he was quickly out as an investor. Roland Brack offered to include Valeria and Viktor's products in his range. Tom Zimmermann particularly liked the family history behind the two founders. "It should stay that way," he said and saw alternative forms of financing as more expedient. Jürg Schwarzenbach also agreed with this argument, and Bettina Hein once again expressed her fear of contact with unfamiliar sectors and did not want to invest. The beautiful and attractively presented products were therefore not given a deal. However, Valeria and Viktor were certainly able to use the show for good marketing.

With enthusiasm to the deal

Kandy from Einsiedeln presented "Wachmeister", a caffeine booster in candy and chewing gum form that is currently going down a storm, especially on social media. Kandy is no stranger to viewers of "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz", as he appeared on the show on already in 2021 together with a partner to present the drink "Paido". It wasn't enough for a deal back then, but the concentrated load of marketing power that Kandy displayed back then remains in the memory. And the current show was no different: the gorilla mascot from "Wachmeister" played a prominent role, as it is responsible for a high recognition value. The brand has 80,000 followers and 15 million views on social media, and thousands more are likely to have been added in the meantime. Caffeine as a "stimulant" is nothing new. What is new with Wachmeister, however, is the form of administration: sweets and chewing gum. These ensure that the caffeine can be absorbed more quickly through the oral mucosa and the effect sets in more quickly. Wachmeister wants to continue to grow with an investment of 100,000 Swiss francs in exchange for 5 percent of the company shares. All the lions like the brand and also the enthusiasm of the entrepreneur, who has given up everything else to bring Wachmeister forward. It was dermatologist Felix Bertram and tech entrepreneur Bettina Hein, of all people, who jointly made an initial offer: 100,000 Swiss francs in exchange for 8 percent of the company shares. Lukas Speiser also made an offer: 100,000 Swiss francs, but wanted 10 percent of the company in return. Now Kandy went "all-in": he would like to have all three on board for 200,000 francs in exchange for 16 percent. And they went along, but wanted 19 percent. Kandy finally agreed to this deal. His business case showed how you can convince investors with enthusiasm and conviction for your brand - even those who otherwise have nothing to do with the food industry. Bettina Hein jumped over her shadow for once. This is probably how you have to imagine the "Art of the Deal" in reality.

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