Matcha matches in the lions' den

Three men in their 30s kicked off the show on September 2: David, Fabian and Patrick. They are all sports and fitness enthusiasts and want to take off with their platform "Obseed". The aim is to be able to evaluate training data recorded via rings, smartwatches or fitness wristbands better and more holistically. This is because many wearables record incorrect data, the three founders explained. And this ultimately has the opposite effect: People who train on the basis of incorrect data are harming their health. So far so understandable, but the three are only just starting out commercially, as we learned. In the next 12 months, they want to acquire 15,000 users and sell 1,500 subscriptions at a price of 10.90 francs. For this scaling, they called for a capital requirement of 350,000 francs in return for a 15 percent stake. The lions were skeptical: Felix Bertram saw no decisive difference to other training apps. Jürg Schwarzenbach continues to swear by his smartwatch, which tells him when he should get more exercise. Lukas Speiser pointed out a trend reversal: many users of such wearables are increasingly only measuring one value. Bettina Hein was generally interested, but wanted to allow more time for further development. And finally, Roland Brack simply didn't think the solution was suitable for mass use. David, Fabian and Patrick therefore had to leave without a deal. Their ambition to compete against players such as Garmin was probably overstated.

With authentic enthusiasm to the deal

Camille Zingg and Maresa Tennigkeit are two upbeat young women who have just completed their business studies. During their studies, they discovered the trendy drink matcha and swear by its invigorating effect. But they asked themselves: could matcha also be brought to market in the form of a soda drink? They went straight to work and developed a product called "Soully" within seven months. After a test phase in four cities, they now want to make Soully bigger and need 80,000 francs to strengthen their distribution channels and increase their brand presence. They put 20 percent of the company shares on the line. Their enthusiasm and the product appealed to the lions and the lioness. Three of them made an offer: Nicole Büttner-Thiel wanted 25 percent for her 80,000 francs, Felix Bertram - "I want the case" - offered 80,000 francs in return for a 20 percent stake in the company. Tom Zimmermann also offered the same amount and also promised support for his foray into the organic sector. Lukas Speiser found the drinks market too competitive and declined to make an offer, as did Roland Brack with a heavy heart, saying "Matcha is not my thing". At first, Camille and Maresa couldn't believe that they had received three offers. After a brief consultation, they accepted Tom Zimmermann's investment. Their authentic and professionally presented pitch was rewarded - it was a "match(a)t".  

Everyday object reinvented

There are many inventions that the world doesn't need. But Marcus Seiser from Münchenstein BL is convinced: his foldable clothes hanger "Scosh" (abbreviation of "Sustainable Clothing on Smart Hanger") is revolutionary. It is foldable, can be operated with one hand and is made from recycled plastic - making it easy to hang up tops. The hanger is also suitable for traveling. As a spectator, you wondered: why didn't they come up with this idea earlier? The five lions seemed to share this opinion. However, they found the price - clothes hangers are a mass product - still too high. A pack of 3 costs 19.95 francs - with manufacturing costs of 1.30 per item, there is still a nice margin. Markus wanted to invest 100,000 francs in return for a 15 percent stake in the company to make the product suitable for mass production. After all, the turnover of 1,000 francs generated in 2024 is probably not yet enough to make a name for himself. However, the potential seems enormous (sales of 60,000 packs in 2025, doubling from year to year thereafter), but as Anja Graf and Nicole Büttner-Thiel still didn't want to get involved as investors, Markus saw his hopes dwindling a little and started campaigning again. And lo and behold, Roland Brack made an offer: 100,000 francs in exchange for 30 percent. Tom Zimmermann also offered the same amount, but only wanted a 25% stake. Felix Bertram, on the other hand, laid down his arms. Markus Seiser was keen to have Roland Brack as an investor and asked him whether he would also like to take a 25 percent stake in the company. He agreed, the deal was perfect and Markus was overjoyed.

No deal despite startup award

Michael Wiener and Irene Abrigo also wanted to score points with inventions. With the "Dolfinos" brand, they want to make life easier for musicians. Their best-known product is the all-in-one support for violin and viola. The company won first prize at the Swiss Startup Award for this. But they also had an innovative music stand in their luggage, suitable for classical sheet music, but also for tablets and smartphones. Everything fits on one stand, compact and well thought-out - a genuine further development of a product that has dominated many music rooms and concert halls unchanged for over 100 years. With Dolfinos, the two now also want to enter large-scale production. Violinist Irene Abrigo herself demonstrated the advantages of the combined chin and shoulder rest for violins and violas. Since she has been using it, she hardly has any neck pain after long periods of practicing. Dolfinos' products are likely to be very popular among musicians. With top instrumentalists as brand ambassadors, 1500 customers have been won over so far. However, the lioness Nicole Büttner-Thiel and the other four investors found the case too "niche". They were not prepared to put up 225,000 francs in exchange for a 4 percent stake in the company. Nevertheless, they paid Michael and Irene a lot of respect, but it wasn't enough for a deal. "It didn't work," said Felix Bertram at the end.

Venturing into a market niche

The last case on this show was about pet insurance. Jenny, Marlo and Annina have founded Calingo Insurance, a kind of "health insurance" for dogs and cats. They want to exploit a gap in the market, as many pet owners consider their pets to be their favorite members of the household and will do almost anything for their pets' well-being. The petfood industry and veterinary medicine are also playing along. There are more and more treatment methods to prolong the lives of four-legged friends. And of course this costs a lot of money - too much for some pet owners. Calingo steps into the breach here as an insurer, and pre-existing conditions of the animal are not an exclusion criterion. Calingo also offers advice via chat, video or telephone, and many processes are digitalized. However, the aim is to build a comprehensive health platform for dogs and cats. 150,000 francs for 1 percent (that means a company valuation of 15 million!) was the capital requirement, which triggered a few meaningful looks among the lions present. The comparatively high premium of 440 francs per year for a cat was also commented on with "That's expensive!". Nevertheless, they saw great potential. Only Lukas Speiser quickly dropped out because the insurance business seemed too unprofitable for him due to the high level of automation required. Jürg Schwarzenbach, on the other hand, offered the 150,000 francs, but wanted 1.3 percent for it, and Bettina Hein immediately joined in. Roland Brack also offered the same amount, but in return for a 1.5 percent stake. After a brief consultation, the three founders accepted Roland Brack's offer. Both sides sensed the best opportunities for additional business in connection with pet products. Felix Bertram, himself a dog owner, is already invested in Calingo and therefore stepped aside.

The conclusion of this evening: authenticity and enthusiasm, realistic market research and a spirit of innovation proved to be successful recipes for convincing investors. And once again it became clear that niche products or business cases that want to break into a crowded market have a hard time finding investors.

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