In the eleventh season of the successful Vox founder show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (DHDL), the pride of lions smells fat prey again. This season, the jury again consists of shelf lion Ralf Dümmel, pharmaceutical lion Nils Glagau, influencer lion Georg Kofler, sales lion Carsten Maschmeyer, beauty lioness Judith Williams, family lioness Dagmar Wöhrl and the GreenTech lion Nico Rosberg.
The DHDL startups of the week
Deep.one
“We hear and see the world we experience every day – but we also feel it. Like an approaching train, for example,” explains engineer Stefan Sube (45). "Haptic perception is the key to reality." The interplay of the senses has always fascinated graduate industrial designer Frederik Podzuweit (40). Inspired by a study project, he designed an audio device that would enable deaf people to hear music. “You have to translate music into strong vibrations. It is particularly important where it is located on the body. Namely on the neck and in the chest muscle.” He put his first drafts on the Internet and received letters and intentions to buy from all over the world. Engineer Stefan Sube recognized the potential of the idea. Together with Frederik, he built a prototype that is now ready for series production and explains: "deep.one makes bass tangible". deep.one is then connected to an output device via Bluetooth. Enthusiastic about his former student's project, Frederik's university professor Stefan Mittnik (66, financial ecometrician and qualified engineer) was also on board. The founders also have other target groups in mind, as Stefan explains: “The deep.one is a great device, especially for gamers, because it allows them to delve even deeper into their game world. The same applies to watching films.” In addition to the audiovisual experience, deep.one allows users to perceive music, games or films with a third sense, and so much more intensively and real. In order to conquer the entertainment market, the three founders need an investment of 200,000 euros and offer ten percent company shares in return. Is One Of The Lions Dive In This Deep Tech Deal?
Stevi & Schnucks
Stevi Page (47) and her Dalmatian bitch Schnücks want to bring people and dogs even closer together with their dog jam. When her dog Quintus died two years ago, marketing expert and graphic designer Stevi lost her joie de vivre: "It quickly became clear to me that I needed a new start." And not without a four-legged friend at her side: Puppy Schnücks moved in at the age of eight weeks and since then it has been an integral part of the lives of Stevi and her husband: "She is totally integrated into our lives, we actually do everything together. Go for walks, explore nature, she comes to the office with me and sleeps in our bed.” Her products are therefore the logical consequence of the relationship between mum and piece, as Stevi explains: “I invented breakfast for the dog. With coffee, bread and jam.” When we were making strawberry jam two years ago, Stevi realized that she couldn't and didn't want to share this sweet spread with sugar with her dog. She decided: "Then I'll just cook you DOG MARMELADE." Stevi developed the recipe, design and brand for her products, and one thing was particularly important to her: "That it's healthy and ecological." Stevi & Schnück's DOG MARMELADE is available in four varieties (unicorn , Bratwurst, Weißwurst & Liebe) and comes without sugar, salt or preservatives. In addition to the jam, Stevi offers a gluten-free dog bread mix in a jar and the instant dog coffee “Wau Cino”, “Latte Wuffiato” or “Chai Bello” made from meaty bone flour and ground pumpkin: the breakfast together for man and dog is ready. "What sounds so ludicrous is actually a real dog soul food," explains Stevi – and not just for the dog, as Nico Rosberg is amazed to discover: "We didn't have that before, that the lions eat dog food." Needed for their production Stevi, in addition to an investment of 60,000 euros, a lion with negotiating skills and a network. In return, she is offering 20 percent of her company, which is yet to be founded. Does one of the lions like this pitch?
Netproof
The lawyers Katharina Bisset (37) and Michael Lanzinger (39) as well as the technicians Philipp Omenitsch (30) and Thomas Schreiber (31) have a serious issue: "We don't want to give hatred on the internet a chance in court," explains Michael. Pretty much everyone is on the social media channels these days, but the lawyer warns: "Hate comments are the dark side of the internet. We are faced with the problem that people write and post things in a supposedly anonymous space that they would never write or say in reality.” The current examples from the web that the founders have brought with them are frightening: hate comments , cyberbullying and beyond. "And that's not the end of the story by a long shot," says Michael. Hate is ubiquitous online. "Around a quarter of Internet users have already been exposed to hate," explains Philipp. "That has dire consequences: it can cause insomnia, up to and including the thought of ending one's own life." Those affected regularly come to the lawyers, but: "In practice, we have a problem with the evidence," says Katharina. “They come with screenshots that don't show the whole conversation, for example. Or not when and where these illegal postings were made. But this is often precisely the important information that we need in court to collect evidence.” As a result, the perpetrators often get away with it. And this is exactly where NetzBeweis comes in, because the software secures evidence of hatred on the Internet, which can thus be enforced more easily before the police or the court. All the person concerned has to do is copy the link of the post to be reported and paste it on the website. NetzBeweis generates a screenshot that is recorded in a report with further legally relevant information and sent to the user by email. "The document is signed electronically and can therefore not be changed afterwards," explains Thomas. For their company, the founders need an investment of 90,000 euros for 15 percent company shares. Will one of the lions, together with the founders, show hatred on the net the red card?
Uready
The trained industrial mechanic Oguzhan Albayrak (44) is a passionate athlete and was a running back in American Football champion in the 1997/98 season. The 44-year-old also enjoys developing and tinkering. “I am gifted with an inventive spirit. I have an enormous imagination, and thanks to my sporting experience and technical training, I can bring innovative products onto the market.” Just like the running e-trike uready! "Before my son was born in 2020, I put on some weight," Oguzhan admits to the lions. To get fit again, he started running again. “But getting back into training was difficult and after a short time my joints and tendons started to hurt. And if that's how it is for me as an athlete, how is it for untrained people?" As the inventor, he wanted to make monotonous jogging a little easier and at the same time more exciting, more varied and faster. The training trike for professionals and beginners combines a walking aid with the fun of e-mobility. With a support surface for the forearms, the tricycle offers the possibility of reducing your own weight by up to 50 percent. The joints are less stressed, running and, above all, acceleration are easier, so that a longer running time in the aerobic area can be achieved. "But the uready e-trike is also a real fun device at the same time," enthuses Oguzhan. Because of the pedaling device on the lower frame, it is possible to stand on the bike with your legs a little wider and, thanks to the built-in electric motor on the front wheel, you can ride at speeds of up to 20 km/h. In order to successfully bring his start-up to the goal, the founder needs an investment of 200,000 euros and offers 20 percent company shares in return. Will one of the lions team up with Oguzhan to take running to a new level?
Hans Ranke
Tip: You can find everything about the Vox start-up show in our large DHDL section.
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