Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz episode 6/1: Sticky fingers, intelligent cat flap and a touch of summer

A sweet idea and emotional customer loyalty

April's Candyshop - freeze-dried sweets - April and Ibrahim Ajrulai from Neuhaus (SG) presented their innovative business idea in the first episode of the sixth season of Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz: freeze-dried sweets from their online store April's Candyshop. The two entrepreneurs claim that the special crunchy gummy bears, which become bigger and more intense in taste thanks to a special freeze-drying process, are unique in Switzerland and are primarily aimed at families and children.

April and Ibrahim have been active with their online store in Switzerland and Germany since February 2023 and were already able to generate 30,000 francs in sales in the first month. Instead of pushing the store further, they decided to refine their product over the following six months by reworking the logo, design and displays themselves. Today, they are ready to expand into the B2B sector and sell their products in stores in Switzerland and internationally.

They offered the investors 20 % of their company for an investment of 250,000 Swiss francs. The lions, including Lukas Speiser and Tobias Reichmuth, were curious and tried the freeze-dried sweets, which impressed them in terms of taste, even if they did get sticky fingers. The Ajrulais have generated CHF 120,000 in sales so far and have been 100 % dependent on their own product since January 2024, having previously started from home and now renting a commercial space in Zurich.

The idea for the freeze-dried sweets came to April when she discovered the trend from the USA and decided to try out the process herself. For production, they buy conventional fruit gums and process them through the freeze-drying process. Their cost per pack is currently CHF 1.50, while they sell the products for CHF 6.50 to 7.90 in their online store and CHF 3.70 in the B2B sector.

Nevertheless, the lions were skeptical as to whether the time was ripe for an investor. Felix Bertram praised the family for their impressive work, but decided against an investment. Tobias Reichmuth, Jürg Schwarzenbach and Lukas Speiser also dropped out. Finally, Roland Brack, who also felt insecure, also left without making an investment. April and Ibrahim were able to impress the lions with their sweet idea, but unfortunately no deal was struck.

Flappie Technologies - the intelligent cat flap - Denis and Oliver Widler, the twins from Freienbach (SZ), and their co-founder Yuan Yao presented their start-up Flappie Technologies. Their product? An intelligent cat flap that uses a camera to prevent your beloved velvet paw from dragging dead mice or frogs into the house. A kind of bouncer for house pets!

The idea was born in 2019 when Denis and Oliver were fed up with their own cats repeatedly bringing home unwelcome "gifts". After intensive development work, they founded Flappie Technologies in March 2023. The smart cat flap uses a sensor to detect when the cat is at the door with prey and immediately blocks access. The accompanying app also offers exciting features: Owners can see when the cat is out and about and receive unique pictures of their pets' nocturnal adventures.

Since the pre-sale in April 2023, they have already won over 1000 customers and generated sales of over 350,000 francs - with almost no marketing budget! Flappie was also recognized as one of the top innovations at the world's largest tech convention CES in Las Vegas and received international attention.

The three founders asked the lions for 300,000 francs for 5 % of their company. After a short demo and a few questions, especially about marketing strategies and competition, the investors were hooked. They seemed particularly impressed by the combination of technology and emotional customer loyalty that Flappie offers. And so the deal was struck: all five lions jointly offered 400,000 Swiss francs for 10 % - and the Flappie team enthusiastically accepted the offer. On top of that, there was a starter package from Sunrise Business worth 5,000 francs. Flappie is now ready to revolutionize the pet world - and offer cat owners around the world a cleaner and less stressful home.

The target group for Caveo was probably wrong...

Caveo - Financial and pension advice app - The start-up Caveo from Schlieren (ZH) wanted to score points with an insurance and pension app. Founders Philippe Muntwyler, Chantal Heinis Hirzoz and Tobias Ganz wanted to show that pensions and finances don't have to be dry and boring. Their app helps users to analyze their personal pension situation and identify potential gaps - all packaged in a simple and understandable way.

Tobias Ganz explained: "If you don't take care of your pension early enough, a financial gap can arise in old age. But that's exactly what we want to prevent with our app." The Caveo app promises that users can save up to CHF 250 within the first six months and increase their projected retirement capital by up to CHF 50,000.

Since the company was founded in 2020, they have already acquired 3,000 customers and achieved a turnover of 1 million francs in the last three years. In order to really take off now, they were looking for 350,000 francs for 3 % of the company. The lions and lionesses were given cell phones to test the app for themselves - plus a "treat" to sweeten the decision.

Philippe explained: "People spend up to 4 hours a day on their cell phones. Imagine if they invested just a small part of that time in our app and got up to 50,000 francs more for their old age."

Despite the ambitious concept, however, the investors were skeptical. Anja Graf and Lukas Speiser were not convinced and Jürg did not see any scaling possibilities. Tom Zimmermann was not sure whether the app really had the potential to grow. In the end, no lion or lioness was willing to invest and Caveo went home without a deal. But with over 3,000 customers and a functioning app, its potential for success remains.

Allsupps - nutritional fruit gums - Priscilla Laube from Pfäffikon (SZ) presented her start-up Allsupps - a company that develops nutritional fruit gums. Priscilla is a food scientist and was looking for a healthy alternative to energy drinks. The result: Deep Focus, vitamin gummies that are vegan, gluten-free and sweetener-free - and have a delicious peach flavor.

After just one year on the market, she has already achieved sales of 60,000 francs and, in addition to the online store, has also been able to gain pharmacies, fitness studios and retailers in Switzerland as partners. She said with conviction: "I know my target group because I am my own target group." Her offer to the lions: 80,000 francs for 20 % company shares.

The lions and lionesses were enthusiastic about the taste and presentation, but skeptical about the sugar content in the gummies. Priscilla defended her product and explained that the sugar content was necessary to market it as a supplement, which customers would accept.

Anja Graf and Roland Brack liked the idea, but dropped out as investors. However, Brack offered to include the vitamin gummies in its Brack.ch range. Lukas Speiser and Felix Bertram showed more interest: Lukas offered 80,000 francs for 30 % of the company, while Felix asked for 27 % for 80,000 francs.

Priscilla finally decided to accept Felix Bertram's offer, and a deal was made! With new capital in her pocket, Priscilla is ready to take her company to the next level and conquer the vitamin gum market.

A touch of summer and the sound of nature

Nookini - Swimwear - Noora Kazi from Lucerne brought a touch of summer to the first episode with her label Nookini. Her focus? Sustainable swimwear that is not only beautiful, but also fairly produced. Noora has roots in Bangladesh and knows the dark side of the textile industry, where people often work in inhumane conditions. That's why she wanted to make a change and founded her own label that produces swimwear from recycled material - Econyl to be precise, made from old fishing nets and plastic waste.

Production takes place in Bali, where Noora works closely with two families. Together they produce limited edition collections, and fabric remnants are also creatively reworked - for example into scrunchies or doormats for the locals in Bali. The idea behind it: Zero waste and fair working conditions.

Noora has been running Nookini for 3 years and has sold 1560 bikinis so far, with a turnover of 47,000 francs. She sells the bikinis in Switzerland, both via her online store and at events and exhibitions. She makes all of her designs herself, and the average production cost is around 16 to 23 francs per item. The bikinis are sold for between 100 and 110 francs.

To expand her business further, Noora wanted 50,000 francs for 10 % of the company shares from the lions and lionesses. She plans to invest more in online marketing and go into retail - with partners such as Manor or Globus. Unfortunately, she was unable to convince any of the investors. Although they found Noora's vision impressive, none of them saw themselves as suitable investors. Felix Bertram, Nicole Büttner, Bettina Hein and Tom Zimmermann wished her every success and encouraged her to continue. In the end, there was no deal, but Noora remains motivated to establish her sustainable swimwear in Switzerland and beyond.

Audiobreeze - three-dimensional worlds of sound - Pitt Weiss and Ramon De Marco wanted to take investors into a completely new world of sound with their start-up Audiobreeze. Their concept: three-dimensional soundscapes designed to transform waiting rooms and health rooms into relaxing and health-promoting oases. With their subscription model for 390 francs a month, they hope to increase the well-being of patients and visitors in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and medical practices.

The two experienced entrepreneurs, who have been working together successfully for 15 years, presented their vision, which has already been implemented in a number of Swiss facilities, such as the Basel Cantonal Hospital and IWB in Basel. Equipped with blindfolds, the lions and lionesses were able to experience the soothing sounds for themselves in a simulated waiting room atmosphere.

However, despite the impressive experience, the founders were unable to convince the investors. Felix Bertram expressed doubts that the healthcare system in Switzerland currently had enough scope for such investments, and the other lions also dropped out. Nicole Büttner found the business model a little too complex and the growth potential unclear, which is why she was also ultimately unwilling to invest.

Although Audiobreeze left the show without a deal, Pitt and Ramon left a lasting impression. The first episode ended on a note of mystery that will certainly be remembered for some time to come.

Source: www.oneplus.ch