TV criticism
“The Lion’s Den”
“Women are magical creatures” – new lioness Janna Ensthaler makes an impressive statement at the start
Janna Ensthaler: “We are unique in what we can do”
© RTL / Bernd-Michael Maurer
First deal at the first pitch and a great statement: Janna Ensthaler got off to a dream start. Two supposed world saviors felt the anger of Carsten Maschmeyer. And Nils Glagau slurped a ramen soup away from Ralf Dümmel.
That’s successful upcycling: While at the premiere of the very pale Tilman Schulz last week you longed for the retired charismatics Georg Kofler and Nico Rosberg, movement came into the pack in the second episode. Janna Ensthaler, founder of three start-ups, including the million-seller “Glossybox”, is intelligent and has a certain glamor factor. She shares a clear point of view with Kofler, but unlike the constant grumbler, she is always friendly. Like Rosberg, she takes a sustainable approach, but is bolder and more determined.
And the 38-year-old has the necessary capital. Since 2021, she has been running an investment fund specializing in climate and sustainability technologies. Already at the first pitch of the show, Ensthaler got serious. A former recording manager who lost her job during the pandemic is now trying her luck in shards. The recycled vases they sell under the label “The Way Up” (the stern has “tested” the products here) are real eye-catchers. The range also includes high-quality tables made from old parquet. Each product is provided with an emotional punch line: Customers can learn more about the history of the reused materials on lovingly designed signs. Janna Ensthaler was a fan – and entered into a cooperation with Ralf Dümmel for the deal. As so often, he was completely beside himself. “You’re a machine,” he showered the waste glass artist with praise. “I almost have goosebumps.”
Janna Ensthaler praises women
The founders of “NewMa” waited in vain for such eulogies. Her topic is no less emotional, on the contrary. The Düsseldorf start-up wants to make childbirth a better place for mothers. Among other things, with a natural cosmetic bandage foam and cooling kink bandages. But the lions shied away from the confrontation with the powerful players in the hygiene products market and released the “New Mamas” from the cave without any investment. Janna Ensthaler used the pitch for a spontaneous eulogy for being a woman. “Women are magical creatures with the magical organ placenta. We are unique in what we can do.” Her new partner Dümmel was flabbergasted: “You said that very nicely!”
A typical Dümmel deal was the family start-up’s “magic ink”Deckenblitz“. With their special marking pens, two brothers want to help do-it-yourselfers not to lose their bearings when painting walls and ceilings. Nice guys, but not exactly a world first. The product idea of ”Tada Ramen” is similarly unspectacular. An industrial engineer and a designer have set themselves the goal of making it possible to experience Japanese food culture outside of the big cities.
Her Ready Ramen Soups in three flavors tasted the investors excellent. Ralf Dümmel in particular rattled his chopsticks excitedly and took notes frantically. But Nils Glagau was also interested. Like Glagau, he stalked the founding duo. “Nice branding,” he began harmlessly and then presented his slow-capitalist counter-proposal to his competitor’s everything-must-go mentality. Keyword sustainable brand building. Glagau was actually awarded the contract and was most surprised about it. Dümmel looked into the tube instead, completely taken aback and devastated, as always when he loses out.
A deposit system for plastic packaging falls through
The last pitch of the episode produced really bad vibes. “Circleback” has the potential to save the world. A return system for plastic packaging is to be created in parallel to the deposit system for beverage bottles. There is talk of a deposit of 20 cents per product. But the whole thing is only in the pilot phase. And the two makers, well, are not necessarily the personalities to whom one would entrust 600,000 euros for a thrifty eight percent share. Carsten Maschmeyer even called the founders “blenders”.
With every minute, the atmosphere became more explosive. While Judith Williams and Janna Ensthaler brought up factual arguments – Williams pointed to Solid Cosmetics, which no longer needed plastic packaging, Ensthaler promoted biodegradable plastic variants – Maschmeyer was brushed on riots from the start. “You want to earn money from a mega trend,” he hurled at the duo, “but you can’t do anything yourself!” His devastating conclusion: “The topic is a hit, the team is a failure.” He only calmed down again when the world rescuers had left the stage in a state of distress. “Maybe I was a bit strict.”
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