2024-05-14 08:37:56
As part of the Vox show, Tijen Onaran appeared unusually personal: The entrepreneur reported how she was harassed by a man.
In the Vox program “The Lions’ Den” she appears as a tough and quick-witted entrepreneur. But on Monday night’s episode, Tijen Onaran showed her vulnerable side. The 39-year-old revealed an incident from her private life that still concerns her today: she was sexually harassed.
The trigger for her openness was a founder who presented her business idea on the show. Susana Gomez presents “LÆMON”, a jewelry bracelet with an integrated loud and silent alarm. “According to recent studies, 58 percent of all women in Germany avoid certain places and do not take buses or trains at night. A full 40 percent of women no longer dare to leave home at night,” says the founder.
However, attacks on women occur at any time of the day or night, both in public and private spaces. As a mother of two daughters, she is constantly concerned about their safety and that is why she developed “LÆMON”. The bracelet becomes a help alert in an emergency. All you have to do is pull the chain and a 120 decibel alarm will sound. “It’s very loud and very effective at scaring attackers away,” explains the founder.
The silent alarm is triggered by pressing a button for three seconds. In both cases, an SMS with the live location is automatically sent to the pre-selected personal emergency contacts and/or to a 24/7 staffed emergency service center.
“I felt totally helpless”
An idea that is particularly popular with investor Tijen Onaran – because she was once in such a situation herself. In front of cameras, the 39-year-old reports on the incident that occurred in the evening in the English Garden in Munich. There she was verbally and physically harassed by a stranger.
“It’s an experience that still shapes me today. Back then, a bracelet like that would have helped me a lot. I felt totally helpless. I couldn’t scream at that moment, I couldn’t do anything,” said the entrepreneur. Other park visitors eventually helped her.
In the end, there was no deal with Susana Gomez. However, that wasn’t because of the idea, but because of the price. The founder wanted 500,000 euros for ten percent of the company shares. She believes in the success of the product, “but the rating is just too high for me. You see the most emotional rejection because it hurts my heart, but I’m out,” explained Tijen Onaran. The other lions didn’t bite either.