These startups are on DHDL today

The 14th season of "Die Höhle der Löwen" starts today. Once again, fascinating startups pitch for investment from the lions - exciting founder stories, innovative ideas and new lions await us.

In the first show of the 14th season of "Die Höhle der Löwen" (DHDL) on August 28, 2023, everything revolves around innovative startups that presented their business ideas in front of the jury of lions. This season, hopeful founders will once again be in the spotlight to present their ideas to a wide audience.

This season's lions, consisting of Nils Glagau, Carsten Maschmeyer, Dagmar Wöhrl, Janna Ensthaler, Tillmann Schulz and Tijen Onaran, are all experienced entrepreneurs and investors with a keen eye for new opportunities. They evaluate the business concepts presented not only for their financial potential, but also for their innovative strength, marketability and feasibility.

These startups are with us today

The selected startups in this episode are:

• Dr. Vivien Karl with a care product against intimate dryness.
• Brizza with an unusual pizza variant
• Futurised with AI-based document reading
• Mitmalfilm and their animated coloring book
• Akoua with a vitamin C-rich cashew juice

They all have the chance to present in front of the lions and convince them of their business idea.

Regular readers of Startbase are already familiar with Dr. Vivien Karl. Only recently, in May of this year, we reported on the successful conclusion of a financing round in the amount of 1.5 million euros. This underlines the active presence in the company's business.

The tension rises as the founders present their visions and products. The lions have the opportunity to make investment offers and thus contribute to the realization of these business ideas. The show not only provides a platform for entrepreneurship and innovation, but also a fascinating insight into the decision-making process of the lions, who are always on the lookout for promising opportunities.

Critical thoughts on the format

However, the show "Die Höhle der Löwen" is also repeatedly criticized because it often reflects the reality of the startup scene only to a limited extent. Particularly among young founders, the portrayal on the show sometimes creates inflated expectations that cannot always be met in the real corporate world. The show focuses on the pitching startups and their products, but often neglects the complex challenges and lengthy processes involved in founding and growing a company. Last year, a detailed article appeared on Startbase on why DHDL actually harms the startup scene.