Maschmeyer's outburst of anger: Whacky founders fail in the lion's den!

Maschmeyer's outburst of anger: Whacky founders fail in the lion's den!

In the latest episode of “The Lions' Den” there was an unexpected outburst: Carsten Maschmeyer angrily left the studio of the popular VOX show. What had happened? The founders of “Whacky”, a start-up from Ingolstadt, created a huge storm with their pitch for protein-rich snacks. Maschmeyer, who appears as an investor on the show, was disappointed with the presentation and accused the founders of withholding essential information, which made the negotiations significantly more difficult.

The “Whacky” company offers healthy snacks in the form of organic beef sticks, the ingredients of which are pure and without additives. During their appearance, the managing directors Daniel, Peter and Gregor wanted to collect 200,000 euros for 10% of their company. At the beginning of the presentation everything seemed to be going well - supported by a vice world champion in the sport "Hyrox", they were counting on the approval of the investors.

A misunderstanding leads to escalation

But the tide turned when the founders resorted to “salami tactics” by not disclosing information about their shareholder structure. Gregor attracted particular attention because, as the owner of a meat factory, he supplies “Whacky” and thus had an obvious conflict of interest. The investors, especially Frank Thelen and Judith Williams, were quickly skeptical. Thelen withdrew his interest and expressed concerns about long-term profit intentions.

Judith Williams confronted the founders and criticized their lack of transparency. She mentioned memories of her successes in the past, when she had helped many other entrepreneurs become millionaires. Maschmeyer, who admitted he was initially excited, eventually interrupted the pitch by saying, "Obviously you don't want a deal!"

The outlook for the next episode

Judith Williams also couldn't hide her disappointment and once again emphasized that the investors here do not act as coaches, but as financial partners. In fact, Gregor described the appearance as “sparing” and said that the investors were just offering coaching. This comparison did not go down well with Maschmeyer, who became increasingly impatient. He ultimately left the studio, putting a clear end to this chaotic negotiation.

The next episode of “The Lions’ Den” will be broadcast, as usual, on Monday, September 29th at 8:15 p.m. on VOX. Maybe we'll see another, more successful performance that will convince audiences and investors alike.

For more information about the incidents in the show, you can read the reports at Rosenheim24 and TV feature film read up.