Friidu received the highest ranking in the Finnish version. The lions promised good deeds to Commu users. The participants reveal what happened after the cameras went off.
Several Finnish entrepreneurs left The lion’s den – program to go home with an investment promise. However, each participant received at least prime time exposure.
What really happened behind the scenes? What about when the cameras go off? Entrepreneurs who entered the cave tell Iltalehti.
The founder of Commu, which presented itself as a marketplace for helping Karoliina Kauhanen says that after the filming they did not receive the contact information of the lions or any instructions on how to continue the negotiations.
Commu asked for 70,000 euros for two percent. The juju of the Commu app is that people can easily offer, request and exchange help in their area.
In the program, investors reflect on the company’s earnings logic. About the lion Kim Vaisänen promised to give the company “20,000 euros for zero shares”. Kauhanen tells what happened after filming.
– Because my style is quite direct, I called Kimi for many weeks and sent emails, Kauhanen tells Iltalehte.
Kim Väisänen promised to make a donation to Commu. After the program, the promise changed its form. Four
Kauhanen says that his faith was at an end, but when Väisänen returned from his vacation, a nice surprise awaited him.
– We met in Helsinki and agreed that the donation of 20,000 euros will turn into an investment. It’s a great thing for us that we get him as an owner, Kauhanen is happy.
One of the rules of the format is also that you cannot accept less money from the lion than what you have asked for.
– This rule was told and it was sharpened from the very beginning. I think it also had an effect on the fact that the program asked for quite small tickets compared to the Yankee version, Kauhanen reflects.
In the program, the lions also promised to do good deeds through Commu.
– Kim and Jenni (Kynnös) have done the good deeds they promised. Elias (Wave), The same (Hedberg), Jari (Sarasvuo) and Nora (Fagerström) are still thinking about how to help, says Kauhanen.
– Kim helped 14-year-old entrepreneur Antoni by giving him advice on entrepreneurship, Jenni bought cat food and cat accessories for a family in need.
Väisänen’s placement
The lion’s cave was filmed in late summer. Kauhanen says that Commu is constantly growing. According to him, especially the need for a chat club, food assistance and peer support are raising their heads.
Väisänen’s investment has been a help to entrepreneurs willing to help.
– Thanks to Kim’s investment, we are also able to hire help for software development, says Kauhanen.
– We already have more than 50,000 users, users already in Norway and Germany, and we got funding to also test the platform in South America, with the largest university in Honduras. Thanks to the program, we got a lot of new users to give and ask for help, several investor contacts and, of course, faith in our own work and vision, says Kauhanen.
Currently, Kauhanen is working on the 1000 actions event to be organized on November 25 in Helsinki, where food and free lunches will be distributed.
The founder of Commu says that some of the lions have already redeemed their promise to help. Four
Money in the account
Friidu, which makes vegan ice creams, received the largest investment of the Finnish version after a counter-offer: the requested 300,000 euros.
Friidun Annika Ikonen says that after filming, the feeling was, to put it bluntly, unreal.
– Before the first contact from Leijon, several weeks passed while we just waited and wondered if it really happened. In the end, Kim (Väisänen) called us, we arranged a meeting with everyone together and we met at our office, says Ikonen.
The entrepreneurs agreed with the lions, Väisänen, Jari Sarasvuo and Elias Aalto on practical matters, such as the shareholders’ agreement and payment dates.
– Of course, we also had to verify that, for example, the financial information we provided about the company is correct. The Lions do not receive any information about the companies in advance, but in the filming situation they are completely dependent on the word of the entrepreneurs, Ikonen clarifies.
Friidu received three lions and a historically high ranking. Four
Coordinating schedules with the busy lions was challenging. When the papers were signed, Friidu’s episode had already aired on TV.
– But now we finally have the money in our account and we can seriously think about how to use it as efficiently as possible, says Ikonen.
Ikonen says that they received information from the production company that the lions will contact them.
– We did ask everyone to become contacts on LinkedIn to remind them of our existence, Ikonen laughs.
The biggest pot in history
It turned out well for Friidu: they got exactly the amount they asked for. Ikonen understands the background of the rule of the format, according to which he should not have accepted anything less than what he asked for.
– I think this restriction has two main purposes. On the one hand, it forces you to think very carefully about the requested amount: it must be really sufficient, but on the other hand justified. I would think that it also contributes to maintaining the drama better, that if necessary, a larger part of the company can be given up, but the amount of the investment itself remains the same, Ikonen reflects.
According to Ikonen, ice cream entrepreneurs deserve “super good”. There are new ice cream flavors in the freezers and the visibility brought by the program has made people do those famous sleeve twitches.
– It was funny to notice that, for example, at the Wine & Food event at Messukeskus, many visitors recognized us or the brand from the program. We were appreciated, among other things, for the fact that we were still tasting the ice creams ourselves, even though we won Suomen Leijona Luola’s biggest jackpot ever, says Ikonen.
– Despite that, we feel that we can achieve much more with the money elsewhere, and on the other hand, one of the best aspects of entrepreneurship is that you actually get to meet customers and hear feedback about the products, he adds.
Kim Väisänen also went into the ice cream business. Four
Ikonen says that the investment from the program enables many things.
– We are able to plan, for example, marketing and events in advance at a completely different level, compared to how we used to play with cash flow in practice. For us, participating in the program wasn’t just about brand visibility, but the investment actually provides the conditions for the operation to grow and develop, says Ikonen.
Iltalehti could not reach the production of the program to answer questions.
Leijona’s cave on Suomi Nelose and Ruudu.