DHDL: Cravies founders convince Dümmel with spiced sunflower seeds – deal made after the show

Spicy sunflower seeds instead of chips to satisfy cravings. Siddik Turhalli and Rio Leonhardt pitch their lifestyle snack on "The Lion's Den" and convince Ralf Dümmel.

Startups ideally solve problems. The problems that the founding duo Rio Leonhardt and Siddik Turhalli want to solve: a lack of disposal options for shells and the repetitive taste, they explained during their appearance on the TV show " Die Höhle der Löwen ." It's all about the shells and the taste of sunflower seeds. From Grilled Onion to Smokey BBQ to Cinnamon Toffee, there are a total of six flavors to choose from. With their product Cravies – derived from the English word for cravings – they want to "redefine lifestyle snacks."

At the time of the show, Cravies had only been available online for four weeks. During that time, Turhalli and Leonhardt had sold 1,200 packages and generated €5,000 in sales. They hoped the Lions would give them access to the food retail market and support them in developing the right sales strategy. In return, they were asking for €200,000 and offering ten percent of the company's shares. That would correspond to a valuation of €2 million. For a company that launched online four weeks ago and has generated sales in the mid-four-figure range? Too much, says Carsten Maschmeyer, and they're dropping out early.

In addition to the rating, he is also bothered by the way the sunflower seeds are eaten. Cravies actually promises a fun snack, but that doesn't look like fun to Maschmeyer. The spice mixtures that give the seeds their flavor stick to the shells of the sunflower seeds, not the seeds themselves. Maschmeyer, who complains that his hands are dirty after the snack, asks: "Why don't you put the spice directly on the sunflower seeds?" Turhalli replies that this has to do with tradition, experience and occupation. The founder is a native Turk and came to Germany with his family at the age of seven. For him, sunflower seeds are "the snack of his childhood." Investor Tijen Onaran , whose parents come from Turkey, also reminds Cravies of her childhood.

It quickly becomes clear that only one lion is suitable: Ralf Dümmel , who, throughout the founders' performance, is as excited as a little child about the delicious snacks and the Cravies experience. Tijen Onaran also admits: "If there's anyone in this group who will help you move forward, it's him, and that's why you should go with him," she says, getting out herself.

But Dümmel, like Maschmeyer, is shocked, to say the least, by the valuation the two founders are using to convince the lions to invest. "With that valuation, you should really be beaten out of the company," says Dümmel. Therefore, the TV juror puts the two founders to the test: They are asked to consider what offer they can make him – what their pain threshold is – because he won't invest for a valuation of two million euros. He wants to test how willing Turhalli and Leonhardt are to compromise. Their revised offer: 200,000 euros for 12.5 percent – ​​a valuation reduction of 400,000 euros. For Dümmel, that's not really a compromise; he had envisioned a 20 percent share in the company for an investment of 200,000 euros.

The founders and he were too far apart, said Dümmel. Maschmeyer put forward a compromise proposal: How about 16.25 percent of the company shares for 200,000 euros, which would correspond to a valuation of 1.23 million euros. Dümmel demanded that Turhalli and Leonhardt first consider the proposal. Again, to test how important the collaboration with him as an investor really was to them. The two accepted. In the end, they lost over 750,000 euros from their initial valuation. "That shows me that you really want me on board," said Dümmel. All's well that ends well. The deal will be finalized after the show, as Gründerszene learned from investors. "The market needed a snack like this: great taste, smartly packaged. Simply top-notch. I'm excited to make this crunch hit big together with Siddik and Rio," said Dümmel.

Turhalli officially founded Cravies, based in Neuss, in 2023. He is the entrepreneurial type behind the startup and, along with Leonhardt, enlisted support from the restaurant industry. Leonhardt, who supports the startup as a part-time product developer, is a chef from Berlin and runs the catering company Berlin Cuisine. Cravies is not Turhalli's first startup. In 2019, he co-founded Wonderwuzzi, a job and project placement platform for students and young professionals, which was acquired by the recruiting platform Pumpkincareers in an asset deal in 2021.

Turhalli also launched the Empathy scholarship program to support young people in their personal and professional development. This also landed him on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Before founding Cravies, the WHU alumnus was a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Steinbeis University and a partner at the family office Lepi Ventures. Adrian Majchrowski joined Cravies as co-founder. "He is responsible for marketing and operations at Cravies and designed our innovative packaging," Turhalli told Gründerszene. According to the company, Cravies was available in 300 markets by April, and in over 5,000 stores by mid-May, Turhalli says.