9 questions for the founder of “The Lion’s Den”
In this questionnaire, we ask the founders and participants of the Vox show The Lion’s Den questions about their products and experiences on the show. This time: Elina Hoffmann, the founder of Clever cakes.
Contents
Clever Cakes: A ready-made fondant cover for cakes
Clever Cakes includes a set for making fondant cakes quickly and easily. It contains a ready-made fondant cover, a disposable baking mold and various decorative elements. The aim of Clever Cakes is to make the sometimes tedious and time-consuming process of making cakes easier.
Founder Elina Hoffmann was able to convince with her tasty and clever innovation in the VOX founders show “Die Höhle der Löwen” and win investor and Löwen Georg Kofler for her start-up.
These are the Clever Cakes fondant sleeves
BASIC thinking: Hello Elina, you are part of the twelfth season of “Die Höhle der Löwen”. How does that feel?
Super exciting. Otherwise, I always rooted for the founders from the couch. Being able to be there myself and presenting my own product is really a great experience.
What makes your product and Clever Cakes so special?
With Clever Cakes everyone can conjure up great fondant cakes very easily and super quickly and make themselves or others happy. You don’t need any previous knowledge, apart from the baking ingredients, you don’t need any additional equipment and you save a lot of time and nerves.
We turn the cake upside down and just start from the back. We already take care of the complex task of shaping the fondant and decorating the sugar, so that the customers only have to fill the fondant cover with dough and cream, turn it over and decorate it. And the cake is ready.
Clever Cakes: The idea and the concept
How did you come up with the idea and your concept?
I love making fondant cakes and making others and especially my kids happy. In everyday family life and with a full-time job as a senior product manager, I didn’t have time to conjure up great and, above all, elaborate cakes.
So I thought about how to simplify the whole thing. The idea of simply making cakes the other way around had been buzzing in my head for a while. But at the end of 2020 it clicked in my head one night while watching The Lion’s Den. So the next day I built some prototypes, carried out tests and trials.
Lo and behold, it actually worked. The idea that was floating around in my head could actually be implemented. And since that moment I have been pushing Clever Cakes forward, talking a lot with different potential customers and further refining the concept.
And did you end up in The Lion’s Den?
I’ve actually watched “The Lion’s Den” since the first season and was always so inspired by the great ideas the founders came up with. The show actually inspired me to develop and launch my own product.
And when Clever Cakes did so well, I really wanted to pitch it to the lions too. And in fact, so many customers, friends and acquaintances have approached and written to me that I should definitely apply to “The Lion’s Den”. That was an extra boost of motivation.
The pitch and the negotiations
What was on your mind just before your pitch?
I was excited, of course, but also super happy at the same time. It was really a dream that came true. I was actually able to pitch my own product to the lions. I still remember how I briefly predicted to myself: “Elina, don’t get excited, just enjoy”.
What happened then?
After the shoot, we sat down and exchanged initial information. And a few weeks later we had a big kick-off meeting where I got to know the whole team and we talked in detail about how to proceed. And then the joint work started right away.
This is how it continues after “The Lion’s Den”.
And what has happened to you and Clever Cakes since filming and participating?
So far I have more or less advanced Clever Cakes on my own. Now I have great support with which I was able to further develop Clever Cakes so that larger quantities can now be produced and we can grow more strongly.
Overall, I would say that Clever Cakes has grown from a small start-up with prototype production in my parents’ basement to a full-scale production company.
What are the next steps?
I’m really excited to see how the product will be accepted on the market. Next, I would like to make Clever Cakes even better known, expand the designs according to customer needs and expand the product range with other products, such as matching baking mixes.
Looking back, how would you rate your experience at The Lion’s Den?
It was and is a really great experience. The production team was super nice and helpful. The lions were great and the opportunity to work with a lion or an experienced lioness is just awesome for the product and for founders.
→ There are fondant covers from Clever Cakes here to buy.
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