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: Michael Müller, the founder of O-Spring.

Whether camping, in the garden or at home: That bag holder system from O-Spring can be used individually. Garbage bags and the like can be stretched open using tension springs and held in place permanently. This means they can be filled quickly and easily when tidying up or used to store personal items.

The tension spring is pressed outwards and adheres firmly to the edge of the bag with the help of the coating. This will hold the bag open and the spring will not slip. With this idea, O-Spring founder Michael Müller was able to convince in the VOX start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen”. He entered into a deal with the Hamburg investor Ralf Dümmel.

O-Spring: This is the bag holder from “The Lion’s Den”

BASIC thinking: Hi Michael, you’re in the thirteenth season of “The Lion’s Den”. How does that feel?

Very motivating! A product like O-Spring is not yet on the market. I think everyone who has seen O-Spring in action will know a situation where they wish they had an O-Spring on hand. My goal was to show this to the lionesses and lions as well.

What makes your product O-Spring so special?

O-Spring is the bag holder for really all cases. It is currently available in three sizes with a wide variety of holders, making it suitable for a wide variety of applications. It is so versatile that I use 20 of them myself.

The O-Spring is practical for the household, the garden, when camping, when travelling, for hobbies. It can also be used in industry and commerce. Public and non-profit areas such as events and parties can also benefit from the product.

The idea and concept behind O-Spring

How did you come up with the idea and the concept of O-Spring?

The idea for O-Spring came to me when I was unpacking a children’s wardrobe and the packaging material that had to be disposed of. The garbage bag kept collapsing and I thought there had to be a solution.

Due to my fundamental passion for invention and for creating solutions to problems, I quickly came up with an idea. I’ve been tinkering since I was a child and I’m known to my friends as an inventor.

And how did you end up in The Lion’s Den?

When the first prototype worked and I saw the multitude of possible uses, I thought that this would be a perfect product for a startup. I’ve always been a fan of the show and took the plunge at the urging of friends. In addition, in my opinion, the product needs a solid and quick start on the market, which certainly works best with the help of “The Lion’s Den”.

The pitch and the negotiations

What was on your mind just before your pitch?

In preparation, I analyzed tons of old programs and tried to create a suitable pitch from them. I also tried to minimize my excitement through coaching, which only worked moderately. Just before we started shooting, I thought to myself: “What has to be, has to be. I have to get through it.” Unfortunately, I hate being on TV and being in the spotlight, which made the pitch a lot harder for me.

How did the subsequent negotiations go?

“It’s going to go wrong.” I thought to myself. There was no turning back and I hoped to be able to convey the product and its advantages to some extent. Of course it was very exciting to face the lions.

I was like on autopilot and tried to get through the pitch as best I could. As one rejection after the other trickled in, my hope of a deal faded. I thought that was it for now. I was really happy that Ralf then made me an offer!

O-Spring: This is how it continues after “The Lion’s Den”.

What has happened to you and your product O-Spring since the shoot and the participation?

Since I hadn’t even founded a company or company when I applied, there was a lot to do. With Ralf and his team, I received incredible support in all areas. I couldn’t have done that alone.

And how does it continue?

What are the next steps? The first goal is to establish oneself in the market. My vision is that O-Spring will be standard equipment in every home! But there is an enormous number of possible further developments of the O-Spring. Carrying handles, multifunctional holders, lids and much more would be conceivable. So you can be curious.

Looking back, how would you rate your experience at The Lion’s Den?

The experience gained was enormous and the deal with Ralf was the best thing that could have happened to me. With Ralf and his team we were able to push O-Spring in a way I couldn’t have imagined.

This post contains affiliate links for which we receive a small commission. However, this has no influence on the content of our contributions.

Also interesting: