9 questions for the founders of “The Lion’s Den”

Socklaender: Functional socks with double shaft

Tobias Ross and Nadim Ledschbor, the two founders of Socklaender, were able to convince in the VOX start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen”. Because the functional socks from the start-up protect the footwear from dirt, grime and sand, among other things, thanks to a double shaft.

The upper only has to be pulled over the shoe. A special padding in the socks prevents pressure points on the soles of the feet.

Silicone stoppers also allow a firm hold. Socklaender aims at all outdoor activities as well as work on construction sites, in the garden or at home. The overall package ultimately knocked Löwen Ralf Dümmel off his socks, who signed the deal with

“The lion’s den”: Socklaender protects against dirt in the shoe

BASIC thinking: Hello, you are part of the twelfth season of “Die Höhle der Löwen”. How does that feel?

It is a very good feeling when your own product receives such media attention. And it’s a great opportunity that we want to make the most of.

What makes your product so special?

The socklaender functional socks with double shaft give dirt in shoes no chance. This is ensured by two connected uppers, one of which you can easily pull over the shoe. Stock & Stein’s way into the shoes is already blocked. Small silicone stoppers prevent the sock from rolling over or slipping and thus provide optimal support.

Socklaender: The idea and the concept

How did you come up with the idea and your concept?

In our daily work, the dirt in our shoes often annoyed us. We were looking for a simple protection against it – unfortunately in vain. It was important for us that the protection can be applied quickly and easily.

The commercially available gaiters were therefore eliminated and Tobias’ idea for the functional sock was born. Tobias sewed the first prototype himself with a needle and thread – from two discarded socks. We were determined to develop a sock and bring it to market

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

It was clear to us that we needed a lot more power in the areas of marketing and PR. Nobody knew our product until now. “The Lion’s Den” was a great opportunity to make our socks better known. Then we simply applied online – and it worked.

What was going through your mind just before your pitch?

We were both very excited and wondering if our product would get through to the lions and if we were really going to get a deal.

The negotiations

How did the negotiations go?

There weren’t really any major negotiations. Unfortunately, Carsten Maschmeyer, Dagmar Wöhrl and Judith Williams have rejected us. At first we were very unsure.

Then came the offer from Ralf Dümmel, who thought our product was brilliant and said that our socks would be a real problem solver. However, he traded us up from 20 to 25 percent of the company, which was absolutely fine with us.

And finally there was even an offer from Nils Glagau, who made the same offer. In the end we decided on our dream lion, Ralf Dümmel, and we are more than satisfied with this decision.

What has happened to you and your product since shooting and participating?

A lot has happened since the shoot. We had an all-day meeting in Stapelfeld with the entire team of the DS Group, got to know all the contact persons in the respective teams and Ralf Dümmel was there the whole time with advice and action. Our socks were then optimized and reknitted. Our image and word mark has been revised. Beautiful packaging was designed and our shop was relaunched. It was great for us to see how professional the work is at DS.

Socklaender: That’s the way it goes now

And how does it continue? What are the next steps?

The next steps will be to stabilize socklaender’s sales in the long term and to place our product in other shops and online.

We are also working on offering customers more color and design combinations with additional functions.

We also want to expand the target groups. For example, a children’s sock is planned. Expansion into other European countries would be another major goal for us.

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

So far, the VOX start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen” has been an absolute highlight in our lives.

We got to know great entrepreneurs/personalities, the whole team was super professional and we are sure that we will take big steps forward with our product or our brand that would never have been possible for us otherwise.

We came to the studio with our sock and will see our product in stores very soon. We can absolutely recommend the format.

→ There are functional socks from Socklaender here to buy.

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