How Tijen Onaran's DHDL appearance caused a lot of excitement

On Monday, the children's glasses start-up Manti Manti presented itself on the start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen”. There was no deal, but there was a lot of arguments and discussions.

The appearance of the startup Manti Manti on the show “The Lion’s Den” last Monday sparked discussions among investors. Why? Manti Manti sells glasses for children that are supposed to look stylish, are robust – and at 238 euros including lenses, they are not exactly cheap.

Too expensive for juror Tijen Onaran. They criticized the two founders Susann Hoffmann and Philippa Koenig for the price range and for not having a cheaper model. Their parents could not afford to buy a product at the time due to their social background.

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Investor Judith Williams gave in, saying that Manti Manti is about a premium brand. Social responsibility and entrepreneurship do not always automatically go hand in hand. Onaran saw it differently. She also criticized the fact that Hoffmann, who founded the media brand Edition F, and Koenig, who helped build Amorelie, needed support in marketing and sales. According to Onaran, she should actually have enough expertise in this area. So far, so good.

But then came the (main) scandal: When the founders left the cave, Onaran remarked that she had found “that” arrogant – whatever exactly “that” meant. In response to Janna Ensthaler's comment that Hoffmann was Onaran's “feminism sister” because she founded Edition F, Onaran simply replied that if Hoffmann were a sister in spirit, she would also consider the issue of social responsibility.

The startup Manti Manti did not get a deal last Monday evening. The other investors were put off by the high number of business angels, a whopping 28, and the high company valuation of five million euros.

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What was that again about female empowerment?

Onaran's appearance on the show subsequently sparked discussions on social media, especially on Linkedin. However, this was much less about Manti Manti's social responsibility than about Onaran's behavior on the show towards the founders. After all, Onaran's own personal branding is based on female empowerment.

Entrepreneur Fränzi Kühne said on Linkedin that Onaran had “condescendingly dismissed” the female founders. In her post, she appealed for solidarity among women – for women to form gangs. People should not “kick each other down from positions of power” when female founders present their ideas, whether on television or in public.

Kühne's post received a lot of positive feedback in the comments, with some saying they were “shocked” by Onaran's manner. However, there was also criticism under the post. Some comments mentioned that they did not think the public bashing of Onaran was right, that it contradicted the statement in Kühne's post. Others noted that Onaran was right with her criticism of social responsibility on the show, that it was a point that should have been discussed in the program. And others reminded us that “The Lion's Den” is a show in which the content and statements are edited together.

A similar picture emerges from the contribution of Matthias Meifert, founder and consultant. He also criticizes Onaran on Linkedin for her behavior towards the founders Hoffmann and Koenig, and goes a step further and notes that Onaran herself wears items from high-priced brands. An argument that Williams also made in the program.

Here, too, a similar picture in the comments column: constructive feedback would have been desirable, Onaran is not authentic, but also: Are posts like those from Meifert really necessary?

Former founder Nora Vanessa Wohlert also commented on the show on Monday on Linkedin. Wohlert launched Edition F together with Susann Hoffmann. She wrote: “It's not about us not being allowed to critically question founders and products.” We should, in fact. But please do so on an equal footing. For me, terms like “arrogant” should be eliminated from vocabulary, especially among women.” She finds Onaran's behavior “unfeminist.” Wohlert's post continues: “But what I wish for all of us is that each of us has a circle at our side that defends us even when we are not even in the room.”

In the comments of the same discussion as in the other two posts: criticism yes, but on an equal footing and with respect, that would have been female empowerment. Just as Onaran's criticism of social responsibility should have been discussed.

In the end, the debate, at least on Linkedin, is exactly what Wohlert expresses in her post. A union of bands or circles that position themselves – for one side, the other, or somewhere in between. And Gabi Herzog commented under Wohlert's post: “The male lions have been extremely caustic and arrogant to each other and to male startups for ages, zero male loyalty – have you ever read a noteworthy post about this?”

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