Quick and healthy dishes from the blender: Heinz Pöttinger and Beatrice Ilie wanted to score points with this in The Lions’ Den – and convinced Dagmar Wöhrl. But the deal for her startup Purora fell through. Gründerszene asked.
Healthy and quick dishes from the mixer – this is how founders Heinz Pöttinger (38) and Beatrice Ilie (28) from Austria wanted to score points with the lions. There is a family business behind the startup Purora: father Heinz senior, mother Eva and the brothers Moritz, Nikolaus and Georg Pöttinger are also involved in the project.
Heinz Pöttinger summarizes the idea in The Lions’ Den (DHDL) in one sentence: “Fast good instead of fast food.” Growing up on an organic farm and being influenced by fresh food that is always available, he wants to use his startup, founded in 2020, to ensure that healthy eating can be easily integrated into everyday life.
While several lions are enthusiastic about Purora in the show, things turn out differently after the recording – the deal falls through.
That’s what Purora does
Purora combines technology with prepared organic meals in glasses: At the center is the specially developed mixer “ThermoTwist,” explains founder Heinz Pöttinger. The device can both mix ingredients cold and gently heat up food so that vitamins are not lost. Purora also offers ready-made meals in a glass – including smoothies, porridge, protein shakes and soups – which can be prepared with water and the “ThermoTwist”. According to the company, the range now includes around 30 different meals.
There are also other mainstays: In addition to the online direct business, the startup also relies on B2B customers for mixers and meals such as offices, hotels or fitness studios. The concept also includes a cookbook, snacks and nutritional treatments, says Pöttinger. In over five years, the startup has so far generated around 660,000 euros in sales through its own online shop.
In order to accelerate growth, Purora needs support from the lions: They are offering ten percent of the company shares for 300,000 euros. In addition to capital, the team was primarily hoping for strategic help – for example in building an international brand and expanding sales.
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The taste is convincing – the strategy is not
The tasting in the show is convincing: “I like it very much,” says Dagmar Wöhrl. “I can’t stop eating.” But: The wide product range is not only well received by the lions. “You’re completely lost, sorry,” Frank Thelen interjects. The entrepreneur criticizes that there is a lack of focus. “You can’t play in so many venues.” He therefore advises the Purora team not to concentrate on food retail, but rather to focus on the B2B market.
So far, it has primarily been the Pöttinger family that has supported the startup financially: seven million euros have already flowed into development and construction from their own family holding company, explains Heinz Pöttinger in the show. The family business goes back to 1871 – a small craft business was initially established in Grieskirchen, Austria. Over time, the agricultural technology manufacturer Pöttinger Landtechnik GmbH developed from this. According to company information, Pöttinger currently employs around 2,000 people and has a turnover of 405 million euros.
“What did you do with seven million?”
“What the hell did you do with it? Where did the seven million go?” Thelen then asks. There was a lot of trial and error, the money went into research and development of the technology as well as into the ten employees, explains Heinz Pöttinger to the lions.
Carsten Maschmeyer finds a record sum. So far, no founder at DHDL has put so much money into their own startup: “That also shows that you are convinced and are keen on it.” Nevertheless, Maschmeyer gets out. He fears there won’t be enough profits in the future: “That makes me afraid that your USP is utopia.”
Deal with Dagmar Wöhrl
Ultimately, three lions are fighting for a deal with Purora: Dagmar Wöhrl is offering 300,000 euros for 15 percent, Frank Thelen and Judith Williams, as investor duo, are offering 400,000 euros for 20 percent. After the Pöttinger family council has exchanged ideas, there is a counteroffer and finally a deal: “My heart says Dagmar Wöhrl.”
In the show, Purora and Wöhrl agree on 300,000 euros and 13.75 percent of the company shares. “This is a mega product, I find the ideas fascinating and I also find you as a family fascinating,” says Dagmar Wöhrl. For Wöhrl it is the first deal in the 19th DHDL season.
What happened after the show was taped? Gründerszene asked.
Lions deal with Purora has fallen through
“In the show and afterwards, Heinz chose Dagmar Wöhrl,” says Beatrice Ilie (COO) in an interview with Gründerszene. In the show, the investor was clearly the right choice for the startup because she spoke out about wanting to strengthen and support the family business. Nevertheless: “Strategically speaking, we did not find any agreement afterwards.” Heinz Pöttinger adds: “We simply noticed that it didn’t suit both sides.”
A spokeswoman for the entrepreneur also confirmed this upon request. Dagmar Wöhrl looks back very positively on the meeting with the founding team: “Especially after the show, we have very intensive discussions to check whether a partnership is really a good fit in the long term. In this case, we noticed that our ideas about the further development of the company differ.”
The investor emphasizes her great respect for the work of the founders: “Developing your own company requires courage, passion and perseverance. I have great respect for the commitment of the Purora team and sincerely wish the founders much success in their future journey.”
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Participating in DHDL was “one of the most exciting days of my life,” says Heinz Pöttinger, summarizing the pitch to Gründerszene. The fact that three lions fought for a deal is confirmation for the Purora team to stick with it and move on. “We still want to cover both customer groups, both B2B and B2C. We will continue to pursue that,” explains Ilie. In the future, Purora wants to expand its business with nutritional treatments. The team is currently working with a partner in China on a new variant of their mixer, reveals Pöttinger.