The 19th season of “The Lions’ Den” starts in February. Some lions are back and there are new surprises.
These investors will be there in 2026
The jury this season includes familiar faces from previous seasons: including Dagmar Wöhrlshe has been part of the show since 2017. The former member of the Bundestag and entrepreneur brings experience from politics and business and pays particular attention to viable business models.
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Also Judith Williams is at it again. The German-American entrepreneur has built a Europe-wide business with her teleshopping brands. In the cave, she primarily focuses on products with strong brand and sales potential.
Ralf Dümmel is also part of the DHDL season: The trading professional from Bad Segeberg has already invested in numerous startups. His focus is on products that can be brought to market quickly.
And also Carsten Maschmeyer is at it again. The well-known entrepreneur looks back on many years of experience as an investor. In the show he is primarily looking for scalable business models and strong founding teams.
investor Janna Entsthaler focuses on green tech and sustainable business models. It carefully examines whether innovation and economic potential fit together.
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The round is completed by Frank Thelen: The tech investor can be seen regularly in the cave again after his comeback. He is particularly interested in technology-driven ideas with international growth potential.
International founders, young teams and celebrity factor
The 19th season will be international: Teams from Ecuador, Dubai, Austria and Switzerland want to convince the lions of themselves and their business model.
Very young founders also want to prove themselves in the cave this season – some of them are only between 18 and 22 years old. Among other things, they present AI solutions for school lessons as well as applications from the area of augmented reality.
There are also prominent guests: boxer Axel Schulz and reality TV star Laurenz Pesch enter the lion’s den.
