Sven Junglas made it clear right from the start of his appearance in the “Lion’s Den” that he was dealing with a big deal. “This isn’t just another business idea. If we make Zeedz big together, we can change the world,” the 33-year-old told investors. Other people have failed in the founders show with similar sayings.
But Junglas was able to win not just one, but all five lions present for an investment with his mobile phone game, which is intended to make a global contribution to saving the climate. Carsten Maschmeyer, Dagmar Wöhrl, Ralf Dümmel, Nils Glagau and Tillman Schulz together invest 600,000 euros in Zeedz and each take 5 percent of the Berlin company.
A very special founder story in the TV show’s now 14-season history. Because the mega deal actually came about after the broadcast, as the founder and lions confirmed to the star. “Zeedz is revolutionizing the gaming industry for a good cause,” enthuses co-investor Maschmeyer. “We Lions were immediately excited about that.” And founder Junglas also confirms that he had “no doubts” about going through with the deal, even if the company originally only wanted to give up 10 percent of the company shares instead of 25 percent.
In 2016, five lions invested together in a start-up, the eBall, a locomotion ball powered by electric motors. However, the invention never made it to the mass market. Mainly due to the uncertain patent situation, the lions gradually withdrew from the deal.
Zeedz is a mobile game that, at first glance, is reminiscent of the megahit Pokémon Go. Instead of Pokémon figures, players collect natural creatures called Zeedles, which are virtually planted in the earth where they are supposed to grow and thrive. Whether they do this is also directly related to climate events in the real world, because regional weather data is fed into the game in real time. When extreme weather occurs, such as storms or heat, it is also important to gather the Zeedles to fight the villain “Lord CO the 2nd”.
But the real highlight of Zeedz is that the fight against climate change is not only waged in the game, but also in reality. Zeedz is committed to donating ten percent of all revenue to green non-profit projects and is cooperating with the international sustainability certifier The Gold Standard.
According to the company, Zeedz has already proven that the idea has potential. Although the game is not yet officially available at the time of the “Lion’s Den” appearance, several thousand test players in various countries have already generated sales of 1.5 million euros, reports Junglas. The game is initially free, but you pay for special characters or items that increase the fun. Particularly rare and valuable Zeedles can be traded as NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) on a marketplace.
The fact that none of the lions have experience in the gaming sector is not a problem for Junglas. The game is being developed by his ten-person team in Berlin anyway. He values the lions for their expertise in the areas of marketing, sales and company development and for their networks. Ultimately, he wants to reach everyone who plays games on their cell phones from time to time in order to make as big a contribution as possible to climate protection. “The game should be in every pocket,” says Junglas.
