anuux: How much value can a startup afford? #DHDL

The 33-year-old Berliner was no stranger to entrepreneurship, having built up a company in his hometown called ‘Queere Haushaltshilfe’, which already employed 50 people – including heterosexuals.

Almost as an afterthought, he then developed anuux – a dietary supplement designed to ensure optimal digestion and thus a clean rectum. Ideal for lovemaking ‘at the back door’ – and, of course, for heterosexuals as well.

It quickly became apparent that the lions were not only very taken with his personality, but also found his product quite interesting.

Anuux has been sold online, in pharmacies and in a shop in Berlin for three years now, and Marius also spends a lot of time travelling to trade fairs.

However, marketing the capsules containing psyllium husks, chia seeds and flaxseed husks to the target group does not only have advantages: online, overly direct communication of the intimate benefits quickly risks a shadow ban, while offline, some potential sales outlets are still wary of the product – even in 2025.

This does not seem to be the case with the Lions: after all, Janna Ensthaler had already explained the functionality of the enema ball included in the set to her fellow Lions before the pitch began.

So, in typical Lion fashion, they quickly get down to the numbers: the recommended amount of capsules costs customers around 1€ per day, and annual sales of around 60,000€ have already been generated.

The mood in the den seems to be very good, thanks in no small part to the founder’s very clear answers, who at the same time manages to communicate his topic with relaxed openness.

Frank Thelen quickly dismisses the possibility of a deal, as it is not a product for him. However, the other Lions delve deeper, asking about the company setup

and background, which is often a sure sign of stronger interest.

Nevertheless, retail lion Ralf Dümmel soon leaves the field to the ladies, as he considers the product – especially with its very specific target group orientation – to require too much explanation for omnichannel distribution.

And it is precisely sales and marketing, which pose a particular challenge for such a product, that become the sticking point: when asked by Dagmar Wöhrl what exactly the founder wants from a Lion, Marius mentions, among other things, the shadow ban on social media and that he needs more expertise in online marketing at his side in order to better address this challenge.

This is another reason why Judith Williams ultimately utters the dreaded words ‘I’m out’: she sees the inability to communicate freely in marketing as one of the problems that put her off the start-up.

However, when Marius emphasises that this applies primarily to Instagram, but not necessarily to all platforms, Janna Ensthaler throws another marketing opportunity into the ring with X, which Marius immediately rejects because he does not want to support the platform due to his political stance.

Ultimately, however, this seems to be the reason for the lioness’s decision to pull out, as she praises the founder’s pitch, presentation and product, but emphasises that she wants openness from her founders and does not want to work together on this basis.

This is where many people will have asked themselves the question: can a start-up looking for investment really afford to take such a stance? Isn’t it generally critical to completely close yourself off to a particular marketing approach?

From the investor’s point of view, this stance is certainly understandable. After all, you can’t really criticise an investor for their business model. And that model is usually aimed at achieving the best possible growth for the companies in their portfolio.

But as always, there is more than one side to such an issue: from a purely sales perspective, it is of course critical to completely exclude a potential channel.

On the other hand, X has been in the headlines in the past for alleged homophobic tendencies. Although Elon Musk took action against this, such things can still lead to a corresponding image, regardless of their truthfulness.

But as always, there are two sides to this issue: from a purely sales perspective, it is obviously critical to completely rule out a potential channel.

On the other hand, X has made headlines in the past for alleged homophobic tendencies. Although Elon Musk took action against this, such incidents – regardless of their veracity – can still damage a company’s image.

In the medium to long term, any company that advertises on such a platform must consider the impact on its image and branding among its target group. In the short term, open differentiation could block the path to an additional marketing channel, but in the longer term it could make a decisive contribution to the company’s brand building – simply because it is perceived positively and as authentic by the target group.

Ultimately, it is not only personal conviction that must be weighed against operational measures, but also the overarching brand strategy. This is a prime example of a difficult decision for founders.

Unfortunately, there was no deal for annux in the end, but there was an exciting pitch with a likeable founder who stood by his values.

We can only hope that television will make up for the lost channel and that his efforts to build an authentic brand will eventually be rewarded.