LifeSaveAir wins Ralf Dümmel's backing on DHDL with choking device

LifeSaveAir, a startup from Dortmund, has secured an investment from Ralf Dümmel on the German TV show "Die Höhle der Löwen" (DHDL). The investor puts in €100,000 in return for a 25 percent stake in the company.

Founder Nabil Chehade opened the pitch with a personal story. Six years ago, his young son Jonas swallowed a piece of strawberry while playing and could not breathe. According to Chehade, the boy neither coughed nor cried. His wife struck Jonas on the back several times until the piece came loose. That moment led to the company.

A mechanical device for laypeople

Together with his cousins Aiman and Jusef Chehade, he developed the "Lifesaver", a purely mechanical medical device for acute airway blockages. A hand movement creates negative pressure through a mask, which is meant to pull a solid object out of the airway. The founders say they want it to become as common as a fire extinguisher or a defibrillator, for households, daycare centres, care homes, companies and restaurants.

Dümmel tested it on a dummy and was convinced. He also shared that his own son once swallowed a chocolate sweet and that he used the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Sceptical numbers

The figures drew more criticism. The device sells for €79 and costs about €15 to make. The founders say development and registration took four and a half years and about €500,000 of their own money. Since approval seven months ago they have sold around 600 units, generating roughly €40,000 in revenue.

Four of the five investors dropped out. Frank Thelen missed a sense of urgency, and Janna Ensthaler said consumers hesitate to buy products they might only need someday. Carsten Maschmeyer and Dagmar Wöhrl also passed.

The founders then raised their offer from 10 to 20 percent, but Dümmel held out for 25 percent and got it. "This story touched me deeply," he said. The founders, who also run a care agency and a wholesale business, say they are selling those companies to focus on LifeSaveAir. Whether the deal actually closes after the recording remains open.