music service, the Limelight, sought an investment of 500,000 dollars in the DR programme ‘Lion’s den’, but the lions believed that the company’s valuation was too high. Now have pins instead scored a double as high investment.
– We were lucky to find an investor after the program. It is a young firm by the name of the MAMIL, says the co-founder of Limelight Anders Nygaard.
MAMIL accepted not only the valuation, the higher also the investment to 1,000,000. The boys behind the company can therefore hardly get my arms down.
Executive director of the private equity fund Nordic Eye and the lion in the Lion’s den Peter Warnøe offered actually Limelight the half-million, but he would not ‘settle’ with the 6,25% of the company, which was put up to.
He would have 10 percent.
– We refused his bid, even if it actually was him, we had bet on. We were bound in the negotiations, since we already have an investor by the name of CAPNOVA, says Anders Nygaard.
CAPNOVA would simply not accept an investment below the price at which you had bought in to. The boys were, therefore, bound at the hands and feet in the negotiations.
Anders Nygaard admits that the Limelight only as the possibility of an investment as an extra bonus.
– as we saw it, we had not so much to lose by to be with. We believed that we could make a good figure out by ourselves and shown our product on national tv, and if there also was an investment out of it, it was really just a bonus, he says.
But is it at all in order that companies are taking advantage of programs such as ‘Lion’s den’ to brand itself on public service television?
According to Frands Mortensen, professor emeritus of media studies at Aarhus University, it is difficult to come up with a clear answer.
– I will say that this is a gray area, he says.
– There are some sponsor-rules, but it is not the case that companies pay for to be with. They just themselves and hope to get something back. So the sponsor-rules can probably not be used.
the Professor believes that one can compare it a bit with underholdingsprogrammer as ‘X Factor’.
– Here comes the musician also and brands themselves. On the way is Denmark’s Radio, of course, also with the branding of the artist, they end up being. It is not quite the same, but it is a little derhenad, he says.
Ekstra Bladet has tried to get a comment from the DR, but mediekoncernen regard to the production company behind the programme, the United Productions.
– We only take participants who are hungry for an investment. We have a screeningproces, where those who are only interested in getting on tv, being separated from it, says the producer of ‘Lion’s den’, Mads Lund.
Anders Nygaard regret, at least not in that Limelight stood in the program.
– It has been a really fun experience, and we also got some bold feedback, ” says Anders Nygaard.
