Ex-Gießener with "Aivy" app in "the lion's den"

Created: 05/17/2022, 10:32 am

By: Sophie Mahr

In the »Lion's Den« (from left) David Biller, Arbnor Raci, Florian Dyballs and Boas Bamberger present »Aivy«.

A game-based career app that you want to use to streamline the application process.

© PHOTO: RTL/ BERND-MICHAEL MAURER

A student from Giessen moved to Berlin to develop an app for finding a job.

Together with other founders of the startup »Aivy«, he introduces them to the »Lion's Den«.

Gießen - You have a deal.

At least in front of the camera.

Yesterday evening, May 16, 2022, the latest episode of the eleventh season of the Vox show "Die Höhle der Löwen" was broadcast.

Also present was the pitch by the four »Aivy« founders David Biller, Arbnor Raci, Florian Dyballs and Boas Bamberger.

With their app, they want to optimize career choices.

"Our vision is a working world that is about the people behind the CV." The four successfully presented the app to the "lions" Carsten Maschmeyer, Dagmar Wöhrl, Ralf Dümmerl, Nils Glagau and Judith Williams.

»It's so surreal when you see the lions.

And it was a super cool experience,” says Arbnor Raci, alumnus of the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM) in Gießen.

Two days after graduating, he moved from Gießen to Berlin to make the vision of »Aivy« a reality.

Three years have passed since then and it took two attempts to get the pitch from the lions, as reported by giessener-allgemeine.de.

Gießen: Deal proposal in the "Lion's Den": 450,000 euros for ten percent of the company shares in "Aivy"

"About a year ago it was time, we were with the lions in Cologne," says Raci.

“We hoped that we would meet Carsten Maschmeyer and Dagmar Wöhrl.” Their expertise would go very well with the app.

»We wanted to scale up sales together with the lions.« The money should also be used for marketing and sales.

Until the very end, they would not have known which investors they would meet in the pitch.

You were lucky.

Maschmeyer and Wöhrl were there.

And that's not all: the investors responded to the offer of the four: "We wanted 450,000 euros for ten percent of the company shares," says Raci.

“Wöhrl and Maschmeyer each bought 225,000 euros for five percent each.

With the addition that the investors will both receive another five percent afterwards if they reach certain milestones.«

The way to this deal was not easy.

»On the show you only see 20 minutes of each company.

But we were there from morning to night, and the pitch lasted almost two hours,” says Raci.

The four were questioned intensively.

Nils Glagau also criticized that there was already a lot of career advice.

So why »Aivy«?

But Biller, Raci, Dyballs and Bamberger argued against it.

There are many tests for choosing a career, but none with valid results.

"We even use a psychological aptitude diagnosis according to the DIN standard," explains Alexandra Kammer, spokeswoman for "Aivy".

Gießen: "Lion's Cave" deal burst afterwards

Although the pitch was a while ago, Raci well remembers how Maschmeyer wanted to support her directly and establish contacts.

Negotiations with the investors also began shortly after the shooting.

"We had regular meetings," says Raci.

It was a good and professional cooperation, but the deal didn't materialize.

"It didn't fit," says Kammer.

»And »Aivy« is about fitting.

If it doesn't fit, you shouldn't do it.« Raci adds: »The milestones became stumbling blocks.«

But the broken deal was not a setback.

“We're optimistic.

We are doing well and growing,” says Kammer.

The "Aivy" team now has almost ten employees.

»We work on an interdisciplinary basis and also represent different educational backgrounds in our team.«

"Lion's Cave": Ex-Gießener wants to improve the application process with the "Aivy" app

Because what »Aivy« wants to create in other companies, that the focus is on the individual strength of the individual, they want to reflect in their team and use it for the development of »Aivy«.

In addition, the startup is no longer only active in the "B to C" area, but also in the "B to B" area.

»We want to become the standard next to the CV.

That it will become normal to put our strengths profile in the application folder.

And that it will become normal for companies to look at applicants' strengths," says Kammer.

Since mid-March, applicants have again been able to create their strengths profile using the »Aivy« app.

In the meantime, this was not available because the team was initially working on optimizing the application process in cooperation with companies.

Raci adds: »We are well positioned in development.

Now it's about getting to know us.« That's why the team was happy about the broadcast of their pitch even without a deal.

They too saw their performance together for the first time last night in Berlin.

The native of Nidda now feels comfortable in the big city, but it is also nice to be in Gießen from time to time.

This is how the »Aivy« app works

Users of the free app »Aivy« can play various mini-games to find out what their strengths are.

At the end, the app creates a "strengths profile" which can be saved as a document and added to the application portfolio.

The app also shows which companies might be interested in this profile.