Marie Mueller has a String thong which, according to the founder, not only prevents "pulling in the crotch" but is also "incredibly comfortable." The so-called cameltoe effect – the visual deformation of a woman's crotch – is unpleasant and sometimes painful. The Bye Bye Toe, with its reinforced soft padding in the middle of the thong, is intended to remedy this. A material mix proven successful in professional sports is also intended to make the panties flexible, robust, durable and therefore sustainable. An innovative laser-cut bonding technology, in which the fabric is cut with a laser and the seams are glued, is responsible for additional comfort, says Mueller. This also makes the thong seamless and virtually invisible under clothing.
The founder's target group includes all women who exercise, are looking for a cameltoe solution, or simply a comfortable thong. The German national beach volleyball team has also already discovered the product. Customer feedback describes Mueller as consistently positive:
"I receive love emails almost every day in which the girls write how happy they are that my product solves several problems at once."
Mueller offered the lions ten percent of the shares in their company for an investment of 100,000 euros.
Bye Bye Toe and Tijen Onaran: A Perfect Match?
To be able to see the quality of the product for themselves, each jury member was given a shipping box including a Bye Bye Toe. Tijen Onaran particularly praised the elasticity and fit of the panties and was also enthusiastic about them in other ways.
"Let's keep it short: I'd love to invest. Definitely hire me because I'm a perfect match for you. I bring the female community, I bring the marketing, I stand for the cause. No one in Germany stands for female empowerment and diversity as much."
Nevertheless, the founder still wanted to hear the opinions of the other Lions. Ralf Dümmel found the founder's performance convincing, but the valuation of her startup too high, and therefore declined an investment. Nils Glagau and Carsten Maschmeyer withdrew in light of the announced Perfect Match. Tillmann Schulz also stated:
"The question is, can I help you get the product to women? I don't think I'm the right lion for you. That's why I'm out."
Mueller accepted Onaran's only offer of the €100,000 demanded. In an interview immediately after her appearance before the “The Lion’s Den”-Jury, the founder was overwhelmed by the lioness's commitment:
"It was amazing. I thought, 'This isn't true.' I think she'll really give me a boost. She's the right investor at the right time; it couldn't have been better."
However, according to information from the platform Business Insider, the deal fell through after the show. The founder stated that she was informed several months after the recording that Onaran did not want to invest in Bye Bye Toe after all. The fashion theme did not fit with her company's strategic direction.
