About
Ralf Dümmel (born December 2, 1966, in Bad Segeberg, Schleswig‑Holstein) is one of Germany’s best‑known consumer‑goods entrepreneurs and a star investor on the VOX start‑up show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (DHDL). After decades growing DS Gruppe (formerly DS Produkte) into a major supplier of everyday non‑food goods for retailers across Europe, he brought that “get it on the shelf” instinct to television. On the show he is known for quick, practical deals and for mobilizing DS’s global sourcing network, packaging know‑how, and retail relationships to scale small founder ideas fast.
In October 2021 DS Gruppe was sold to Social Chain AG, the social‑commerce company fronted by fellow “Löwe” Georg Kofler, in a transaction valued around €220 million. When Social Chain later hit financial trouble and entered insolvency in 2023, Dümmel and other former shareholders bought DS back out of the process for roughly €6.5 million (plus assumed liabilities), effectively reversing the deal and putting the group back under their control. He has since focused on stabilizing the business, rebuilding supplier confidence, and continuing to channel promising DHDL products through DS’s distribution engine.
Television has kept him busy: Dümmel joined DHDL in the show’s third season (2016) and remains a fixture; German media report he continues in the investor lineup in recent seasons, underscoring how closely viewers associate his face with high‑volume consumer products and last‑minute deal flurries.
Before Fame
Dümmel’s path was not the classic straight‑A route. He began at a Realschule but, more for behavior than grades, was moved to a Hauptschule; later he made up the credential he needed to start vocational training—something he often cites to encourage founders from nontraditional backgrounds.
He trained as a retail salesman (Einzelhandelskaufmann) at Möbel Kraft in his hometown of Bad Segeberg and stayed on for an extra year after qualifying. Through a girlfriend who babysat for DS Produkte founder Dieter Schwarz, he got on the company’s radar; in 1988 he joined DS as a sales assistant, became a partner in 1996, and was appointed managing director in 2000. Under his leadership DS expanded internationally, including subsidiaries in Poland and Hong Kong, and grew into an import‑and‑distribution specialist serving major European chains.
Sports also shaped him. A lifelong football fan, he qualified as a referee up to the German Football Association’s C cadre before career demands forced him to stop. He later sat on the supervisory board of VfB Lübeck in 2015—evidence the sport stayed close.
Trivia
- Record dealmaker. Counts vary by season, but he has long been the most deal‑active investor on DHDL. Public tallies have mentioned “more than 85” start‑up investments with support for 150+ founders, and later company materials cited numbers approaching 100 investments and over 170 founders helped through DS channels.
- Distribution over exits. Unlike investors who depend on selling shares, Dümmel has explained that he earns mainly by pushing product—placing show items in mass retail and sharing in operating profits. Coverage has noted that even with relatively few classic exits, the portfolio has produced strong sales, with nine‑figure revenue totals reported in some years.
- Uses what he backs. He has said that many gadgets at home come from his show deals; household helpers like the Rostschreck for dishwashers and the Abfluss‑Fee drain plug are among the examples he has mentioned.
- Serious scale. DS Gruppe manages thousands of items—estimates around 4,000—across household, beauty, DIY, seasonal, and more, with historical turnover reported in the €250–300+ million range. Its large logistics footprint, including facilities in Gallin near Hamburg, enables rapid rollout of TV products to European retail shelves.
- Signature style. On TV he is easy to spot in tailored suits and with high‑energy body language—traits that fans and media alike highlight when describing his presence in the investor chairs.
Family Life
Since 2013 Dümmel has been in a long‑term relationship with television presenter Anna Heesch. Together they’ve built a blended household: he has three sons from previous relationships and she has one son, giving the couple four children in their patchwork family
Though it is well known to the public, he says he does his best to respect the privacy of his family; indeed, he at first was reluctant to join DHDL due to the publicity associated with prime-time television. When he does open himself, he does so lightly. Good food, family time, and football are his preferred relaxations.
Associated With
Dümmel shares the DHDL stage with a rotating cast of fellow investors (“Löwen”) who at various times have included Carsten Maschmeyer, Judith Williams, Nils Glagau, Dagmar Wöhrl, and others; viewers regularly see them compete and sometimes join forces on pitches.
His most consequential professional pairing has been with Georg Kofler. Their 2021 deal folded DS Gruppe into Kofler’s listed Social Chain social‑commerce strategy; after Social Chain’s 2023 insolvency, Dümmel helped buy the company back, creating one of the most talked‑about boom‑and‑bust arcs to touch the DHDL investor set.
