€500k · Other round · Software · Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Meinhaus Digital, a digital planning service for homeowners renovating existing properties, has secured €500k in an equity deal with Carsten Maschmeyer and Janna Ensthaler. The investors took 10% of the company after the founders appeared on Die Höhle der Löwen; Business Insider reported that both sides confirmed the deal had completed after filming.
The new investment is separate from the €1m pre-seed round announced in April 2026 with backing from L-Bank Baden-Württemberg and business angels. That earlier capital was intended to expand the platform, team and partnerships. The television deal adds two investors whose immediate contribution has included consumer-marketing contacts and support around future fundraising, according to the founders and Maschmeyer's team.
Moving renovation decisions before the building work
Meinhaus Digital combines software with advice from architects and energy consultants to help owners and prospective buyers scope a renovation before committing to detailed design or construction. Its service covers cost estimates, documents for bank financing, renovation concepts and support with planning-permission questions. The company says this is meant to make an otherwise fragmented process easier to understand and finance.
The commercial mechanism is the timing of that guidance. A buyer needs a credible renovation budget while deciding whether a property is affordable, not months after purchase. Turning property details into a cost range and bank-ready documentation gives Meinhaus Digital an entry point before financing is fixed. Human review can make the output more credible than a generic calculator, but it also creates a delivery constraint: growth depends on standardising the repeatable parts without losing the professional judgement customers and lenders rely on.
Distribution partnerships are therefore as important as the planning software. Earlier reporting named OBI and Europace among Meinhaus Digital's partners, placing the service close to home-improvement and mortgage workflows. The DHDL investors add mass-market reach at the same time. If those channels consistently reach people before purchase or renovation finance is settled, the company can acquire customers at the moment the planning problem becomes urgent rather than trying to create demand later.
A second financing event in one year
Meinhaus Digital reported more than 100 customers and a 12-person team around its April round, with plans to expand technology, sales and marketing. The €500k DHDL transaction should be read as a distinct follow-on investment, not as part of the earlier €1m pre-seed. Its 10% stake implies the investors negotiated around the company's consumer-growth potential as well as the product itself; the next operating test is whether broadcast attention and partner referrals convert into repeatable paid planning work.
Sources checked:
Business Insider / Gründerszene · Deutsche Startups · Meinhaus Digital company site · StartingUp · Tech.eu Funding Explorer
Display date uses 26 October 2026, when Business Insider reported the confirmed post-show deal.
