When Nico Rosberg started crying during a Shark Tank episode

Former F1 champion turned commentator, Nico Rosberg, once cried at the German Shark Tank episode in 2020. The 40-year-old was a part of the five-investor panel in Season 8 of the series, and had an emotional moment after hearing a pitch of a volunteering platform.

"Die Höhle der Löwen" or The Lions' Den (the German Shark Tank) had been a staple in the German entertainment industry since 2014. Moreover, with various revered faces often making an appearance, Rosberg also became a part of the Lions in 2020 and was a part of the show for five seasons.

So, in his first season as a lion, he came across a volunteering platform, LetsAct. Its founders, Paul Bäumler and Ludwig Petersen, had asked for €300,000 for a 10% equity buyout.

The founders pitched their platform and conveyed how LetsAct helps volunteers and volunteering organisations connect. But, Rosberg was touched by this pitch as he was on board with the idea, but was unable to invest in the project, as he thought the founders were aiming to make a profit off of volunteer work.

This left him taken aback, and he started crying, thinking about the whole ordeal:

The 40-year-old then walked off the panel, and ultimately, none of the panelists decided to invest in the platform.

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Nico Rosberg and Letsact seemingly mended ways afterward

Nico Rosberg at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Canada race weekend - Source: Getty

Since retiring from racing, Nico Rosberg has expanded his presence in multiple industries, and Rosberg Ventures was one of them. Though the former F1 champion was unhappy with LetsAct when its founders had pitched on the German Shark Tank, the volunteering platform still had a lasting impact on him.

Rosberg had initially caught on with the initial values of the brand. He had also wanted to do some volunteer work with his daughters, and so the idea of the brand had a hold on him.

So, just a few months later, he appeared on a special video to celebrate Volunteer Day on a LetsAct social media channel, and said:

"I would once again like to thank all of you who are socially committed, and who, of course, are committed to a better tomorrow. The great thing is that even though you go down this path, it is inspiring to see so many other people and to follow you on this path. And this is what is so special."

On the other hand, Nico Rosberg parted ways with the German Shark Tank after he concluded Season 12 of the show in 2022. Despite this, his investment venture has not suffered a major impact. He has gone on to fund multiple blooming startups in the past few years, while managing his analyst duties in the F1 sphere every few weeks.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha