Shark Tank India has been my guilty pleasure ever since its launch in 2021. Watching entrepreneurial and brand stories left me impressed, and at times a bit motivated as well. Especially watching Women Entrepreneurs entering the Tank and presenting their businesses with so much confidence and determination.
Ever since the first season, numerous women-led businesses have been featured on the Show. Many of them left the Sharks and the viewers enthralled with their products, business sense, financial knowledge, and marketing. While not all were able to secure funding, the ones that did definitely had their strong and unique points that caught the Shark’s attention and curiosity.
Well, picking a favorite out of these women-owned brands is rather difficult. So, we decided to list 7 amazing Women-led brands that came on Shark Tank India across the 3 seasons and how their pitches made the judges bring out their cheque books.
#1. Nuutjob
Featured in the first season, Nuutjob founded by sisters Anushree and Ananya Maloo in 2021, is a men’s hygiene brand. It aims to make people aware of intimate hygiene for men, a taboo in India. It sells a wide range of products from men’s moisturizers, deodorants, perfumes, intimate wash, hair removal cream, etc. What impressed the judges was how the founders started their pitch by coming up dressed as men, scratching their groins. A sight we often see and feel very uncomfortable about.
Having witnessed this at their home themselves is how the sisters came up with the idea, it is their fathers who inspired them. What Sharks liked and praised about them was their unique idea, especially the fact that two girls are developing a brand related to male hygiene products and are extremely open and comfortable speaking about it.
Enamored by their entrepreneurial spirit and hold on their numbers despite their young age, Nuutjob managed to get an investment by Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar and Aman Gupta of Rs. 25 lakh for a 20% stake in the company.
#2. Koparo Clean
With a vision to make a cleaning product that is eco-friendly, pet-safe and child-safe, mompreneur Simran Khara started Koparo Clean in 2020. Having seen the high use of harmful chemicals in cleaning products, she went on build Koparo, a natural and safe cleaning brand using coconut as core ingredient. They offer various dish-washing liquids, laundry detergents, hand-wash and air fresheners, etc. It started as a home-run business that is now fast turning into a household name.
Simran’s professional experience of 15 years and how she has managed to keep the price range of her product at a minimal range as compared to her competitors left the judges awe-struck. But what left them truly wowed with this woman entrepreneur was her hold over her numbers. She knew each and every business-related numbers that the Sharks asked for, be it the market size, her profit margins, her competitors range, and more. It is crucial for an entrepreneur to be sharp and clear when it comes to numbers as business is all about it.
Koparo Clean which was featured in Season 3 and got an investment of Rs. 70 lakhs for 1% equity from Aman Gupta and Vineeta Singh.
#3. Nish Hair
In a country obsessed with having long hair, we have a brand named Nish Hair that came on Season 2. It was Founded in 2017 by Parul Gulati, an actress by profession, out of her deep passion and love for her own long-lasting hair. She went on to create a brand that sells scalp line hair toppers. Nish Hair’s colour stands are popular among Gen-Z. What started as a side-hustle, is now a profitable venture, where she aims to transform the idea of wearing wigs from a taboo topic to a fashion element.
The designs of various wigs and extensions created by Parul, alongwith her minimal investment in marketing, definitely was praise-worthy. But what caught the attention of the panel was her use of her personal brand and her social media skills in growing and promoting her brand. She showcased an essential aspect of building a business in a competitive space – personal branding and how to use it effectively.
Parul got offers from three Sharks, including Aman Gupta and Vineeta Singh, but she choose to accept funding of Rs. 1 crore for 2% equity from Shark Amit Jain, co-founder and CEO of CarDekho.
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#4. Blue Pine Foods
Haven’t we all seen a momo-selling shop at almost every corner? So, what would be so unique and investment-worthy about it? Well, precisely that! The love for Momos is undeniable and the market potential is huge, especially when you have someone who promises to bring you authentic taste and nutritional value.
Featured in Season 1, Blue Pine Foods was founded in 2016 by Aditi Madan, famously known as ‘Momo Mami’. She sells frozen momos, made of traditional Himalayan ingredients. These frozen momos have a shelf-life of 4 months.
The founder’s vision of making Blue Pine Foods, India’s No.1 Himalayan food-processing brand and the taste of the momos and schezwan sauce captivated the sharks. Along with this, what wowed them was that it was a completely bootstrapped start-up that Aditi started with just Rs 5 Lakh in 2016. She got funding of Rs. 75lakh from Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover and Vineeta Singh at 18% equity.
#5. Hoovu Fresh
From gardens to temples to our homes and various events, we all see beautiful flowers. But, have we ever thought about flowers being wasted? With the idea to reduce wastage of flowers and help the farmers as well alongside, sisters Rhea Karuturi and Yeshoda Karuturi started Hoovu Fresh in 2019. With the help of technology and in-house techniques, they have managed to increase the shelf life of flowers from 2 to 15 days.
The sisters have collaborated with more than 300 temples and connected with almost 500 farmers to help them in their target of reducing flower wastage and bringing fresh flowers to consumers. Their acute business sense in building Hoovu as a brand that has successfully managed to reduce the wastage of flowers from 40% to a minimal 2 to 3% and a sale of Rs. 1 crore within the initial first month, is what Sharks loved.
The Bengaluru-based Hoovu Fresh which featured in Season 2 got an investment of Rs. 1 crore for 2% equity from Aman Gupta and Peyush Bansal.
#6. TeaFit
When a brand comes from a very personal space for the entrepreneur, they make sure to do it everything possible to make success happen. Add to it a woman power, then you do have a winning combination. That’s what Sharks realised when mompreneur, Jyoti Bharadwaj, entered the tank with healthy drink brand, TeaFit. Jyoti saw her diabetic parents struggle with sugar while growing up. While she was traveling in Japan she came across flavorful teas that were delicious. And this led her to build a brand that brings zero-calorie healthy drinks made with natural herbs and ingredients, without any sugar or a sweetener.
While Sharks loved her story and how Jyoti was building a brand in a crowded space single-handedly, what left everyone amazed was her hold on each and every minute details of the business. From manufacturing costs and packaging to market size and pricing, Sharks were impressed by her pitch. And her vision was backed by sales as well.
Jyoti received a collective investment of Rs. 50 lakhs from four judges (Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal and Aman Gupta) for 8% equity, valuing her startup at Rs. 6.25 crore.
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#7. AI KAVACH
We all can see how rapid cyber-crimes are growing, especially online fraud. Most of the time, we are unaware of how to protect ourself from being a victim. AI Kavach is a cyber-security app founded by Pratyusha Vemuri that featured in Season 3. AI Kavach is an AI-backed solution for users that protects them from online scams by notifying them timely about fraudulent websites, calls and SMSs, all in real time. The app also addresses identity fraud, brand misuse, and phishing.
Pratyusha left an impact on the sharks with her knowledge of technology and AI, and the fact that she had 20,000 downloads and 1500 paid subscribers within the initial two months of the app’s launch. Despite being questioned several times by sharks on how she aims to expand her market base, she answered all their questions with thorough market awareness, confidence and clarity.
Her pitch landed her two great offers from Peyush Bansal and Aman Gupta. Ultimately, she accepted a combined offer from both of Rs. 1 crore for 2.5% equity plus 2.5% advisory equity.
Thus, we see how day by day the number of women in business is increasing. Shark Tank India, are great visibility platforms for women-led and –owned brands. We get to know about various women entrepreneurs, their journey, the unique products and ideas they come up with and how they manage to be problem-solvers. Seeing these women-led businesses prosper is indeed an inspiration to all those who wish to create a niche for themselves in the entrepreneurial domain.
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