'SHARKZ' vs ‘Shark Tank’: A Game-Changing Twist on Showcasing South India’s Entrepreneurs

The business era is transforming rapidly, and so should the opportunity for entrepreneurs. SHARKZ is here to break barriers and create fair and safe opportunity space for innovations. SHARKZ offers a level playing field where dedication, passion, creativity, and talent are the only things that matter.

Entrepreneurs around India can now have access to expert guidance, funding, and global networking opportunities, regardless of their background or the language they speak, without limits. SHARKZ makes sure that every aspiring entrepreneur gets the equal support that they deserve, making it easier for them to launch and expand their business.

“Great purposes don't have any language, and neither should opportunities,” says Mr. Arun Kumar, co-founder of SHARKZ. “Our goal is to build a business space where success is committed by passion, vision, innovation, and hard work—not by the language you speak.

”SHARKZ" is more than just an investment stage—it is a complete habitat for aspiring business leaders. On SHARKZ, startups will not only receive financial support but will also earn access to top industry mentors, business development tools, and strategically planned guidance. The platform will connect entrepreneurs with knowledgeable, experienced investors and business leaders from across the industry, ensuring that they receive proper guidance and support to expand their business successfully.

By excluding language barriers. SHARKZ allows entrepreneurs to present their business ideas confidently, whether they are from small towns or big cities. The platform promotes collaborations, allowing founders to learn from each other and grow in supportive environments and have healthy competition.

As SHARKZ continues to scale, it remains committed to a healthy environment, fairness, inclusivity, and empowering entrepreneurs to grow in a global marketplace. Success will no longer be scaled by language but by determination, innovation, and the craze to create and achieve the extraordinary.

About "Sharkz"

"Sharkz" is a reality show designed to empower regional entrepreneurs by providing them with a platform to pitch their ideas in their native language. The show brings together experienced investors and mentors to guide and support founders as they navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.

With its unique format and regional focus, "Sharkz" aims to inspire and uplift the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs to global level. The "Sharkz" business initiative started under the direction of two strategic business creators. The seasoned Singapore-based businessman Mr. Krishnamani Kannan has dedicated his career for more than 20 years as he actively supports startups through his role as an angel investor over the past ten years. His deep industry knowledge combined with extensive connections from the startup field gives him tremendous worth as a mentor. Mr. Arun Kumar also leads "Sharkz" as co-founder and serves as the founder of ParkQwik while using his knowledge and innovation for this initiative. He dedicates himself to developing future business leaders because of his experience running businesses.

Fashion E-Commerce Brand Styched Acquires Shark Tank India 2 Fame D2C Casual Sneaker Brand Flatheads

Styched, a prominent online youth fashion brand, is thrilled to announce its acquisition of Flatheads, a Direct-to-Customer (D2C) online casual sneaker startup that gained fame on Shark Tank India season 2. This strategic move marks Styched's first acquisition, solidifying its position as a leader in the fashion industry. The deal, structured as an all-equity transaction, represents Styched's foray into the footwear segment.

Styched & Flatheads Founding Team During Acquisition

Founded in 2018 by Ganesh Balakrishnan and Utkarsh Biradar Bangalore based Flatheads is an innovative D2C brand specializing in designing all-day wear casual sneakers for the urban audience. Notably, they are the first Indian brand to introduce bamboo fiber shoes, catering to the unique needs of the tropical Indian climate. It raised funds from We Founder Circle, LetsVenture, and angel investors, among others.

Bengaluru based Styched, already known as a production-on-demand fashion apparel brand, will expand into the footwear sector with the acquisition of Flatheads. Leveraging their expertise in production, Styched plans to incorporate its production-on-demand technology into the footwear category, enabling the seamless expansion of Flatheads' existing collection.

On the acquisition Soumajit Bhowmik, CEO at Styched affirmed “We have been following Flatheads for quite some time, and I have personally interacted with Ganesh earlier. The acquisition opportunity came to us through a common investor, and we felt it would be a perfect deal for us considering we wanted to launch sneakers in a big way within Styched as well. The technical know-how of Flatheads would really help us create a wide range of affordable sneakers collection. So, while Styched will continue to play in the sub-1000 INR segment, the semi premium segment would have Flatheads as the flagship brand.

“The Flatheads-Styched deal gives new wings to our idea of creating unique footwear for the young Indian. Styched has changed the operating model of creating and delivering fashion, and I'm very excited to see Flatheads taking the next leap together. Young Indians are just starting to flaunt their sneakers as a new fashion and lifestyle statement. The market is evolving, and it will be a unique journey for the category, different from other parts of the world. It will be fulfilling to see Flatheads being an integral part of the market creation and growth,” said Ganesh Balakrishnan, Co-Founder of Flatheads.

Initially, Flatheads will continue offering its existing range of products, with all departments now being operated and managed by Styched. This development will be followed by an aggressive hiring phase aimed at strengthening the footwear department within Styched, ultimately elevating the overall offering.

With this acquisition, Styched reinforces its commitment to providing fashion-forward choices for the youth market, expanding its product range, and embracing innovation in the rapidly evolving fashion landscape.

About Styched

Styched is India's largest online youth fashion brand. It was started by fashion enthusiasts, who have been in the fashion ecommerce business for most of their career and been part of IIT Kharagpur & ISB grads by education, the founders have been associated with brands like Jabong, Amazon, Foodpanda to name a few, at leadership positions.

Gurugram-based What’s up Wellness Secures 60 Lakhs Funding on Shark Tank India Season 2

Aman Gupta of BoAt, Vineeta Singh of Sugar Cosmetics, and Anupam Mittal of Shaadi.com invest in the wellness brand

What’s Up Wellness, a Gurugram-based wellness brand, which offers delectable gummy supplements, secured a whopping 60 lakhs in the latest episode of Shark Tank India Season 2. The startup was featured on the episode which aired on February 27, 2023 and won investments from Aman Gupta of BoAt, Vineeta Singh of Sugar Cosmetics, and Anupam Mittal of Shaadi.com.

Vaibhav Makhija and Sayantani Mandal, the co-founders of What's Up Wellness, impressed the Sharks with their innovative approach to vitamins. The judges were particularly impressed with the brand's delicious gummies, which offer a fun and frictionless way for people across age groups to get their daily vitamin needs.

The brand currently has an ARR of INR 5 Cr and aims to clock around 2 crores of revenue per month by the end of this year. What's Up Wellness offers three kinds of gummy supplements as of now: What’s Up Beauty Gummies for hair, skin, and nails, What’s Up Sleep Gummies for sound sleep and muscle & nerve-relaxation, and What’s Up Stress-Relief Gummies for alleviating anxiety and inducing calmness. The brand plans to launch innovative products across multiple wellness categories in the near future.

Vaibhav Makhija and Sayantani Mandal, co founders of What’s Up Wellness say, “At What's Up Wellness, we are committed to making wellness fun and frictionless for people across age groups. We are thrilled to have received such positive feedback from the Sharks and to have secured this funding. Our aim is to make wellness fun and accessible to everyone, and we believe that our gummy supplements are a step in the right direction.”

"After listening to Vaibhav's and Sayantani's business model and financial intricacies, I was impressed by their exceptional attention to detail in D2C. Their brilliant explanation of unit economics was unlike anything I've seen on Shark Tank before. They have a clear understanding of the path to take in order to achieve growth, and I have no doubt that they will excel in business”, said Peyush Bansal, CEO & Founder of Lenskart.

In a surprising turn of events, Vaibhav and Sayantani were offered more than their original ask. While they had asked for 50 lakhs, the 3 prominent Sharks- Aman Gupta from BoAt, VineetaSingh from Sugar Cosmetics, and Anupam Mittal from Shaadi.com- offered What’s Up Wellness a cheque of 20 lakhs each for their creative idea and hardwork in making wellness fun.

The idea for Vitamins packed in gummies immediately piqued judges' curiosity, and the innovative idea of making wellness fun and delicious became a hit among the panel. All the judges tasted the gummies and found them intriguing which made them ask volleys of questions from the duo regarding the gummies’ constituents and functionings.

What's Up Wellness has already secured significant investment from renowned D2C disruptors in December last year, including Puneet Sehgal, ex-coo Hopscotch, Soumya Kant, co-founder, Clovia; Deep Bajaj and Mohit Bajaj, Co-founders of Sirona Hygiene; among other prominent investors.

About What’s Up Wellness:

Vaibhav Makhija and Sayantani Mandal, co-founders of What's Up Wellness

What’s Up Wellness is a Gurugram-based wellness brand striving to make wellness fun & frictionless for people across age groups.

The company offers 3 kinds of gummy supplements as of date: What’s Up Beauty Gummies for hair, skin, and nails, What’s Up Sleep Gummies for sound sleep and muscle & nerve-relaxation, and What’s Up Stress-Relief Gummies for alleviating anxiety and inducing calmness. 

Soon they will launch innovative products across multiple wellness categories, allowing consumers to get their daily vitamin needs for their specific concerns exactly how they like it.

In December, last year, they secured significant investment from renowned D2C disruptors, including Puneet Sehgal, ex-coo Hopscotch, Soumya Kant, co-founder, Clovia; Deep Bajaj and Mohit Bajaj, Co-founders of Sirona Hygiene; among other prominent investors.

The brand currently stands at an ARR of INR 5 Cr and aims to clock around 2 crores of revenue per month by the end of this year.

Teaser Link: bit.ly/3IVLm8H

Agritech Startup and Farmer First eMarketplace GrowiT India Raised INR 50 Lakhs in Debt Funding in Shark Tank India

GrowiT India - An Agritech Startup and Farmer First Emarketplace raised 50 Lakhs in Debt funding from Sharks Peeyush Bansal and Namita Thapar.

GrowiT will utilize these funds to strengthen its franchises, vendor outreach and help farmers become financially independent. The network and support of the sharks and the platform itself will boost more visibility and mileage for the brand.

Founded in 2020, by Saurabh Agarwal and Akshay Agarwal, GROWIT India, is the agricultural arm of Surat-based Alpha Plastomers Private Limited and aims to manufacture advanced and innovative products that ensure optimum quality and yield for the Indian Agricultural & Farming Industry while lowering its carbon footprint.

"This is an incredible milestone for us, and we are incredibly grateful for the support and confidence shown by our investors (Sharks). With this funding, we can continue to develop and scale our technology, which has the potential to transform the way we approach agriculture and food production. We're excited to take this next step in our journey and to make a positive impact on the industry and the world. Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey, and we can't wait to see what the future holds!", said Saurabh Agarwal - Founder & CEO- GrowiT India.

Critical solutions like quality food, climate smart agriculture, farmer empowerment and enhancing farmer productivity are major focus areas for GrowiT.

Hood, a Pseudonymous Social Network Attains Top 10 Position in the App Store as the Episode Goes Live on Shark Tank India

The social network aims to scale the platform further, invest in tech and make Hood a household name with the latest investment

Hood, a pseudonymous social network, has received funding of Rs 1.2 crore from the founders of Lenskart and boAt — Peeyush Bansal and Aman Gupta — on the 40th episode of Shark Tank India Season 2.

Launched in July 2022, Hood enables users to share their thoughts, ask questions, and discuss and debate on a range of topics under a pseudonym. The platform offers a safe space for users to express themselves without the fear of being judged.

The co-founders of Hood — Jasveer Singh, Abhishek Asthana, and Deepak Kumar – appeared on Shark Tank India with the aim of introducing Hood to people across the country because of the show’s pan-India reach.

Co-Founder and CEO - Jasveer Singh

Co-founder and CEO of Hood, Jasveer Singh, said, “Shark tank has pan-India level reach, which is a step further for us in becoming a household name. Additionally, getting investors like Peeyush and Aman will be a great help in gaining a deep understanding of technology. Lastly, our appearance on Shark Tank will help us build brand credibility. We want to make Hood a household name globally."

With plans to scale, the platform will be using the investment amount for investing in technology, hiring tech leaders, and undertaking content moderation. The platform will also introduce new features around direct messaging and ask me anything, among others. The founders want to build Hood to be the name associated with pseudonymity.

So far, the company has raised $3.2 million in a seed round from 20+ unicorn founders and some of the prominent names are Kunal Shah, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Ashish Hemrajani, Ashneer Grover, Gaurav Gupta, and multiple other angel investors. The platform was launched in the US market as well. Its immediate goal remains to gain millions of users and launch in other global markets.

Anupam and Peeyush Clash on Bowled.io’s NFT-based Cricket Game on Shark Tank

Shark Tank India’s recent episode saw Anupam Mittal and Peeyush Bansal’s digital avatars get into a fierce battle of cricket on the NFT-based gaming platform, Bowled.io. 

The company’s co-founders Rahul Singh and Akshay Khandelwal, pitched their idea to the sharks with the intention of receiving INR 8 million in exchange for a 2% equity stake in the business.

The two sharks played an action-packed game of cricket with all the drama and masala of a real match. The game took a hilarious turn when Anupam’s avatar got Peeyush’s avatar lying bamboozled on the floor.

While Bowled.io couldn’t get any sharks to come on board with them, the sharks seemed excited with their concept and advised the company on the road ahead. The most crucial being, learning the importance of harboring community-led growth instead of chasing performance-based results. They also stressed on creating a niche in the heavily competitive market going forward.

Bowled.io was launched in March last year and was founded by Rahul Singh, Akshay Khandelwal, and Neeraj Jhanji. On this blockchain-powered platform, users can discover and play games, own in-game assets, compete in tournaments, and complete the blockchain gaming loop and in-game asset utility and wallet. Recently, the company added renowned cricket expert and the voice of Indian cricket, Harsha Bhogle as a strategic investor to the company.

About Bowled.io:

Bowled.io is a Singapore-based social GameFi platform. Bowled operates hyper-casual and mid-core strategy games around sports, with a unified game economy and reward system. Bowled allows users to discover and play games, own in-game assets, interact with favorite influencers, participate in contests, compete in tournaments, win rewards and much more! 

With its unique GTM and distribution strategy, Bowled.io has cruised through the POC phase and is now entering into the growth phase.

The founders of Bowled.io are Rahul Singh, Akshay Khandelwal and Neeraj Jhanjhi who represent McKinsey, INSEAD, IIT & IIM alumni, serial entrepreneurs, and a team who worked with Disney, Meta, Marvel, and MGM brands.

Plant-based Air Purifier Startup UBreathe Secures Deal on Shark Tank

UBreathe (L to R) Shubham Singh and Sanjay Maurya

UBreathe secures a deal of ₹1.5 crore from Namita Thapar

UBreathe, a bio-tech startup that develops plant-based air purifiers, secured a deal of ₹1.5 crore from Namita Thapar on the popular television show Shark Tank. The episode featuring the company was aired on 14th February 2023.

In the episode, the UBreathe team delivered a pitch highlighting the critical impact of air pollution on our health. The 30-year-old founder, Sanjay Maurya, and 28-year-old Head of Product, Shubham Singh, began by indicating their age as 45 and 50, referencing how high air pollution levels in Indian cities are aging our lungs faster. A recent study indicates that an average person in Delhi loses 10 years of life due to air pollution. Sadly, this problem has increased geographically with even states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh seeing people lose an additional 2.5-3 years of life expectancy. The team further explained how the existing air purifiers not just fail to address the indoor air quality problem holistically, but also have a negative environmental impact.

UBreathe Life

UBreathe’s unique purifiers combine the natural air purifying capabilities of plants with modern technology. Their proprietary design boosts a plant’s natural process of removing pollutants from the air with improved soil breathability. Unlike mechanical purifiers that filter only dust pollution and are highly toxic to the environment, their solution captures all the contaminants in the air. The product is tested and certified by NABL Labs and has been reviewed and recommended by faculty of AIIMS Delhi.

The startup, established in 2018, was founded by Sanjay Maurya, Akhil Gupta, Akshay Goyal, and Inderjeet Rao - a diverse team of graduates from renowned institutions such as IIT, IIM, Harvard, and MIT Media Labs with a cumulative experience of over 35 years in tech-innovation, design, and entrepreneurship.They came together with a vision to build a world-class consumer product from India to tackle air pollution, while being environmentally friendly and sustainable.

UBreathe’s research is backed by premier institutes such as IIT Ropar, CIIE.CO IIM Ahmedabad, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (Meity), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and the Nexus US Embassy Delhi. The company has filed 6 patents in India and Europe.

Commenting on the deal, Sanjay Maurya, CEO and Co-Founder, UBreathe, said, “We are truly thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Namita Thapar and to be able to bring UBreathe to a wider audience in India and abroad. Namita's extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry gives her an in-depth understanding of the time and effort necessary to develop a product like UBreathe. For the last several years, we have had the privilege of making a real difference in the lives of 1000+ customers. Over the next couple of months, we will be taking up marquee projects with offices and private and public schools to reach out to more people and make a bigger impact on on their overall health”

Commenting on the market opportunity, Sanjay added, “As per a recent report, the $335B global market for Indoor Air Quality Solutions is now expected to grow at 8.28% in the next 4 years and Covid-19 has been a key driver for this growth. The pandemic has brought global attention to the issue of indoor air quality and the need to manage it to prevent airborne transmission of the virus. A product like ours can make a significant difference to millions of people"

Recently, UBreathe has taken on high-profile projects with the goal of making a larger social impact. These projects include air quality management initiatives with the UN House Delhi, the Government of Maharashtra, and public primary schools in Chennai.

About UBreathe

Incorporated in 2018 in Gurugram, Haryana, UBreathe is a biotech startup that focuses on uniquely combining nature, engineering, and design to build solutions for solving the air quality crisis in urban areas. Their research and development is backed by prestigious institutions such as IIT Ropar, CIIE.CO IIM Ahmedabad, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and the Nexus US Embassy Delhi.

The company currently has three commercial air purifying products – ‘UBreathe Life’ & ‘UBreathe Mini’ for indoors at home & office; and ‘UBreathe Wall’ for semi-open areas like metro station, airport, malls etc.

For more details, visit, https://www.ubreathe.in/

ZOFF Raises INR 1 Cr from boAt Co-Founder Aman Gupta on Shark Tank India’s Season 2

The startup received offers from 4 out of 5 sharks owing to its unique proposition and robust financials

Zone Of Fresh Food aka ZOFF, one of the emerging players in the Indian spice industry has raised INR 1 crore funding in the 28th episode of Shark Tank India - Season 2.

The startup has received funding from renowned Entrepreneur and boAt’s Co-founder & CMO, Aman Gupta against an equity of 1.25 percent. Given its interesting proposition, the brand caught the attention of four out of the five sharks on the show and received individual offers from Vineeta Singh, CEO, SUGAR Cosmetics, Aman Gupta, Co-Founder and CMO, boAt, Amit Jain, CEO & Co-Founder, CarDekho, and Anupam Mittal, Founder, People Group.

A bootstrapped business, ZOFF has raised money at a valuation of Rs 80 crore.

Founded in 2018, ZOFF is the brainchild of the dynamic ‘Spice Brothers’ of Raipur, Akash, and Ashish Agarwal.

The five-year-old startup is a pioneer in the utilisation of state-of-the-art cool grinding technology, Air Classifying Mills (ACMs). It is a fully mechanised automated production plant that maintains the purity, oil, aroma, and pungency of the spices. In order to deliver them in the purest form possible after grinding and retaining all their properties until consumption, ZOFF has also introduced a "Zip Lock Packaging" with 4 layers, which keeps the spices fresh and resists the external temperature.

Speaking on the Company’s vision, Akash Agrawal, Co-founder, ZOFF said, “A revolution in the spice industry is what we envisioned from the moment we established ZOFF. We're thrilled to have Shark Aman Gupta join us in this exciting journey. To better penetrate the Indian food industry, we will also diversify our product offering as we go along, though our core focus will remain on providing our customers with spices in their best form, in terms of both flavour and nutrients.”

Further commenting on the funding, Ashish Agrawal, Co-founder, ZOFF said, “Aman’s commendable acumen in marketing and branding will be extremely valuable for our brand, and the funds raised will be partially used to beef-up marketing in a bid to acquire new users and scale the business. We intend to maintain our omnichannel strategy going forward as well, so that we continue to establish our footprint across markets using both digital and physical mediums.”

Commenting on his investment, Aman Gupta, Co-founder & CMO, boAt Lifestyle said, “The incredible growth ZOFF has experienced in such a short period of time strongly validates its product-market fit. These young individuals from Raipur are poised to redefine the production of Indian spices, owing to their tech-driven approach. I'm happy to join them on this endeavour to make ZOFF a household name in the Indian spice industry.”

In their pitch on Shark Tank India, the founders of ZOFF highlighted the positive unit economics of their business as well as their vision for the company’s future growth. They also showcased the growing demand for the Indian spice market and their innovations in the field. ZOFF has so far served over 1 million happy customers and is also accessible on leading e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Jio Mart, Zepto, CRED, and Big Basket.

About ZOFF Foods:

ZOFF Foods is India's First Brand to use Air Classifying Mills (ACMs) to grind all its spices, maintaining the original purity, oil, aroma, and pungency of the products. ZOFF is also India's First Brand to use Stabilo and Pillow packs (air-tight packets that can be resealed and need not be transferred to other containers) for packaging. ZOFF is a part of Asquare Food & Beverages Pvt. Ltd. which has successfully earned the reputation of serving excellence in diverse sectors including Steel, Food & Trading over the years.

Early Stage Investment Platform Inflection Point Ventures Launches Its Maiden Ad Campaign With Sony’s Shark Tank India

Mr. Ankur Mittal and Mr. Vinay Bansal

• IPV launches Main Bhi Angel (MBA) initiative to make startup investing more accessible for professionals of all ages
• Launches an ad campaign with the ongoing Shark Tank India
• Under MBA, the investment size in startups has brought down to Rs 1,00,000 from the current minimum ticket size of Rs 2.5 lakhs
• Inflection Point Ventures which has invested over Rs 550 crore in 145+ India startups is one of the largest angel investment platform in India
• IPV recently announced its partnership with GetVantage to invest Rs 200 crore in 500 startups this year
• IPV’s investor base is currently over 7000+ members including seasoned corporates and CXOs across 46+ countries
• MBA initiative aims to develop startup investing as an asset class among the working professionals ranging from Genz, millennials and experienced corporate workforce

India’s largest CXO driven angel platform Inflection Point Ventures has launched their maiden ad campaign announcing Main Bhi Angel. The ad campaign which is currently running during Shark Tank India on SonyLIV is aimed at professionals & other potential investors of all ages who are keen to start their asset allocation journey with a small ticket size of Rs 1,00,000 a year.

Additionally, IPV has also introduced a mechanism to inculcate a savings mindset / disciplined approach to startup investing. It is a new way of investing for the members wherein they can start contributing with savings as low as INR 50K per month towards their startup investing preference with the platform and this can be allocated to startup as and when they select startup to invest-in.

IPV’s ad campaign https://youtu.be/qsfODz8TfsA ,https://youtu.be/ihFYi6gH6G4
which will run on Sony’s OTT platform SonyLIV during Shark Tank India, one of the most awaited reality shows, focuses on educating the potential investors about benefits of investing in startups. The ad campaigns can be viewed here:

In addition to this, IPV will soon be launching the campaign across social media platforms to run a 360 degrees digital campaign highlighting their new initiative and track record so far.

IPV, which has invested over Rs 500 crore in 140 startups, aims to democratise angel investment in India. The vision of IPV is to make startup investing more accessible and burst the myth that angel investment is only for the rich and well-connected individuals. With IPV’s help, many professionals like lawyers, doctors and housewives are for the first time experiencing the benefits of startup investments and becoming a part of a fast growing asset class.

Vinay Bansal, Founder CEO, IPV, says, “We are a big believer of the Indian startup ecosystem story. Indian startups tech prowess has put India on the global map. However, investing in startups remained a bastion of a few. IPV aims to change that by bringing in more first time investors backing world-class startups. Currently, over 80% of our investors base comprises first time investors. With the launch of Main Bhi Angel, we want to accelerate the adoption of startup investing as an asset class and a credible wealth creation tool.”

Commenting on the ad campaign, Ankur Mittal, Co founder IPV, says, “There can’t be a better platform than Shark Tank India for IPV to launch their first campaign. Shark Tank India has democratised the stories of entrepreneurs of India - each and every household in India has access to understanding how startup funding happens, what metrics are looked at and how funding decisions are made. Our campaign is also attempting to explain the whole process which otherwise may sound complicated to first time investors.”

Currently working with a diverse set of member investors of over 7000+ members including seasoned corporates and CXOs across 46+ countries IPV enables senior working professionals and seasoned corporates executives with high disposable income to invest in startups through their platform. The minimum ticket size of investment is Rs 2.5 lakh per startup. With the launch of MBA, IPV has brought down the average investment size to Rs 1,00,000 making it highly accessible for the young working population who wants to start their wealth creation journey early in their careers.

About Inflection Point Ventures

Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) is an angel investing platform with over 7300+ CXOs, HNIs,and Professionals who invest in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them with monetary and experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has announced the launch of a $50 million CAT 2 AIF Physis Capital to invest in pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage start-ups.

Unstop Rejects the Highest Ever ₹5 Cr Shark Tank India Offer!

India is the land of enterprising businessmen who have made a name for themselves on a global scale. Gone are the days when running and owning a business was restricted to just the rich. With Shark Tank’s Season 2, Ab pura India samjhega business ki sahi value!

Millions of viewers tune in to each episode of Shark Tank India. Some are still harping on about Ashneer Grover and his rough-round-the-edges remark. While others are truly enthralled by the sheer ingenuity of some of the startups.

With every mid-sentence cut to break, the audience is at the edge of their seats. Will this pitch get an offer? Or this offer was a pass for them? The Sharks too, are playing to the ebb and flow of the show and using their wit and knowledge to share the most useful insights.

One Delhi-based startup, Unstop, saw hungry sharks circling around it with ample poking, prodding, and name-calling!

Unstop and Shark Tank: Founded by Ankit Aggrawal, Unstop is an early talent engagement and hiring platform that helps talented individuals from untapped corners of the country find their place in the job market. Through its platform, Unstop connects these individuals with the right employers and helps them build the skills and experience they need to succeed. On the other hand, employers leverage Unstop to Brand, Source, Engage, Assess, and Hire right candidates. Today, the startup has a community of 4.5 million students, freshers, and professionals with 0-5 years of experience.

As soon as Ankit Aggarwal hit the stage, the Sharks were captivated by his pitch. At one point, they had to jolt out of the trance and one of the Sharks said, “Please stop Unstop!” Some say that the secret to a Sharks’ favor is having your numbers, comms, and charisma on point, and Ankit delivered on all three!

He received an offer of ₹5 crores for 10% equity from Amit Jain. The Unstoppable Ankit was quick to decline the offer saying that it wouldn’t be fair to dilute that much equity and wanted to respect and increase the valuation at which his team was given shares, not VCs. Then we were all made aware of Ankit Aggarwal's poise, so much so that Namita Thapar ended up calling him Ankit Makhanwal! After a little back and forth, and some negotiations, Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, and Amit Jain finally agreed on investing ₹2 crores for 4% equity.

The bank may not be as full now but a deal that made sense for all stakeholders was finally made. As a founder, it is important that you have one eye on the bank and also a tap on the pulse of your team. Money in a business does take you a long way, but a happy team takes you much further.

Shark Tank India in its second season is ticking all the boxes and hitting all the right notes. The pitches made are nothing short of spectacular. Let's wait and watch what the entrepreneurs of India have in store for us.

Bootstrapped Fashion Brand ‘Snitch’ Seized All Five Shark Deal of INR 15 Million for 1.5% Equity

With an adroit pitch at Shark Tank India S2, Snitch raised the funding to improve the benchmark for men’s fashion in India

Snitch, a one-of-its-kind fastest growing fast fashion brand for men today announced that it has raised INR 15 million from the investors at the Shark Tank India Season 2. Siddharth Dungarwal, Founder, Snitch persuaded all five sharks for his most promising business plan and growth while inveigling all five of them to make an offer at once. Peyush Bansal, one of the sharks, announced the offer of 1.5 crores for 1.5% equity i.e 3% each.

Snitch, India’s D2C bootstrapped fashion brand acquired five inspirational investors, aka sharks; namely, Anupam Mittal Founder-CEO of Shaadi.com – People Group; Aman Gupta, Co-Founder-CMO of boAt; Namita Thapar, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Vineeta Singh, Co-Founder-CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics; Peyush Bansal, Founder-CEO of Lenskart.com and Amit Jain, Co-Founder-CEO of CarDekho Group and InsuranceDekho.co who will help him scale up ahead the brand’s profitability across the Indian market.

The company clocked net revenue of 11 CR in the last month and with a cohesive team of such experienced business leaders, the brand is expected to expand its growth horizon. Siddharth accepted the counter-deal by the sharks in an effort to improve the benchmark for men’s fashion in the country. He plans to capitalise on the funding with cohesive branding with the aim of increasing the brand’s share of voice and parallelly reaching out to its wider audiences and geographies across the lengths and breadths of India.

Siddharth Dungarwal

Expressing views on his experience at Shark Tank India S2, Siddharth Dungarwal, Founder & CEO, Snitch, stated, “It was incredible to be on one of the best and top-rated entrepreneurial shows, and it was highly insightful to meet business leaders like sharks there. It was more towards the value these sharks would get rather than chasing valuation. I was very much sure that either I’m gonna take all 5 or none. That was something in the back of my mind, and I made it very clear from the start of the pitch itself. Each one of them has different expertise and holds some amazing industrial experience. We will together set up new benchmarks in the industry with this collaboration.”

While expressing his gratitude to the sharks for inspiring him to operate his company, Siddharth culminated the conversation and said, “I look forward to strengthening Snitch with this fruitful association.”

Offering a comprehensive selection of everyday style essentials, including formal dress, party wear, leisure wear, and many more categories, the brand caters to men’s apparel from what’s trending to fit directly into their wardrobe.

About Snitch

The 21st-century fashion station and destination for millennials-founded in 2019 - Snitch, a homegrown clothing brand is widely known for its limitless, fast-fashion, and experimental approach that captures world-class trends, and designs and produces mindful & sustainable everyday drops of the freshest styles. Catering to men's clothing from 'what's trending' to 'slot straight into your wardrobe, it offers a wide range of everyday staples, featuring formal wear, party wear, leisure wear, and many more categories.

Since fashion is meant for every body type, Snitch Plus is a collection provisioning plus sizes i.e. (2XL - 5XL) offering an unconventional style statement for men of all sizes while bringing out the best of personalities through the transformative power of fashion.

Snitch Made A Cohesive Pitch On Shark Tank India, Season 2

Pitched the funding of 1.5 crore for 0.5% equity with the current valuation of the company as 300 crores

Snitch, a Bangalore-based homegrown D2C men’s apparel brand made its path-breaking pitch to the industry-leading investors at the Shark Tank India Season 2. The promos of the pitch are already being aired which significantly hints on how promisingly Siddharth R Dungarwal, Founder, Snitch pitched his business model to the sharks.

A young leader and a promising entrepreneur, Siddharth represented India's fastest-growing experimental and limitless men’s fashion brand and made a unique pitch and successfully persuaded them to invest in his fastest-proliferating business.

As per the promo Siddharth stated, “Snitch is the fastest growing fast fashion brand for men, that is 100 percent made in India, ships 2000+ orders on a daily basis.” further pitching on the investment, “1.5 crores for 0.5% equity with the existing valuation of 300 crores.” As per the promo, this trail-blazing pitch has made the investors remain awe-struck.

The sneak peek of the pitch has been released already and its promos are live on Sony Tv. To know more about it, watch the entire episode that is expected to be aired between the 23rd to 27th of January.

The company, which entered the fashion industry in 2020 with 30 products, currently has 2500+ outfits added to its online portal from where it generated 95% of its total sales. The brand also marks a strong presence across the nooks and corners of all digital platforms in the country through its own online store, marketplaces like Myntra and Ajio, and varied social media channels.

Recently that brand recorded an impressive annual revenue run-rate of 100 crores by the end of Q4 FY22 after achieving 80 crores at the end of Q1 FY22, which is commendable.

About Snitch

The 21st-century fashion station and destination for millennials-founded in 2019 - Snitch, a homegrown clothing brand is widely known for its limitless, fast-fashion, and experimental approach that captures world-class trends, and designs and produces mindful & sustainable everyday drops of the freshest styles. Catering to men's clothing from 'what's trending' to 'slot straight into your wardrobe, it offers a wide range of everyday staples, featuring formal wear, party wear, leisure wear, and many more categories. Since fashion is meant for every body type, Snitch Plus is a collection provisioning plus sizes i.e. (2XL - 5XL) offering an unconventional style statement for men of all sizes while bringing out the best of personalities through the transformative power of fashion.

Cashfree Payments partners with Sony Entertainment and Sony LIV as Payments Partner for Shark Tank India Season 2

Leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments, has partnered with Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV as the 'Payments Partner' for Shark Tank India season 2. The partnership aligns with the company's vision of enabling India's budding entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into successful and scalable businesses. This is Cashfree Payments' second consecutive year of partnering with Shark Tank India which is set to premiere on 2nd January, 2023 at 10pm.

In the first season of Shark Tank India, 67 Indian businesses got investments out of the 198 pitches, serving as a significant boost to the Indian entrepreneurial landscape. Additionally, the show instilled enthusiasm about entrepreneurship amongst viewers of all ages. The second season aims to have a bigger impact with more episodes, pitches, and cracked business deals. It will have 50 episodes and the season will premiere on January 2, 2023.

Having enabled more than 3,00,000 merchants with state-of-the-art payments and API banking solutions, this partnership is a further testament to Cashfree Payments' commitment to the Make in India initiative.

Akash Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO, Cashfree Payments said, "We are excited to further our partnership with Shark Tank India for the second year in a row. The first season proved to be quite impactful, providing impetus to entrepreneurship and innovation. At Cashfree Payments, we value the entrepreneurial spirit and understand the importance of an enabling startup ecosystem."

"India's digital payments growth story is fuelled by a surge in the number of startups not just in metros but across tier 2 & 3 cities. These innovative businesses rely on Cashfree Payments' safe and trusted payments stack to scale their business. We believe this association goes a long way towards our philosophy of fostering innovation in the Indian startup ecosystem, which deserves to be encouraged and celebrated," Sinha added.

Sandeep Mehrotra, Head – Ad Sales, Network Channels, Sony Pictures Networks India said, "The revolutionary change that Shark Tank India has ushered into the mindsets of the viewers about business and entrepreneurship is a testimony to the impact that the property has created. We are thrilled to be bringing back another exciting season of Shark Tank India and welcome onboard Cashfree Payments as our Payments Partner. Together with Cashfree Payments, we are positive to take a step ahead and to further expand the horizon of Indian entrepreneurship. We are looking forward to an extended partnership with them."

Ranjana Mangla, Head Ad Sales Revenue, Sony LIV | Culver Max Entertainment, said, "Shark Tank India has revolutionised reality shows in India. This show has presented the audience with a unique viewing experience that is both educational and entertaining. This show is an excellent platform for brands and marketers to drive deep purposeful advertising in a highly engaged environment. It's an honour to partner with Cashfree Payments for the second year in a row for Shark Tank India, to bring forth unique integrations to promote brand messaging through contextual advertising."

With over 50% market share among payment processors, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with its product Payouts. Recently, India's largest lender, SBI invested in Cashfree Payments underscoring the company's role in building a robust payments ecosystem. Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company's products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments’ products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE.

About Cashfree Payments

Cashfree Payments is a leading payment and API banking solutions company. It provides full-stack payments solutions enabling businesses in India to collect payments and make payouts via all available methods with simple integration. Cashfree Payments' offerings include an advanced and easy way to integrate payment gateways, a split payment solution for marketplaces, bank account verification API, and Auto Collect -- a virtual account solution to match inbound payments to customers.

Founded by IIIT Hyderabad alumnus Akash Sinha and IIT Kharagpur graduate Reeju Datta, www.cashfree.com is among the leading payment service providers in India processing transactions worth USD 40 Billion annually. It has leveraged technology to lead payment disbursals in India with more than 50% market share among payment processors.

Cashfree Payments enables more than 3,00,000 businesses with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty and rewards. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada, and UAE. Cashfree Payments is backed by Silicon Valley investor Y Combinator, Apis Partners, State Bank of India (SBI), and was incubated by PayPal.

Shark Tank India: A Recap of Innovations that Made A Mark in Season 1

Shark Tank India is soon to be back with a brand new edition, promising to showcase some brilliant innovations and startups, driven by firebrand entrepreneurs. While the second season of the show is currently grabbing headlines for its new entrant as a Shark, we thought of going for a recap of the innovations that actually stole the show in the first edition of the show. From world’s fastest cooking device to an intelligent skincare brand. 

Here are the startups that made a mark during Shark Tank India Season 1.

On2Cook

Sanandan Sudhir, an engineer and an inventor, presented a cooking device that combines induction, flame and microwave cooking and claims to be the world’s fastest cooking device. It results in saving 70% of cooking time and 50% energy.

This month, On2Cook raised seed funding of INR 17 crore led by angel investor Dr Mayur Desai, who infused the first tranche of Rs 16 crore for 16% equity, reaffirming the startup’s valuation at INR 100 crore. 

In On2Cook food cooking device, food retains water soluble nutrients and preserves colour, texture and consistency. It can be connected to a smart device to automate and control the cooking process. Apt for domestic as well as commercial kitchens, the innovation not just carved a new product category, but managed to impress all the Sharks as well as the viewers alike.

Jugaadu Kamlesh

Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare or Jugaadu Kamlesh, as he is known, made a very filmy pitch and had all the sharks smiling throughout. Kamlesh had devised an indigenous pesticide trolley spray for farmers that can be used to spray pesticide in the farms.

Peyush Bansal was so impressed with the plan that he gave Rs 10 lakh in finance for 40 percent equity and a no interest loan of Rs 20 lakhs. His presentation is often hailed as the pitch of the season.

Annie

Thinkerbell Labs has devised Annie, a specially designed device for visually challenged children that helps them to self-learn to read and write Braille and become independent.

The demonstrator, Prathamesh Sinha displayed the use of the product and the demand for the product has been rising ever since they were showcased on the show. Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar and Anupam Mittal offered Rs 1.05 crores for 3 percent equity.

Twee in One

Niti Singhal’s brand Twee in One is all about reversible and convertible clothing that can work as different dresses. It saves packing space, saves money as one is getting two dresses at the cost of one and is also sustainable. Her range of clothing is available for men, women and children. Though the sharks did not invest in the idea, the public lapped it up.

CosIQ

Kanika Talwar and her husband founded CosIQ, an intelligent skincare company. This high-performance skin care range uses effective clinical technologies and focusses on clean ingredients, functional actives, and pH levels to make skincare products that will surely benefit the users.

The packaging and quality of the products were appreciated by the sharks and Vineeta Singh and Anupam Mittal invested Rs 50 lakhs for a 25% equity stake.

Shark Tank India gave these start-ups the much needed recognition they were looking for. It became the perfect opportunity for branding and marketing and many companies gained mileage due to the public attention.

Shark Tank-Fame World’s Fastest Cooking Device On2Cook Secures Seed Funding Worth INR 17cr, Valuation Stands at 100 Crore

Inventor and Entrepreneur Sanandan(Sandy) Sudhir, who created quite some ripples in Shark Tank India Season 1 with the world’s fastest cooking device, has declared that his startup On2Cook India Pvt Ltd has secured seed funding of INR 17 crore.

The funding round was led by angel investor Dr Mayur Desai, who infused the first tranche of Rs 16 crore for 16% equity, reaffirming the startup’s valuation at INR 100 crore. The round also saw the participation of NRI investor Nirbhay Gandhi who invested INR 1cr for 1% equity. On2Cook will be making an appearance at MENA’s largest hospitality and Food Service event GulfHost 2022 at World Trade Centre in Dubai.

“On2Cook works on the combination cooking technology with induction or flame acting on the food from outside and microwaves from inside. Engineered to disrupt the foodindustry, the product is designed to help both domestic as well as commercial kitchens save up to 70% on time and 50% on energy. Additionally, the food cooked retains water-soluble nutrients while preserving colour, texture and consistency. After being granted patents across India, US and UK, our invention stands to create a new product category in the kitchen space,” said On2Cook India Founder and CEO Sanandan Sudhir. He added that the brand is in talks with other strategic investors to raise another INR 3 crore as part of the round.

Echoing the sentiments, Shaival Desai from the Desai family office added, “There hasn't been a technological shift in the cooking appliances space in the post-industrial world for decades, if not centuries. On2Cook brings cooking into the 21st century. We are happy to join forces with Sanandan in his tryst to usher in a landmark transition in an industry, and even in thelifestyle of everyone.”

On2Cook has won several prestigious awards globally such as iF Design award, British Invention Show - Diamond Award for best International Invention and was the most celebrated Invention at CES, Las Vegas 2022. The AI-based, voice-enabledand intelligent device had initially made its mark in the grandfinale of Shark Tank India. The device has been tested with more than 100 chefs and culinary experts across the globe. It can be used to cook everything from french fries, samosa, chicken to a cake with the softest base. Alongside ensuring faster and better quality food at a much economical price point, On2Cook makescooking a seamless affair with app connectivity and eventually making the cognitive load negligible.

Cashfree Payments Ties-Up With SonyLIV, for Shark Tank India

Cashfree Payments is payments partner for iconic start-up funding reality show

Leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments (Cashfree) today announced its partnership with SonyLIV as the payments partner for the first edition of "Shark Tank India” show.

Shark Tank is a 20-year-old international TV show that has reinvigorated start-ups across 40 countries and is touted as the world’s number one business reality show. The one-hour show features start-up founders making pitches to judges, who are also prospective investors, for raising funds.

The show’s importance in the country cannot be emphasized as India has 38,815 active start-ups as of date. Of these, 1,050 start-ups were launched in 2020. In the same year, start-ups raised $11.5 billion. By 2021-end, start-ups are projected to raise another $16-20 billion. And, all of this has happened and is set to happen, despite the pandemic. Cashfree Payments finds value in the collaboration, as its operations towards enabling businesses digitize and grow by providing distinctive payments solutions resonate well with the format of Shark Tank. Similarly, the show presents golden opportunities to Indian startups and entrepreneurs to showcase their business models.

Akash Sinha, Co-Founder and CEO, Cashfree Payments said, "We are glad to partner with SonyLIV for the Shark Tank India show as it allows us to associate with a platform that recognizes and supports young entrepreneurs. This is in line with Cashfree’s philosophy of fostering innovation in the Indian business ecosystem and contributing to the Make in India initiative.”

“Cashfree values the passion of entrepreneurs towards their businesses and such examples of extraordinary spirit and aspirations. In fact, we believe that this association will benefit the country’s overall start-up ecosystem – celebrating entrepreneurship and creating a more favorable environment for start-ups to bloom,” he added.

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder, Cashfree Payments

Ranjana Mangla, Sr. Vice President & Head of Ad Revenue - SonyLIV at Sony Pictures Networks India - Digital Business said, “It gives us immense pleasure to partner with Cashfree Payments for our first edition of Shark Tank in India. Our unique and valuable collaboration with Cashfree is sure to enhance the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. Being the payment partner for this edition of Shark Tank, we are happy to open that gateway for innovative minds to foster in synergy with Cashfree.”

With over 50% market share, Cashfree Payments today leads the way in bulk disbursals in India with Cashfree Payouts. Recently, India’s largest lender, SBI invested in Cashfree, underscoring the latter’s role in building a robust payments ecosystem.

Cashfree Payments works closely with all leading banks to build the core payments and banking infrastructure that powers the company’s products and is also integrated with major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Paytm and Google Pay. Apart from India, Cashfree products are used in eight other countries including the US, Canada and the UAE.

Shark Tank India is going to premiere on SonyLIV on Dec 20th.

About Cashfree Payments

Cashfree Payments is a leading payment and API banking solutions company. It provides full-stack payments solutions enabling businesses in India to collect payments and make payouts via all available methods with simple integration. Cashfree Payments’ offerings include an advanced and easy way to integrate payment gateway, a split payment solution for marketplaces, bank account verification API and Auto Collect -- a virtual account solution to match inbound payments to customers. Founded by IIIT Hyderabad alumnus Akash Sinha and IIT Kharagpur graduate Reeju Datta, www.cashfree.com is among the leading payment service providers in India processing transactions worth USD 20 Billion annually. It has leveraged technology to lead payment disbursals in India with more than 50% market share among payment processors. Cashfree Payments enables more than 1,00,000 businesses with payment collections, vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds, expense reimbursements, loyalty and rewards. Apart from India, Cashfree Payments products are used in eight other countries including the USA, Canada and UAE. Cashfree Payments is backed by Silicon Valley investor Y Combinator, Apis Partners, State Bank of India (SBI) and was incubated by PayPal.

Horses Stables 2nd Season Saw 39 Innovative Start-ups Pitching to Panel of 8 Astute Investors

Horses Stables, the Indian version of the popular American TV show Shark Tank, shot its 2nd season on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of September at the Sheraton Grand’s Orion Mall in Bangalore. On the final day of the shoot actor, singer, and host Rajeev Khandelwal joined the show as celebrity panellist while Paytm served as a community partner for the three-day event.  After a strict screening process among 200 applicants, 39 shortlisted start-ups, each with an innovative model, pitched to a panel of 8 investors. This season saw deals worth close to INR 16 crores closed, with the whopping biggest deal of 5.75 crores bagged by Digital India Payment.

Pitching startups had an uninterrupted 8 minutes to present after which a question-answer session with the panel began. While in Season 1, 59 startups made pitches and the conversion rate was 30%, in Season 2, 39 startups pitched and the conversion rate shot up to 50%. The increase in the percentage of successful pitches highlights that Horses Stables credibility is growing and it is raising the bar as a platform for raising funds. A portion of the success fee earned will be donated to Womennovators, an organization that promotes entrepreneurship among women.

Horses loved that participating start-ups had pre-assigned Investor Readiness Scores and were vetted during their first round of funding. They also enjoyed a one of its kind opportunity to invest based on quantifiable results and their intuition. Participating horses engaged with global investors and were presented with snapshots of investor readiness reports prepared by industry and financial experts.

Horses who participated in Season 2 included Rohit Goyal, a graduate of the CASS Business School, City University London. He has made numerous investments in India and abroad. Mohit Gulati, the CIO and Managing Partner of USD 20 million venture fund called ITI Growth Opportunities Fund. Vikash Sharma, founder of IC1101 Inc. a global conglomerate in STRATEGIC investments, research, and businesses intelligence. Kevin Saboo, an IIT Madras graduate having an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Kevin has experience in staffing, managing, and growing BPO enterprises in the financial and mortgage space in North America.

Other horses who participated included Nilesh Trivedi, a venture capital professional who has investment and operating experience across early stage, growth stage, and Fortune-50 companies. He has formed companies whose aggregate value has risen from zero to $275 million over the past few years. Tripti Shingal Somani, the CEO of KGS Advisors and founder of Womenovator, this brushes only the surface of her accomplishments. Chiranjiv Gill a noted businessman from Chandigarh. His existing portfolio includes SixerzGaming- Poker, Rummy, and Fantasy Sports.

Participating startups work in industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, fin-tech, technology, consumer products, B2B, and B2C.

Speaking about Horses Stables 2nd season Rajeev Khandelwal said “Gateway to millions of opportunities for all the budding entrepreneurs”

'Shark Tank' is Business Plan Contest for Budding Entrepreneurs; Organized by IIM Bangalore

All the budding entrepreneurs pay attention, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) has something interesting in store for you.

IIM-B is conducting a business plan contest called Bzzwings for young and budding entrepreneurs from top engineering institutes and business schools across India. The contest will see angel investors funding aspiring student entrepreneurs.

NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), which is IIM-B’s entrepreneurship and incubation centre, is organizing a ‘Shark Tank’ for the very first time. ‘Shark Tank’ would have angel investors coming in and funding student business plans.

According to G Sabarinathan, Chairperson, NSRCEL, this business plan contest will act as a platform for identifying and nurturing some serious entrepreneurial teams from a sea of entrepreneurs and then helping them start up.

‘Shark Tank’ will be a small five minute rapid fire Question-Answer round where questions will be hurled at contestants by potential investors and the contestants will have to survive them.

IIM-B had invited business pitches earlier this year from students of top colleges, institutes of India such as Xavier Institute of Management-Bhubaneswar, MDI-Gurgaon, Indian School of Business- Hyderabad, Institute of Rural Management, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and Delhi College of Engineering, among others.

The top ten pitches will be awarded by getting funding from the ‘Shark Tank’ angel investors. The top two pitches will be additionally rewarded with funding from Indian Angles Network and Mumbai Angles. The top two would also get rent free incubation support from NSRCEL for a period of one year.

The business plan contest will be a part of Vista, IIM-B’s annual business fest. The ‘Shark Tank’ would see two investors offer seed funding to one social venture and one for profit venture each. VGN Prakash and Ubhaya are the two investors. The ‘Shark Tank’ will act as a means of providing seed funding to out of the box deserving ideas and the right to spot these deserving ideas rests wholly on investors.

The ‘Shark Tank’ investors will have full liberty to choose anyone from the top eight teams. An Entrepreneurship Conclave has also been organized after the ‘Shark Tank’.

The top eight teams have been selected from over 120 entries from across India. The process of selecting 8 teams from 120 entries was entirely managed by the NSRCEL and students.  The selection process included four rounds of rigorous screening, progressing from 120 to 64, then 64 to 32 and then finally from 32 to the top 8.

'Shark Tank' is Business Plan Contest for Budding Entrepreneurs; Organized by IIM Bangalore

All the budding entrepreneurs pay attention, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) has something interesting in store for you.

IIM-B is conducting a business plan contest called Bzzwings for young and budding entrepreneurs from top engineering institutes and business schools across India. The contest will see angel investors funding aspiring student entrepreneurs.

NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), which is IIM-B’s entrepreneurship and incubation centre, is organizing a ‘Shark Tank’ for the very first time. ‘Shark Tank’ would have angel investors coming in and funding student business plans.

According to G Sabarinathan, Chairperson, NSRCEL, this business plan contest will act as a platform for identifying and nurturing some serious entrepreneurial teams from a sea of entrepreneurs and then helping them start up.

‘Shark Tank’ will be a small five minute rapid fire Question-Answer round where questions will be hurled at contestants by potential investors and the contestants will have to survive them.

IIM-B had invited business pitches earlier this year from students of top colleges, institutes of India such as Xavier Institute of Management-Bhubaneswar, MDI-Gurgaon, Indian School of Business- Hyderabad, Institute of Rural Management, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and Delhi College of Engineering, among others.

The top ten pitches will be awarded by getting funding from the ‘Shark Tank’ angel investors. The top two pitches will be additionally rewarded with funding from Indian Angles Network and Mumbai Angles. The top two would also get rent free incubation support from NSRCEL for a period of one year.

The business plan contest will be a part of Vista, IIM-B’s annual business fest. The ‘Shark Tank’ would see two investors offer seed funding to one social venture and one for profit venture each. VGN Prakash and Ubhaya are the two investors. The ‘Shark Tank’ will act as a means of providing seed funding to out of the box deserving ideas and the right to spot these deserving ideas rests wholly on investors.

The ‘Shark Tank’ investors will have full liberty to choose anyone from the top eight teams. An Entrepreneurship Conclave has also been organized after the ‘Shark Tank’.

The top eight teams have been selected from over 120 entries from across India. The process of selecting 8 teams from 120 entries was entirely managed by the NSRCEL and students.  The selection process included four rounds of rigorous screening, progressing from 120 to 64, then 64 to 32 and then finally from 32 to the top 8.