D2C Brands that Won Funding on Shark Tank India

Shark Tank India is one of the many reality shows to broadcast on Indian television. But the first that’s business-oriented. Surprisingly in a ‘business averse’ country, it has become so popular among audiences of all age groups. Many Shark Tank fans will know it’s an Indian franchise of the American show Shark Tank. Here, Indian entrepreneurs pitch their business idea or products to the sharks (investors); allowing them to invest in the business.

The reality show aired on December 20th and drew a lot of attention countrywide. Broadcast on Sony Entertainment television and Sonyliv online, these are 50 minutes episodes. So, are you keen to know which D2C businesses won funding on Shark Tank & what makes them tick? Good News! We have you covered. Read on to know more.

Meet Sharks of Shark Tank

The term shark(s) is used for the investors of Shark Tank India. Every episode had 5 sharks present. When in total there were 7, two of which swapped places with sharks occasionally. The finale on the other hand had all the 7 sharks present. Here’s a short introduction on them before you move the main part.

Ashneer Grover

Designation: Managing Director and Co-founder of BharatPe
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 5.383 cr
Number of Deals: 21

Ashneer Grover is one of India’s youngest Billionaires. He is the co-founder as well as managing director of BharatPe app, which is an Indian fintech company. That caters to small merchants and ‘Kirana’ stores in India. Therefore enabling them to process and accept payments via UPI for free. For the first season of Shark Tank India, Grover shelled out around Rupees 5.383 crores to make 21 deals altogether.

Namita Thapar

Designation: CEO of Emcure Pharmaceuticals
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 6.383 cr
Number of Deals: 22

Thapar is one of India’s most successful women entrepreneurs. She is the CEO of Emcure pharmaceuticals and is also associated with many international companies as well. Like GlaxoSmithKline, Guidant Corporation where she executes various roles of marketing and finance. The female entrepreneur invested in 22 brands on the show for which she paid out around Rupees 6.383 crores in the form of investments.

Anupam Mittal

Designation: Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com and People Group
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 5.338 cr
Number of Deals: 24

Anupam Mitta’s shaadi.com is famous among the Indian community as it is a matrimonial site. That allows like-minded people to meet up. Besides this, he is CEO and founder of people group and is also a film producer and invests in Bollywood films. In the show, as he is a shark, he has invested in 24 entrepreneur’s brands at the cost of Rupees 5.338 crores.

Vineeta Singh

Designation: CEO and Co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 3.042 cr
Number of Deals: 15

This Indian entrepreneur is the Co-founder and the CEO of the famous cosmetics brand SUGAR. She was recognized as one of India’s young business leaders. Besides this, she was also awarded The Economic Times 40 Under Forty Award in 2020.

Although Vineeta wasn’t a part of all the episodes of season 1 of Shark tank India, she managed to get a fair share of deals a grand total of 15 deals and brands that she invested in. For the same, Vineeta Singh bought equities worth Rupees 3.042 crores.

Aman Gupta

Designation: Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Boat
Shark Tank Investment: Rs 9.358 cr
Number of Deals: 28

Aman Gupta is a self-made entrepreneur, who is the Co-Founder and the Chief Marketing Officer of Boat. Boat is a popular earphone, headphone company that also deals with other smart wearable devices like smartwatches and more. Besides his own company, he has several investments in other companies including 10Club, which is a budding successful roll-up company.

In the reality show, Aman was the Shark that invested the most in the contestant entrepreneurs. A whopping 28 deals with brands and spent Rupees 9.358 Crores on them.

Peyush Bansal

Designation: Co-founder and CEO of Lenskart
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 8.297 cr
Number of Deals: 27

Peyush is one of India’s most successful entrepreneurs and has a net worth of approximately Rupees 600 Crores. His business Lenskart is an eyewear brand and has stores all over India and has international stores on its way.

In the show, Bansal made a total investment of rupees 8.297 Crores. That he spent on 27 brands together.

Ghazal Alagh

Designation: Co-founder and Chief Mama of MamaEarth
Shark Tank Investment: Rs. 1.2 cr
Number of Deals: 7

Ghazal is the founder of a very popular beauty brand called Mama Earth. The offers and manufactures several natural products especially for babies and mums. In this season of Shark Tank, the entrepreneur was present for around 8 episodes from which she made 7 investments of rupees 1.2 crores.

Shark Tank Funded D2C Brands

Without further adieu, lets get to the part where you know which D2C brands are funded by Shark Tank India.

Hair Originals

Amount Raised: Rs. 60 Lakhs
Founder: Jitendra Sharma, Piyush Wadhwani and Ashish Tiwari
Episode: Season1 – E22

Hair Originals is a brand that makes wigs and hair extensions from 100% real human hair. They keep it natural by not using any chemicals during manufacturing. Real human hair is acquired from the temples of South India. Which is sorted to only use the best quality hair. They also provide services from industry-standard professionals who also install the extension as well. The founder Jitendra Sharma recognized the demand for wigs and extensions especially for Indian hair in global markets. That is when he considered starting this business. At Shark Tank India, this entrepreneur raised 60 lakhs from 3 sharks namely Ashneer Grover, Anupam Mittal, and Peyush Bansal.

Hammer Lifestyle

Amount Raised: Rs. 1 Crore
Founder: Rohit Nandwani
Episode: Season1 – E15

Hammer is an athleisure tech brand, one among the first in India. They deliver high-quality TWS audio gadgets like earbuds, headphones, and so on. The business further went on to expand to the fitness category as they started manufacturing smartwatches as well. This brand promotes an active and fit lifestyle. Founded by Rohit Nandwani in 2019, Hammer quickly gained a loyal customer base and has been on a growth path for a while. On the show, Hammer’s owner Rohit pitched 30 Lakhs for 3% equity. But Boat co-founder, wanting to take over a competitor offered Rupees 1 crore for a 40% stake of Nandwani’s business. Which was accepted as well.

Wakao Foods

Amount Raised: Rs. 75 Lakhs
Founder: Sairaj Gaurish Dhond
Episode: Season1 – E29

Wakao foods is one of the many food brands that appeared on shark tank India. Wakao is founded by Sairaj Gaurish Dhond. He has created a product that mimics meats but is vegan, healthy, rich in fiber as it is made from jackfruit. This is his contribution to sustainable living. Wakao foods, has its way to satisfy the cravings of non-vegetarians and vegans alike. As they prepare ready-to-eat packs that can be warmed and added to any dish of your choice. The key ingredient of this vegan meat is jackfruit. As this versatile and healthy alternative made its way to the shark tank it gained a lot of interest. And finally 3 sharks namely Vineeta, Namita, and Ghazal came together to buy 21% equity of the company for Rupees 75 Lakhs.

CosIQ

Amount Raised: Rs. 50 Lakhs
Founder: Kanika and Angad Talwar
Episode: Season1 – E4

CosIQ, was just a four-month-old startup when they appeared on Shark Tank It is positioned as an intelligent skincare brand for the women (and men) of India. The startup was founded by Kanika Talwar and her husband Angad Talwar and is essentially a molecular skincare brand. Their claim is every single one of their products offers visible results and is scientifically-backed as well. The duo received funding for their brand from two sharks Anupam and Vineeta against a 25% share combined. For which, the sharks shelled out around 5 million (Approx 38 Lakhs) for the seed funding. The brand further aims to make skincare easier for the people of India along with making it affordable.

Nuutjob

Amount Raised: Rs. 25 Lakhs
Founder: Anushree and Ananya
Episode: Season1 – E10

Nuutjob is a quirky name given by the two female founders Anushree and Ananya. For a brand that covers male intimate hygiene. They understood the problem that the men face and worked towards finding a solution for the same. Only to come up with their products that are cruelty-free, sulphate free, paraben-free, and made of products that are safe for men. These entrepreneurs won a 25 lakhs funding for 20% equity of their project. This funding was offered from Aman, Peyush, and Namita.

Beyond Snack Kerala Banana Chips

Amount Raised: 50 Lakhs
Founder: Manas Madhu
Episode: Season1 – E8

Beyond Snack Kerala Banana Chips as the name suggests is authentic Kerala banana chips. Which are available in a variety of flavors as well. These chips are prepared using superior quality raw materials while maintaining top-notch standards of hygiene. Founded in 2020, by Manas Madhu. Madhu on Shark Tank India received the funds that he came for. This was Rupees 50 Lakhs for 2.5% equity. Which was granted by two sharks combined Aman and Ashneer.

ALTOR

Amount Raised: Rs. 50 Lakhs
Founders: Shamik Guha, Sayan Tapadar, Aninda Ghosh, Md. Bilal Shakil and Anirban DGupta
Episode: Season1 – E9

ALTOR is a smart helmet brand that can help the wearer from suffering from an attended accident. In the sense that if the wearer has met with an accident the helmet can contact the emergency contacts as soon as it occurs. Besides that, you can control your phone from the helmet while you ride and wear it. This technology was founded by 5 friends Shamik Guha, Sayan Tapadar, Aninda Ghosh, Md. Bilal Shakil and Anirban DGupta, who all handle different aspects of the helmet. In the reality show, this brand was funded by Aman and Peyush for 7% of equity. This cost them Rupees 50 Lakhs.

Ariro

Amount Raised: 50 Lakhs
Founders: Nisha and Vasanth
Episode: Season1 – E9

Ariro toys was founded by 2 parents Nisha and Vasanth in the year 2016 when they had their first child and were on the quest to have only the best toys for their girl. The duo had an inclination towards the Montessori environment and wanted to do away with plastic or harmful toy. Therefore they opted for neem wood. From there they realized the need for safe toys for kids and hence gave birth to this business. Having all sorts of toys or children of all ages, this interested most of the Sharks and they are ready to fund the cause. But the deal was struck with Peyush and Aman for 10% equity for 50 Lakhs.

Conclusion

Shank Tank India has been a great success; especially for those entrepreneurs that were funded by the show. All of them showcasing the talent and enthusiasm that India carries. Furthermore, motivating young an budding minds. So there you have a few D2C brands funded by Shark tank India. Do bookmark this page as we keep addeding new D2C brands on the list that made it on this reality show. We do hope this was educational and entertaining enough for you!