Everything You Need to Know about Shark Tank India judges

Shark Tank India is a reality show that is broadcast on the TV by SET India. It is also the Indian franchise of the popular American TV show “Shark Tank”. It shows entrepreneurs presenting their business concepts before a panel of investors. These investors are also known as the Shark Tank India Judges as they decide on investing in the business of the presenting entrepreneurs. The first season of the reality show was aired from 20^th December 2021 through 4^th February 2022.

The Shark Tank India Judges

In this reality show, there are –

• A panel of potential investors called the “Sharks”;
• It hears and views the business ideas presented by entrepreneurs on their business ideas and product promotions;
• The panel of multi-millionaires decides on investing in the business or product of a presenting entrepreneur.
• They are known as the Shark Tank India Judges.

The Show

Hosted by Ranvijay Singha an Indian film and television actor, the show got a huge response. It received as many as 62,000 aspirants from all over India. The judges selected 198 out of them to present their ideas and/or products before the panel. The judges selected 67 out of them for investment.

The Panel

Relevant facts about the panel are as follows.

1. 7 panelists are appearing as the Shark or the Shark Tank India Judges.
2. At least 5 of them remained present in any episode except episodes 34 and 35.

 

 The Sharks

Following are the “sharks” in the reality show.

Shark	Company
Ashneer Grover	Managing Director and Co-founder of BharatPe
Aman Gupta	Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of boAt
Anupam Mittal	Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com and People Group
Ghazal Alagh	Co-founder and Chief Mama of MamaEarth
Namita Thapar	Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals
Peyush Bansal	Co-founder and CEO of Lenskart
Vineeta Singh	CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics

Source: en.wikepedia.org

A special episode captioned the Gateway to the Shark Tank was aired on Sony TV on 11^th February 2022.

About the Shark Tank India Judges

Here are some facts about the Shark Tank India Judges.

1. Ashneer Grover is the managing director as well as co-founder of BharatPe. It is an app that enables the users to make UPI as well as card payments from any other app free-of-costs. Grover has also invested in many Indian companies like the Front Row, The Whole Truth, OTO Capital, and IndiaGold among others.
2. Anupam Mittal is the CEO and founder of the People Group Shaadi.com, People Pictures, Makaan.com, and Mauj Mobile. A leading investor; he has invested in companies like ElectricPe, Lyst, and CashBook.
3. Aman Gupta is the CMO as well as co-fonder of boAt. He invested $340,000 with other investors in the pre-seed round of the WickedGud.
4. Vineeta Singh is the co-founder and CEO of the SUGAR Cosmetics. It is one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the country. The company amassed over 100 million INR and has a network of more than 2500 retail outlets spread over 130 cities in the country.
5. Namita Thapar is the CEO of Pune Emcure Pharma that is a global company. The annual turnover of the company is over four thousand million INR. Thapar is also the founder and CEO of the Onboard Finolex Cables and Incredible Ventures Ltd.
6. Ghazal Alagh is the cofounder of Mamaearth and investor of Uvi Health. Her startup business was funded by the Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty as well as the Sequola Capital India.
7. Peyush Bansal is the CEO and founder of the leading e-commerce portal for glasses of the country named Lenskart.com. He is also the proponent of the revolutionary omnichanel approach.

Sony TV Broadcast

The reality show was broadcast by Sony TV with the Indian banner of “Shark Tank India” and aired 30 episodes. The 7 panelists were identified as the “Sharks”. Since it was introduced in India, the reality show received huge appreciation from the viewers. The decision-making process and denial of commercial speeches by the sharks received appreciation from all and sundry. Viewers could enjoy the show at 9 P.M from Monday to Friday. The replay was televised at 11.30 P.M on these days. Studio NEXT produced the show in Hindi. While it was presented by upGrad and Flipkart powered the show.

Entrepreneurs in Shark Tank India

The table below indicates the stand of the entrepreneurs after assessment by the Shark Tank India Judges.

Name	Business	Deal	Original Ask	Final Offer	Investors
Aditi Madan	Momos  (BluePine Foods)	Deal	₹50 lakhs  5% Equity	₹75 lakhs  16% Equity	Ashneer, Aman, Vineeta
Rutvij Dasadia	Electric Scooters  (Booz)	Deal	₹40 lakhs  15% Equity	₹40 lakhs  50% Equity	Ashneer, Vineeta
Riya Khattar	Outfit  (Heart Up My Sleeves)	Deal	₹25 lakhs  10% Equity	₹25 lakhs  30% Equity	Anupam, Vineeta
Anish and Sagar	Popped Chips  (Tagz Foods)	Deal	₹70 lakhs  1% Equity	₹70 lakhs  2.75% Equity	Ashneer
Singh Family	Brain Training  (Head and Heart)	No Deal	₹50 lakhs  5% Equity	No Offer	N/A
Pandurang Taware	Agri Tourism	No Deal	₹50 lakhs  5% Equity	No Offer	N/A
Rubal and Srishti	Fruit Checker  (qZense Labs)	No Deal	₹1 crore  0.5% Equity	₹1 crore  5% Equity	N/A
Siddhant Tawarawala	Urine Bag  (Peeschute)	Deal	₹75 lakhs  4% Equity	₹75 lakhs  6% Equity	Aman
Siddharth and Vinay	Energy Drink  (NOCD)	Deal	₹50 lakhs  2% Equity	₹10 lakhs  10% Equity  ₹30 lakhs Debt	Vineeta

Source: dmerharyana.org

Personal Experience of a Shark

Till now we have discussed the origin, composition of the panel of judges and the reality show. It would be interesting to learn about the experience of one of the Sharks about his selection as one of the Shark Tank India Judges. Ashneer Grover, one of the Sharks explained in an interview that he had not ever watched the original American reality show before giving his consent to become a part of the Indian reality show.

What Ashneer Grover Said

In a recent interview with Raj Shamani of YouTube, Ashneer Grover narrated his experience of induction as one of the Shark Tank India Judges. To begin with; his name was short-listed for the Sony TV show by Bharat Pe investor, the Venture Catalyst. The reason for the sponsorship was that the Bharat Pe investor received 80 times the returns for his investments. Venture Catalyst provided Sony with a list of 300 potential candidates suitable to become judges. After conducting its research on the same, Sony approached him with the offer. Despite his not viewing the original American reality show, he agreed to the proposal because investing was the core factor of the show. The decision was confirmed after Grover had a meeting with the runner of the Indian show Bimal Unnikrishnan. Grover also wanted to know about the other judges in the show as he liked to be part of a group with similar mindsets. He was satisfied with the list of judges and agreed to become one of the group.                  

Response received by the Show

When the show was aired for the first time in December 2021, it received mixed responses. 

• The Shark Tank India Judges were criticized for mistreating the entrepreneurs.
• Most such criticisms were pointed towards Grover for his aggressive language.

The Special Episode

Sony TV aired a special episode on 11^th February featuring the Shark Tank India Judges. The show targeted people that missed earlier episodes of the reality show. The judges appearing on the TV screen did not mark the intention to run another season of the reality show. Instead; they were to be candid with the entrepreneurs in the special show. Before that, Sony TV also aired a promo for the special show. In the show, the Sharks are seen sharing the fun with the host and others.

End of Shark Tank India Season 1

The first season of the reality show in India that commenced in December 2021 came to an end in February 2022. Anupam Mittal hosted an after-party with all 7 sharks and spouses. The show is an Indian version of the American reality show “Shark Tank”. The organizers are inspired by the huge response of the viewers to think about launching the second episode of the show.

Trending on Social Media

The reality TV show is not only popular among the viewers but is also trending on social media. In consequence, the Shark Tank India Judges have become stars overnight. They also developed an appreciation for each other that inspired one of the sharks Anupam Mittal to host a party for all the 7 sharks and their spouses. Namita Thapar and her husband Vikash Thapar, Peyush Bansal and his wife Nimisha Bansal, Ghazal Alagh along with her husband Varun Alagh, and Priya Dagar, wife of Anupam Gupta were present at the Party. Video of the event is viral on social media and trending.

What Shark Anupam Said

One of the judges in the event Anupam Mittal had the following comments to make about the reality show. “As we get together for the last episode of #sharktankindia with all the sharks and the crew, here is a hat tip to the unsung heroes who made it happen. This was no less a feat than creating a unicorn in less than a year so take a bow. Your Passion, perseverance, and drive for perfection have paid off.  Indian TV Badal Gaya!” Like Anupam, Ashneer Grover also expressed season 1 to be an amazing experience. 

View of the Host

The host of the Shark Tank India reality shows Ranavijay Singha shared on social media a picture with the Shark Tank India Judges. He said that the show was an amazing experience. The host, judges, and entrepreneurs all learned something new every day.

Shark Spouse Opinion

Not only the sharks but their spouses also came up with their opinions on the first season of Shark Tank India. Piyush’s wife Nidhi said that it marked a new image of the country. Many entrepreneurs came up with innovative and amazing ideas that inspired the judges to rule in their favor. It was mutually beneficial for both. The entrepreneurs selected resolved their funding problems whereas the judges came across the best business ideas tabled by the entrepreneurs.  

Shark Tank India is One of the Best Shows

Shark Tank India is not only one of the best reality shows in the country but also has transformed the TV industry. The show is not a fluke but it has also many practical advantages that put it on the list of contenders for top TV shows around.

The Show Turned into a Blockbuster

When Sony TV announced that the reality show will be aired it did not evoke a great response. Many looked down on the show to be a non-starter. One of the reasons leading to such views is that the show did not have any celebrity inducted. The Shark Tank India Judges were indeed all successful businessmen and investors. They did not have celebrity status and were unknown to most viewers. But the projected non-starter TV reality show turned out to be a blockbuster. It has virtually held social media by storm and the hashtags on social media sites are increasing consistently.  Today; it can challenge the reality shows like the “Big Boss” and “Kaun Banega Crorepati” hosted by stars like Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan among the others.

Show Inspires Business Investment

One of the major benefits of viewing the reality show is that it inspires people to invest in the business. The Shark Tank India Judges also come across many amazing business ideas and innovative products. Best of all; the show brings to light the huge unexplored talents available that are not making headway due to lack of support and resources.

Conclusion

Shark Tank India is not an entertainment show like others. Instead; it is a show aimed at promoting new entrepreneurs rich in ideas but not able to progress due to resource constraints. Since the Shark Tank India Judges are also the investors the selected entrepreneurs get the instant solution when they can impress them.