The Hindi-language business reality TV series Hindi is broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television. The series with its third season is continuing to bask in its popularity amongst the Indian audience. The show revolves around new-age entrepreneurs delivering business pitches to an esteemed panel of investors aka the ‘sharks’. Based on their pitches, the sharks will determine whether or not they will invest in the presented ventures.
Shark Tank India Season 3 consists of a panel of judges that includes Deepinder Goyal, Founder and CEO, Zomato; Azhar Iqubal, Co-founder & CEO, Inshorts; Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO Rooms; Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO, Edelweiss MF; Varun Dua, Founder, ACKO; Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder and Chairperson, UpGrad; Aman Gupta, CEO and Founder of boAt; Namita Thapar, Executive Director – India Business, Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Peyush Bansal, Co-Founder & CEO, Lenskart; Vineeta Singh, Co-founder & CEO, SUGAR Cosmetics and Anupam Mittal, Founder & CEO, People Group (including Shaadi.com).
Shark Tank India Season 3 Episode 33 Recap
The latest episode again sees three startups who have started their businesses with many hopes and dreams and have come to the Tank for expertise and funding to make their dreams bigger and make a difference in the world. The Sharks in this episode are Deepinder Goyal, Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapad, Aman Gupta and Anupam Mittal.
Bacca Bucci
Right off the bat, the founders leave the Sharks shocked with their ask – Rs 2.5 Crore for 1% equity in the company! The founders then get into the company and describe themselves as a Gen Z, youth-focused fast fashion footwear brand that caters to the youth of the country with different stylish designs and sub-categories without compromising on the comfort and quality of their products. The brand, on the Indian market since 2014, has catered to many people over the years and prides itself in being an accessible and affordable brand that anyone can enjoy.
However, after understanding the categories and everything, the Sharks try to understand the USP and what differentiates them from other brands. Furthermore, they try to understand from which angle the brand is trying to make a dent in the market and are left disappointed when they learn that the founders are differentiating themselves in pricing. Thus, even though they mention that they are trying to create a brand and community, the Sharks are unable to see their vision. In the end, in spite of the impressive sales, all the Sharks refuse to provide the startup with a deal.
Vobble
We next meet two founders who introduce a product that is meant to entertain and inform children, completely eradicating the use of screens. The audio platform for kids makes listening to stories interesting and informative with a multi-sensory experience. The company also provides headphones and activity books along with audio stories to keep children engaged throughout the auditory journey. They dream of being the biggest auditory platform for kids in the world and ask for Rs 25 Lakhs for 1.5% equity in order to make this dream come true.
After discussing why they got into this business, they mention that they are a pre-revenue company since they released it only a few months ago. The founders then get into the product, their pricing and how they make everything comfortable and safe for the children. The Sharks listen to some of the stories and get into whether there is any educational efficacy in the product. The founders provide interesting information and then discuss the pricing of their products which leaves the Sharks dissatisfied. Plus, the Sharks are confused about what the startup is trying to be after getting deeper into future iterations.
In the end, Namita is the only one who gives an offer and the deal is closed at Rs 25 Lakhs for 2% equity of the company.
B U Natural
The last startup to come to the Tank is a unisex salon chain whose extremely affordable prices leave the Sharks shocked. The founder asks for Rs 60 Lakhs for 2.5% of equity in the company and the Sharks immediately get into his background and how he started his entreuprenial journey. Afterwards, Namita asks him to get deeper into how he is able to keep his prices so low and the founder breaks down the price of the products that are used and how it works if he keeps the prices low. However, considering the operational costs of a salon, the Sharks are unable to accept his rationale.
The Sharks are surprised about the margins and the revenue of the salons but do get into why the startup isn’t doing franchise business. The founder’s answers entertain the Sharks while also informing them about how he makes and uses his products. Plus, his answers surrounding attrition in his salons also leave the Sharks stumped. Unfortunately, none of the Sharks invest in his business and he leaves empty handed in the end.
Shark Tank India Season 3 Episode 33 Review
It’s been an interesting episode with some smooth-taking pitchers taking the limelight and entertaining us. The Sharks were in great form today as well, asking interesting questions and looking at the fine lines that differentiate the company. Plus, the banter between them was also entertaining and funny.
That being said, I am personally a little tired of watching clothing brands coming to the Tank for investment when none of the products really stand out. But that brings forth an interesting aspect of how many people in India are starting clothing stores in order to get into the game.
I think B U Naturals was the most fun pitch of this episode, only because of the founder’s colourful words and personality. He really sold his brand with his story and numbers but unfortunately missed out in the end. Either way, the startup got some marketing to that’s great. All in all, an entertaining episode through and through.
You can watch the Shark Tank India Season 3 episodes now on SonyLIV.