“Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
– Michelle Obama
Shark Tank India took India by storm with the unending creativity and inspiring stories. The concept of the show revolves around judges, who are famous Indian entrepreneurs and angel investors, being pitched products by different start-ups. The winning start-ups who impress their audience and judges alike and are rewarded an investment.
With March being International Women’s Month, we dived deep into Vineeta Singh and Namita Thapar, two of the main judges on Shark Tank, who are huge inspirations to working women. Let’s take a look at the start-ups they saw the most potential in.
Menstrupedia
A simple yet effective way to introduce young girls and boys to the world they will face when they grow up to be a teenager. Menstrupedia Comic, by Aditi Gupta and Tuhin Paul, was released in 2012 to create awareness about menstruation around teenagers, especially functioning as a guide and actively works against the stigma surrounding menstruation and puberty.
Featured in Season 1, December 2021, the Comic received an investment of Rs. 50 Lakhs for 20% equity by Emcure Pharma CEO, Namita Thapar, valuing the company at that time at 2.5 Crores.
OUR TAKE: Menstrupedia is a step forward towards perceiving menstruation as less of a stigma and a step to normalise the biological process that girls go through without shame. If the company created updated editions, their chance to grow popular amongst younger children and parents are high.
Heart Up My Sleeves
Wearing your dream style has never been more exciting and sustainable with Heart Up My Sleeves. Without the commitment of a new outfit, the brand offers various styles of sleeves, collars, and other accessories you can mix and match with anything in your closet. The luxury brand boasts several influencer endorsements and even being worn by Neha Kakkar in her music video, ‘Kanta Laga.’
The brand was pitched in Season 1, December 2021. Riya Khattar’s unique idea won an investment of around Rs. 25 Lakhs for 30% equity from Sugar Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh, and CEO of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal.This values the company at Rs. 83.3 Lakhs.
OUR TAKE: While the products look cute, the brand itself is very niche and only a selective group of people might take the chance. Therefore, it is unsure if there are chances for it to scale further.
Annie by Thinkerbell Labs
Named after Helen Keller’s teacher, Annie Sullivan, Annie was created by Thinkerbell Labs as an interactive device to learn Braille for visually impaired individuals. The co-founders and college friends, Aman Srivastava, Sanskriti Dawle and Dilip Ramesh, conceptualised an inclusive and brilliant device that would make learning Braille both fun and intuitive. The Braille literacy device was showcased on Season 1, January 2022.
This device goes beyond learning. As it caters towards the visually impaired community, it also includes simulated challenges to help integrate further learning with elements of fun. It also has other activities, something visually impaired people are usually excluded from in their classrooms.
Believing in the unique approach of learning and adapting to the student’s needs. Namita Thapar, Vineeta Singh, and Anupam Mittal, raised Rs. 1.05 Crore for 3% equity, valuing it at Rs. 35 Crores.
OUR TAKE: The obstacles visually impaired people have to overcome in the classroom can be easily tackled with the help of Annie. For this, the opportunity to scale is great as an education tool.
Altor
Altor has launched a timely device, a Smart Helmet, which provides immediate assistance for people involved in two-wheeler accidents. They appeared in Season 1, December 2021. With two-wheeler riders more prone to accidents by 66%, the co-founders of Altor sought a modern solution to this problem. The idea came to the founders after losing a friend to an accident after medical assistance arrived late.
The Smart Helmet customises your notifications to minimise distractions and the navigation aspect is a major asset. With more awareness of your surroundings and being able to avoid looking at other devices, the helmet is a must have for delivery people.
Namita Thapar, and boAt Lifestyle Co-founder, Aman Gupta, collectively offered Rs. 50 Lakhs for 7% equity. Their investment valued the company at Rs. 7.14 Crores. With hundreds of testimonies from two-wheeler riders, the Altor Smart Helmet is changing the view of rider safety and regulations.
OUR TAKE: This is incredible development for public safety in India. This is also a very fruitful use of AI that promotes careful and cautious driving.
Spandan by Sunfox Technologies
How did Sunfox Technologies catch the attention of the whole cast? Spandan, portable ECG (electrocardiogram) machine, provides 99.7% accuracy and is a must have for individuals and households with cardiac problems. They were featured in Season 1, January 2022.
Impressing majority of the sharks on Shark Tank India, Spandan by Sunfox Technologies gained a Rs. 1 Crore investment for 6% equity from Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, CEO and founder of Lenskart, Peyush Bansal, and Mama Earth CEO and founder, Ghazal Alagh. This values them at Rs. 16.6 Crores.
OUR TAKE: This is a convenient and necessary product that might have a huge impact on cardiac health in the future. However, it is doubtful whether it can be an alternative to proper ECG readings.
insideFPV
As India’s leading drone manufacturer, insideFPV brought the technology cinematographers craved to take their craft to another level. Their affordable drones became a hit within the community. The team appeared in Season 2, January 2023.
Oshi Kumari, the COO of insideFPV, also shared her experience in the tech industry through her insightful virtual seminar, ‘The Indian Fem-Tech Trailblazers,’ alongside other talented women in the tech field.
A collective deal of Rs. 75 Lakhs for 15% equity was made by Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, CarDekho CEO, Amit Jain, and Peyush Bansal, so they were valued at Rs. 5 Crores.
OUR TAKE: With drones being all the rage with cinematographers, insideFPV shows great potential towards strong growth.
Brainwired
Brainwired is an agricultural technology start-up which brings farmers closer to their cattle. WeStock live monitors the health and routine of cattle and provides feedback to farmers accordingly. They appeared on Season 1, January 2022.
WeStock is also user friendly and includes everything a farmer needs. More than the cattle’s health related issues, it also monitors the weather conditions of the farm.
This team from Kochi secured a collective deal of Rs. 60 Lakhs for 10% equity from former co-founder of BharatPe, Ashneer Grover, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, and Aman Gupta. At the time, the company was valued at Rs. 6 Crores.
OUR TAKE: Considering the nature of the product, it is unsure if most cattle would react positively towards the technology or the functionality.
Auli Lifestyle
Appearing in Season 1, January 2022, Aishwarya Biswas’ skincare line, Auli Lifestyle, captured Namita Thapar’s heart. The two had a bond like no other, landing her a deal of Rs. 75 Lakhs with 15% equity. This valued her company at Rs. 5 Crores.
Biswas created the products by mixing Ayurveda with modern science. Auli Lifestyle products are all natural and organic for a diverse range of issues. The site also offers consultations and skin analysis. With a wide range of beauty and wellness products, Auli Lifestyle is now featured on major eCommerce websites such as Nykaa and Amazon.
OUR TAKE: Auli Lifestyle is fairly successful and enticing. However, competition is high within the skincare industry and it’s difficult to say whether her products will scale.
Their Final Impact – How Much Did Vineeta Singh and Namita Thapar Invest?
These decisions to invest made, by Vineeta Singh and Namita Thapar, sow the seeds for major social impact. From technology to the medical sector, the duo take a chance and help these start-ups grow further. Namita Thapar invested a total of Rs. 7 Crores in Season 1 and Rs. 10.25 Crores in Season 2. Vineeta Singh invested a total of Rs. 1 Crore in Season 1 and Rs. 4.61 Crores in Season 2. Through these changes, they have elevated the lives of others whose lives are immediately impacted. Despite their challenges in this industry as women, they rise to the occasion to take a call as well as a risk.