Entrepreneurship is not an easy road. Building an idea from the ground up comes with its own set of challenges, and lack of funds is one of the primary reasons why most businesses fail in the initial stages itself. But, the journey of raising funds as a female founder is said to be doubly hard.
The reality show, ‘Shark Tank’ is bringing about a massive change in how entrepreneurship is viewed across the country. Apart from being an engaging show, it is also introducing youth to the idea of initiatives and potential business ideas.
Interestingly, the show’s first season revealed the gender gap in Indian entrepreneurial space. The number of male founders significantly outweighed the females.
But, Season 2 of Shark Tank India has managed to highlight women founders with equal aplomb. The show has seen almost 40 percent of pitches coming from women entrepreneurs in the second season. Several women entrepreneurs appeared on the show and won the judges & the audience over.
We bring to you some of the most memorable women entrepreneurs who have appeared on the show so far. Their pitches were spectacular and so are their ideas.
Yeshoda Karuturi & Rhea Karuturi - Hoovu Fresh
Rhea and Yeshoda Karuturi established Hoovu Fresh in the year 2019. The company is a Bangalore-based online retailer that delivers puja flowers to customers' homes via the daises of its partners. Its products are also available on Big Basket, Amazon, Milk Basket, Big Bazaar, and more online stores now sell it.
Despite this, not much has changed in the past three decades in this sizable wedge of the flower market, which accounts for 481,907 acres of output in India.
The company says, “The distribution network is still very disorganized and fragmented, and up to 40% of it is wasted. That equates to over 192,000 acres of property being used to grow flowers that will be discarded. Flowers go through several stages of management, and by the stage, they are delivered to the consumer, it has been 36 to 48 hours since they were picked, without a good cold chain”.
Additionally, they added, “With our expertise in agriculture, we can work with farms to cut the cycle times to 12–24 hours, so we recognized a huge possibility here. We are able to increase the flower storability by 2 to 5 times thanks to packaging innovation, which is unparalleled in the present market”.
The company aims to create a supply chain for puja flowers that works and benefits both the grower and the end user, just as they witnessed with cut flowers.
Fate on Shark Tank: The sister duo asked for 80 lakhs for 1% stake in their pitch to the sharks, but in the end, they received 1 crores for 2% equity from Shark Peyush Bansal.
Slony Gambhir - Very much Indian
Slony’s love for sarees was revived by this recollection, and she decided to start Very Much Indian. Slony comes from a family of textile entrepreneurs from Yeola, Maharashtra, the current epicentre of the Jamdani revolution. She began working at her family's business at an early age.
She then used to sit in her father's textile store as a child, which helped lay the groundwork for her commercial aptitude. She handled client and account management as well as quickly picking up the specifics of running the shop.
A woman traveling through Yeola at the age of 14 chose to walk in while the shop's manager was operating it without her father.
Slony recalls how she concluded the deal by selling the customer a stunning Paithani for Rs. 15,000/- within 15 minutes of grasping what she wanted. Despite everything, the client was extremely pleased. The client was so pleased that she continues to make it a goal to visit Slony's parents' shop at least a few times per year despite all the years.
Her father originally discouraged her, claiming that her corporate work provided her with much-needed professional and financial security. She began her business by borrowing 25 sarees from him. Her spouse, though, stood by her.
She began personally visiting her known clientele and quickly sold each and every single one of such sarees. It took her about a year and then re-learn the complexities of this profession after being away from it since she transferred to the college, but once she had, there was no turning back.
Fate on Shark Tank: Slony requested 50 lakhs for 3% stock in their pitch, but in the end, received 50 lakhs for 10% equity by Aman Gupta and Namita Thapar.
Rebekah Sood - Atmosphere studio
This company has placed gut health in the foreground of all they do since its establishment in 2018. Their collection of health-improving items is dedicated to educating their clients and fans about the advantages of a healthy gut.
All of their products from kombucha and kefir to raw vegan cheesecakes are brimming with probiotics and prebiotics for a contented, healthy gut. The founders, ‘Rebekah and Ariella’ are born and raised in the natural surroundings amid woods, clean air, freshwater, and locally-grown vegetables in the Himalayan mountain range, where the company now has its headquarters.
They brought their knowledge of and enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle to New Delhi, under which they teamed up in the wellness industry. While Ariella studied with Organic India before starting her own nutritious therapy practice, Rebekah established FabIndia's cafe, FabCafe. Because of their personal encounters with the detrimental impacts of a hectic lifestyle and a dirty environment, Atmosphere was created.
They made the decision to spread their expertise to the rest of the world because the advantages of keeping a balanced gut on their fitness and level of energy were so amazing. The team is comprised of a strong and empowering female workforce, led by Rebekah and Ariella.
The company takes great pride in being able to provide opportunities and financial support to a growing group of women from all backgrounds. The brand is being developed in a conscious manner that fosters a positive work environment for the team, empowering female employees and letting them know they are valued and needed.
Fate on Shark Tank: She offered to invest 75 lakhs for 3% equity, however her last offer was rejected.
Pooja Bajaj Shah - Girgit
Letting some little sunlight go a bit of a way was the inspiration behind Girgit and its line of colour-changing apparel.
Pooja Bajaj Shah, the founder of the business, set out to find a method to turn her concept into something that anyone could enjoy whether they went outside to enjoy the sun or went swimming in the ocean. She pursued her idea from dawn to dusk and, in three months, she founded the company, ‘Girgit Store’.
India's first store selling products that change colour is called Girgit Store. Like the brand's namesake, its products likewise change colour. When the items come into touch with natural factors like sunlight, air, or water, they become activated.
The brand entertains clients of all ages by utilizing the timeless appeal of colour, no matter your age or where you're from, colours, particularly changing colours, never fail to catch your attention. There is no animal testing throughout production. Therefore, the goods won't just help their consumers look beautiful; they'll also leave them feeling wonderful.
Fate on Shark Tank: They requested 20 lakhs in their pitch, and the final deal was struck with Namita Thapar at 20 lakhs for 20% equity.
Nikita shared her business idea with her father, and together, they launched a skincare company before her marriage. After their marriage, she and her spouse Himanshu launched the company ‘Winston’.
Nikita Adlakha arrived in style to the industry. With their business "Winston," which sells a range of beauty tools that can be utilized at home and cut down on salon visits, they opened the door for new episodes.
Winston provides their clients with the best salon experience at home by incorporating technology into our customers' personal care routines. With a comprehensive selection of professional skincare products that use cutting-edge technology, they turn beauty time into a carefree activity. As a company, they are committed to changing the beauty industry and how women view personal care.
The brand began its personal care journey, designed just for women, in the year 2021. They have launched user-friendly high-end technology-infused items into the market with the mission of providing extraordinarily exceptional products and changing how women view personal care. They offer all the best tools, such as epilators, eyebrow trimmers, blackhead removers, and much more, to restore your beauty, from the best face care to the best body care. Basically, their primary goal is to enable their consumers to display their true beauty without going to a salon.
With their technologically advanced beauty products, the customers get a comfortable, simple experience that allows them to get the most out of their skincare. They strive to provide clients with THE BEST OF THE BEST because they want to revolutionize the grooming industry. They offer incredibly secure, high-caliber items for easy, simple, and time-saving personal care.
Fate on Shark Tank: The founders made a pitch for INR 1 Crore for 10% equity from Season 2 of Shark Tank India. Due to a conflict of interest, Aman, who has already a rival company in his lineup, withdrew, and Vineeta and Anupam make a proposal of Rs. 1 crore for 10% of the company.
GunjanApps Studios- Gunjan Gupta
On the national television programme Shark Tank India, the creators of GunjanApps Studios, Gunjan Gupta are seen making their maiden presentation to investors and venture capitalists. Gunjan and Sourav, the creators of GunjanApps Studios, are passionate about making games that are both entertaining and informative.
The amusing educational ally for your child is GunjanApps Studios. Millions of kids worldwide will receive meaningful screen time as part of our mission. Over 200 million families in 180 countries have used our 40+ award-winning games on a regular basis. We design games with kids' overall growth as our main priority. Children can learn a lot and develop their concepts, imagination, and creativity via play by using our games as a platform.
Fate on Shark Tank: The founders requested a 2.5 crore investment in exchange for 1% equity. None of the judges made a proposal because some of them thought the product was 'addictive' in nature rather than inventive.
