The much waited for Shark Tank India Season 2 is just around the corner. After a successful Season 1, which gave us unforgettable moments and some business owners their dream investments, the second edition has got fans all excited!
As Shark Tank came to India last year, it transformed the way India looks at entrepreneurship and fueled the business growth engine. The notion that entrepreneurship is something for students from premiere schools got shattered completely. As we saw contestants from every stratum of society pitch their unique business ideas to the sharks. While some won the investments and guidance they were looking for, others won the hearts of not just the sharks, but of millions others. With Season 2 coming up, here’s everything you need to know about it.
New Delhi: Shark Tank India’s season 2 has started currently. The show, which made its debut a year ago, was a hit among the spectators and fans have been keenly waiting for the next edition.
Shark Tank is a reality show where startup seek investments from established businessmen. The show is the Indian sort of the Shark Tank show from the US, which is currently in its 14th season.
This time around though, some of the judges who were part of season 1 will not make an appearance. BharatPe founder Ashneer Grover and Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh are not a part of season 2.
Table of Contents
Here are the six judges who will be a part of Shark Tank India Season 2:
Vineeta Singh
Vineeta Singh, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), shot into the limelight. When she refused a pay 1 crore per annum job offer immediately after passing out. She is the originator and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics, a brand that aims to revolutionise the skincare and makeup commerce in India.
During season 1 of Shark Tank, the 38 year old often spoke about the problems that women startup founders face. Ms Singh said that it is often tougher for women to raise funds for their startups. She is also an active runner and has participated in several marathons and ironman triathlon events.
Peyush Bansal
The Lenskart CEO, who was one of the fan favourites in season 1, will again be seen as a Shark on the show. The 37 year old worked at Microsoft in the US before entering the eyewear retail business.
Lenskart, which was founded in 2010, is today valued at nearly $4.8 billion (Rs 41,000 crore).
Aman Gupta
Aman Gupta initiated the electronics brand ‘boAt’ with an aim to make gadgets cool. The company started with colourful earphones and headphones at a time when most other companies were making black, white or grey ones.
boAt has been growing at 100% year-on-year and registered revenue of ₹ 3,000 crore at the end of FY22.
Anupam Mittal
Anupam Mittal is a season entrepreneur and investor who is known for establishment the matrimonial site Shaadi.com. He was among the early investors in several of the startups that have become everyday names today. These include Big-Basket, Ola, Rapido and many more.
Namita Thapar
Namita Thapar, at 21, became a chartered accountant. She then pursued her MBA and spent six years in the finance industry. After her successful time in the US, Ms Thapar came back and join with her father at the wheel of pharma giant, Emcure Pharmaceuticals.
When Ms Thapar join Emcure, the company had a valuation of ₹ 500 crore. Today, it is among one of the biggest pharma companies in the country and has a valuation of ₹ 6,000 crore.
Namita Thapar is a huge admirer of Amitabh Bachchan and has also named her sons Jai and Veeru. Inspire by the characters in the actor’s hit movie ‘Sholay’.
Amit Jain
Amit Jain, making his debut on Shark Tank India, is presently the CEO of CarDekho.com. He and his brother got the idea after a visit to Auto-Expo in 2008. In a Linked.In post, Mr Jain said, “We set up a portal where people could come to find the accurate information and review cars before making the decision of buying.”
Final Words
Season 2, could have, perhaps, had a different set of sharks, or at least a mix-and-match, but maybe the producers wanted to utilise the popularity of the Season 1 investors.
Shark Tank India, thankfully, does away with the studio audience, but the set is garish, more suited for a music or dance reality show than a business programme.
Hosted this time by Rahul Dua (who has very little to do), the show, with Payel Seth as creative director, actually attracts viewers with its emotional quotient.
For instance, shock and tears when a participant mentions loss of family in a fire though enough business. Jargon is thrown around to engage the viewers, who are watching for that purpose.
The sharks rarely bare their teeth (their ‘overacting’ reactions often look like they were shot separately and clumsily inserted when required). And are mostly encouraging and sympathetic, even though the pitchers are made to stand in front of them, like naughty students in the principal’s office.
