Shark Tank India 2's finale had the showstopper deal with Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee's cosmetic brand. The duo took an all-shark deal for Rs 5 cr for 5% equity. Kaushik shared how the Shark Tank pitch was a big deal for them and everything about its preparation and pressure while presenting the pitch.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote, "Back in November of last year, the showrunners had reached out to me to plan a 'surprise pitch' to the other sharks as the showstopper of Season 2. Their only condition - pitch like you guys would have pitched back in 2016 when our brand was nothing more than a logo and a few products.
Preparing for this meant rummaging through our inboxes and going down a rabbit hole of "sorry you're not investable" emails, "your model doesn't make sense" Excels and "this won't work" PPTs"
While preparing for the pitch, Kaushik shared, "By the time we were done preparing, the 2015-16 numbers were etched in our mind and our hearts were full of gratitude towards so many colleagues, friends and family members who have been our support system over the good and the bad years.
I don't know how we can ever repay that - but I do hope that once this company goes public in the next 3 years, we can formally build value for each and every such individual over the next few decades."
Kaushik then revealed his experience on Shark Tank, "About the pitch - it was about 55 mins long and suitably edited to about 15 mins on screen. The sharks were feisty yet supportive and probed some lesser-talked-about areas such as interpersonal business vs personal equation, decision-making between cofounders, choice of brand name and more.
All in all, a very very fulfilling experience for Vineeta, me and the entire team back at the office with whom we watched the screening late last night. There has been a deluge of 'hey we saw you' WhatsApp messages so I can only imagine how much this show does for early-stage startups for whom discoverability and awareness are gold dust."
He even answered the fans' most asked question and wrote, "And to all those who have pinged to ask me why I wasn't wearing a blazer when Vineeta was as well, one of us had to sport the logo and that's why there was literally only one thing in my entire ensemble that I selected especially for the shoot.
The shark-themed shoes, of course - and as luck would have it, they were on sale!"
As the pitch was aired, Kaushik entered the tank and invited his 2016 business partner Vineeta to join him. 'Don't anticipate any mercy,' Peyush warned as they presented their cosmetic line. Their offer was Rs 1 crore for 2% equity. Anupam refered to them as Yuva entrepreneurs, to which Vineeta responded, 'Chaliye, aage badhiye'.
The Sharks had personal questions as to where the pair met, and Vineeta responded, 'Junior ne senior ko pataya.' Aman asked Kaushik about the business name, and they admit that they first wanted to call it 'kickass cosmetics,' but settled on Sugar. Vineeta gifts their products to sharks to evaluate. The duo cracked the biggest deal of Rs 5 crore for 5% equity by all Sharks.
