Shark Tank India: Namita Thapar claims to have invested Rs 10 crore in 25 startups on the show

The executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals judged the business reality show with co-sharks Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover, Vineeta Singh, Ghazal Alagh, and Peyush Bansal

Namita Thapar/Instagram

Shark Tank India recently wrapped its first season. The popular business reality show has become a dinner table talk in many Indian households now, given that it was a one-of-a-kind show where successful businessmen listened to pitches by the startup founders and invested in the ones they liked. The show featured sharks Ashneer Grover (co-founder and managing director of BharatPe), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart co-founder and CEO), Namita Thapar (executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Aman Gupta (co-founder and chief marketing officer at boAt), Vineeta Singh (CEO and co-founder of SUGAR Cosmetics) and Ghazal Alagh (co-founder of Mamaearth).

On the show, 67 growing business ventures received funding to the tune of Rs 41.98 crore. One of the investors Namita Thapar recently said that she has invested Rs 10 crore in 25 startups that were presented on the first season of the show that ran for 30 episodes. She opened up about the investments she made on the show and also regrets and missing opportunities as a business leader. She also said that she feels 'vulnerable' sometimes as an entrepreneur. In her article published on YourStory, she said she evaluated as many as 170 pitches and invested in 25 ventures that 'touched her heart'. "I invested ₹7 crore during the show and ₹3 crore post the show in deals I had lost out on and in a few existing deals to increase my stake,” she said.

Thapar also talked about her biggest regrets. She said as 'future leaders', she looked to invest in businesses that showed potential and are working on 'real problems' but lack proper guidance to help grow their businesses. "Jugaadu Kamlesh and Pandurang of Agro Tourism were both Maharashtrian farmers out to solve real problems but due to lack of right guidance hadn’t made sales,” she wrote adding that not investing in them is her biggest regret. She said that leaders like her need to be bold and support even the common man, so that the dream of entrepreneurship is not just limited to those with the right education and resources but also a regular person. This is one of our core responsibilities as business leaders who have been blessed with power and privilege, who people look up to... and not investing in Kamlesh and Pandurang remain my biggest regrets at Shark Tank India,” she wrote further in her article.

Shark Tank India is the official adaptation of the US show Shark Tank. The Indian version of the show, hosted by Rannvijay Singha, began airing on Sony TV in December and had its finale on February 4.

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