Shark Tank India 4: Pitchers Accused of Copying Brands Still Secure Deal from Ritesh Agarwal & Namita Thapar

Shark Tank India 4: Entrepreneurs Accused of Copying Big Brands Still Sign with Ritesh Agarwal and Namita Thapar

On Shark Tank India 4, Maharashtra brothers Tushar and Ravi Mundada pitched Aquapeya in a bold move. Despite being accused of mimicking Pepsi and Coca-Cola designs, they got a settlement.

The Pitch
Tushar and Ravi launched Aquapeya, a water and soft drink brand. They requested ₹70 lakh for 2% stock, valuing their business at ₹35 crore. The pair described their remarkable journey, starting their firm in 2018 with a ₹2.5 crore loan and house mortgage to establish their bottling plant.

They said Aquapeya earned market share in Maharashtra by understanding client preferences. They even colored bottles green for one neighborhood and blue for another to suit local tastes.

Criticism of Copying

Aquapeya’s designs resembled established brands, which the Sharks noticed immediately. “Why have you copied so much?” Namita Thapar chastised them. The brothers said they followed client trends, not copied.

The brothers reported ₹9 crore in income last year and expect ₹12 crore this year when queried about sales data by the Sharks. The results were excellent, but Sharks like Peyush Bansal worried about brand originality. Aman Gupta warned that duplicating major companies could be illegal.

The Deal

Namita Thapar and Ritesh Agarwal noticed Aquapeya’s potential despite criticism. Namita proposed ₹70 lakh for 3% equity and 2% royalty until her investment was recouped. Ritesh, however, offered to market the products through his huge hotel network without the royalty. He suggested their firm may reach ₹1,000 crore if properly grown.

Namita and Ritesh partnered after tough negotiations. The brothers decided to drop the royalty to 1% and concluded the purchase at a price of ₹23 crore, which was lower than their early expectations but still a big achievement.

Final thoughts

Entrepreneurs can overcome criticism with determination and planning, as shown in the episode. From mortgaging their property to landing a Shark Tank India deal shows Tushar and Ravi’s persistence and desire.

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