Shark Tank India, the Hindi language counterpart of the hit business reality show has now become a household staple. It is more of an obsession and has ignited the spirit of being a businessperson in every viewer. But what is more intriguing is the people’s obsession and curiosity over the Indian judges.
Everyone wants to know about them, understand their legacy, and trace their success. It takes a lot to divert the attention of a celebrity-obsessed mass to ordinary people who have built their way to stardom.
In this article, I have discussed this very thing and traced the journey of the judges of the reality show, popularly known as The Sharks, including their achievements and net worth.
Shark Tank India Judges
This business show is based on the simple concept of pitching, where the budding business tries to impress the judges for an investment in their startup. The Sharks are people of caliber who have already made their mark in business and have net worth in millions of USD. So, the concept of investment entails financial aid and impeccable advice.
Let us now learn what made the Sharks what they are today and understand their legacy a bit further.
1. Namita Thapar
Company: Emcure Pharmaceuticals
The first shark leading this list is the great Namita Thapar, who is the Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals. She has been an avid investor in the show and has invested in over 100 companies.
It is always refreshing to see women leading businesses, and Namita’s experience, along with her credentials, make her a remarkable name on the list.
This CA from ICAI has also done her MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and has a current net worth of $72 million or INR 600cr.
She has been associated with Shark Tank India ever since its inception and apart from Emcure, she is also the driving force of Incredible Ventures Ltd, an education company.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
She has been seen on the show making investments into companies like Bummer, Altor (a smart helmet company), InACan (a cocktail company), and Wakao Foods (a ready-to-cook food manufacturer), among many others.
Her honest approach towards her investments and opting out of the ones that don’t resonate with her ideals garnered her a lot of praise, including memes on the internet.
2. Vineeta Singh
Company: Sugar Cosmetics
Vineeta’s products became a household name before she did with Shark Tank India. The founder of Sugar Cosmetics has her cinematic legacy and years of effort that ensured her present success.
This IIT Madras and IIM Ahmedabad graduate has a networth of 300 crores and was known to reject a salary of ₹1 crore with Deutsche Bank during her internship days. Such was her belief in her own skills and ideas!
The journey for Vineeta wasn’t easy though, after this rejection. She had to see subsequent failures with Quetzal and Fab-Bag before she could create Sugar Cosmetics.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
To date, she has invested up to 5.80 crore (in 20 episodes) and some of her notable investments include Zouk, Padcare Labs, JhaJi Store, Snitch, and many others.
She has been awarded the 40 Under 40′ award by Economic Times and Fortune India, and is known to invest in ideas more than the present state of the business, which makes her a successful entrepreneur.
3. Aman Gupta
Company: boAt Lifestyle
The most flamboyant name on this list is Aman Gupta, who is known for his quirky tone yet valuable business advice. He is one of those judges who have now become synonymous with the Shark Tank name.
But his product reached the peak of glory before his identity came into the limelight. He is the co-founder and CMO of Indian electronics brand boAt Lifestyle.
A Delhi Public School student, he graduated from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College under Delhi University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and then joined Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Moreover, he has a double MBA in General Management and Marketing and Finance and Strategy.
He was a corporate employee with KPMG before he became a business maestro, and even co-founded Advanced Telemedia Private Limited before boAt.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
He was in the news in February this year for a Rs 5.8 crore profit on a Rs 20 lakh investment with the popsicle brand Skippi.
Along with that, his other ventures with Shark Tank India include WickedGud, Shiprocket, and Freecultr, among many others.
4. Peyush Bansal
Company: Lenskart
Another Shark whose product changed the game in India is Peyush Bansal. The founder of Lenskart, he is known for his witty investment techniques and insights. He has the reputation of being the ideal shark by most of the followers of the show, and is a former employee of Microsoft.
A student of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, his first attempt at business was selling eyewear online in the USA. After his stint at Microsoft, he came back to India and first started with SearchMyCampus.com.
Later came another venture called Flyer, which unfortunately didn’t take off. Following this, he founded Lenskart with Amit Chaudhary in 2010. Along with Lenskart he had started various other ventures called WatchKart, JewelsKart, and BagsKart.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
Apart from his witty insights and in-depth knowledge sharing, he is also known for some notable investments in Shark Tank India. He has invested Rs 8.297 crore in 27 deals and includes some noteworthy brands including Daily Objects, Push Sports, iMumz along with many others.
5. Anupam Mittal
Company: Shaadi.com
Anupam Mittal is another beloved judge from the Shark Tank lineup. His name might have become a staple with Shark Tank but his venture, Shaadi.com, is known by one and all in India. He is a graduate of Boston College and did his MBA in Operations and Strategic Management.
Before Shark Tank India, he was popularly known as the angel investor who invested in over 250 startups before Shark Tank India’s conception. His story and journey as an entrepreneur is a tale in itself; he was riding the high tide with his success in his early twenties with the dot-com bubble.
However, it all collapsed and he had to start from scratch. His resilience is evident in his role as a Shark Tank India judge and in his many investments in the show.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
Anupam has made significant investments in Shark Tank and his net worth of investments includes ₹54,000,000 (US$680,000) across 25 businesses, whereas In Season 3, he invested close to ₹80,500,000 (US$960,000).
The names of the few companies in which he invested are BrownDoor.ai, Canvaloop Fibre, amongst many others.
6. Amit Jain
Company: CarDekho
Another seasoned investor from the Shark Tank clan is Amit Jain, a software engineer and a former Tata Consultancy Services employee. His business is also one of those ventures that took flight in a garage. A former Xaverian and IITian, he has seen a series of ups and downs before reaching where he is today.
His brainchild, CarDekho.com, which he founded with his brother, is a perfect example of his business acumen. After seeing a loss in his initial venture, he launched CarDekho in one week to recover, and the rest is all history.
It is an example of one of the few ventures that stood the test of time and currently has 35 million monthly unique users, 6000+ monthly used car sales, and 3000+ new cars sold monthly.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
His business and investment ideas on Shark Tank are simple: it is to not only nurture young talent but inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset too. He wishes to establish the fact that a business mindset lurks everywhere in the country.
Some of his notable investments in Shark Tank India are Pharmallama, Funngro, Maisha, Nish Hair, and many others.
7. Ritesh Agarwal
Company: OYO
This young entrepreneur is an inspiration to all, regardless if they are a Shark Tank fan or not. With a net worth of $220 Million (Rs 1,900 Crore), he has already featured in the Hurun Rich List of India 2024. Born in Orissa to a small businessman family, he did his college years in Delhi.
He started his journey with “Oravel Stays” which received a US$100,000 grant and then launched OYO Rooms in May 2013. The last financial year also saw OYO’s first-ever profit after tax (PAT) of ₹229 crore for 2023-2024.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
He is the youngest Shark to appear in Shark Tank India and is known to encourage ventures with clear goals. For him, a great business venture is only successful when the goal of the entrepreneur is clear.
Some of his notable investments in Shark Tank India include ventures like FirstBud Organics, Rocca, Katidhan, WhySo Blue, Croatia Technologies, etc.
8. Azhar Iqubal
Company: InShorts
Changing the scene of news in India and how people perceive news and media communication, Azhar Iqubal is another Shark who is loved by all. You might now be able to identify him by name, but you have surely used or heard about his creation Inshorts.
If you look back at Azhar Iqubal’s life, you will be amazed at its possibilities. Hailing from a lower middle-class background and taking the risk of dropping out of IIT Delhi is a daring move, and this is also evident in his business ventures.
Before his Shark Tank India stint, he was loved by the young entrepreneurs in the country for his honest approach to his struggles. He has always been vocal about his incapabilities to grasp the English language initially or how he broke out of the cycle of his humble upbringing.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
He was approached by the Shark Tank India’s team on Linkedin and to join their venture and his strategy towards his investment can be traced through his quote, “On Shark Tank India Season 3, I want to convey to the youth of India that your background and whether you possess a degree are not significant; what matters is your hunger, discipline, and focus. If you have these qualities, I am here to support you in achieving your entrepreneurial dream.”
He has invested in various ventures in the show, some of which include Turms (Investment of $144,000), Mintree( $108,000 ), and Aroleap ( $120,000).
9. Deepinder Goyal
Company: Zomato
Deepinder Goyal is probably the only shark who was popular by his name even before the show. The CEO of Zomato has an unparalleled legacy and is one of the best business minds that we have in the country.
A B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing, he started his entrepreneurial venture in 2010 with Foodiebay.com, which later rebranded itself to Zomato.
With a 5.5% stake in Zomato, his net worth is $30.84 million. He has invested in multiple startups ever since like Bira 91, HyperTrack, TerraDo, SquadStrack, and others.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
Currently, his future in the reality show is uncertain owing to the investments made by Zomato’s biggest competitor, Swiggy, in Shark Tank India. However, before this, he was a Shark who was known to create a personal brand in the show.
For now, he has invested mainly in two companies, Goenchi Feni and BrownDoor AI.
10. Ashneer Grover
Company: BharatPe
Last but not least, the man who became bigger than the show itself is Ashneer Grover. He is mostly known for his tough yet humorous demeanor which acted as a daunting presence for the contestants.
The founder of BharatPe is an IITian and has a net worth of $95 million. He has a legacy of an excellent academic career as well, which landed him a
scholarship of whooping €6000 from the French Embassy.
Before establishing India’s one of the biggest Fintech companies, he was at PC Jeweller Ltd as its Head of New Business for one year. He was the second-largest investor in the first season of the show, which was close to Rs 2.95 crore in a total of 11 deals.
Notable Deals On Shark Tank:
For Ashneer, a good pitch is all it took from him to invest in ventures, regardless of its concept as a brand. All this is evident in his investments, which include a varied selection of names, such as BluePine Industries, Skippi Pops, Hair O, Yarn Bazar, Revamp, and In A Can, among many others.
Judges’ Impact on Entrepreneurship In India
Apart from the entertainment value, the judges have uplifted businesses in India greatly. The show has been designed to inspire budding entrepreneurs to come forward with their ideas and try their luck.
The concept of a funding-based show enables entrepreneurs hailing from less-privileged backgrounds or smaller cities to not shy away from pursuing their business ideas. Plus, the air of the show enables fledgling entrepreneurs to experiment and take some daring yet calculative risks in their favor.
Conclusion
Well, this was our list of the great Sharks from The Shark Tank India. It is only common to feel inspired and awe-struck reading about them and the marvelous feats that they have achieved in their career.
If you are a budding startup owner or someone just curious about business, you’ll learn a lot from their ventures and business decisions on the show.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Who are the judges of Shark Tank India 2025?
The judges for the latest season of Shark Tank India are Aman Gupta, Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Peyush Bansal, Vineeta Singh, Azhar Iqubal, Kunal Bahl and Viraj Bahl.
2. Who is the richest judge in Shark Tank India?
The richest judge in Shark Tank India till now is Ritesh Aggarwal the founder of OYO rooms with a net worth of 1.92 billion USD (₹16,000 Crore).
3. What criteria do the judges use to evaluate pitches on Shark Tank India?
The judges evaluate pitches on various grounds which include the market potential, revenue & profitability, founder capability of the business.
4. How much do Shark Tank India judges invest in startups?
The investment by the Shark Tank judges ranges from a few lakhs and can go up to crores.
5. What is the net worth of Shark Tank India judges?
The net worth of the current panel of Shark Tank India judges ranges from ₹185 crore to ₹16,000 crore (approximately $22 million to $1.92 billion).
6. How do the Shark Tank India judges support startups after investment?
The judges support the businesses in multiple ways by offering mentorship, networking, business strategy guidance, and financial support to elevate the business.
7. How can startups pitch to the judges of Shark Tank India?
Entrepreneurs can apply online through the official Shark Tank India website, where their applications go through a screening process. Only selected candidates get the opportunity to pitch on the show.
