13 Female Entrepreneurs from Shark Tank India that Boosted Women’s Spirit

India is the country of contrasts, where you can find everything from poverty to excess. But one thing that India has in abundance are entrepreneurs who have started businesses based on their passion and innovations with little money or support! This show “Shark Tank” showcases these brilliant minds by giving them an opportunity for investors meeting through its Indian edition called ‘The Shark Tank India.’ By mentoring budding entrepreneurs and introducing people to different business ideas, this show has sparked a light of hope in every corner of India.
More so, women across India have started talking about Shark Tank India as they witnessed several female entrepreneurs leading the industry with their mastermind and skills. Just as women discussed daily soaps and ‘Big-Boss’ serials, they have now started to talk about business ideas from Shark Tank India. At the end of this show, it wouldn’t be surprising to see women entrepreneurs booming rapidly. Most importantly, the female judges of Shark Tank India, namely Namita Thapar, Ghazal Alagh, and Vineeta Singh, seemed to be impressed with the female entrepreneurs who came on the show.
Bringing women entrepreneurship to light, the first season of Shark Tank India offered funds to several female entrepreneurs whose dreams were coming true through their business. To put more light on this topic, we have created this list of the lucky female entrepreneurs from Shark Tank India who impressed the sharks with their innovative ideas and boosted women spirit with their confidence.

Female Entrepreneurs that cracked the deal on Shark Tank India:

1. Ananya & Anushree Malloo, Nuutjob:

We rarely hear people talking about men’s hygiene. No one cares to pay attention to this topic, first because it sounds taboo, and second, because it’s related to men. But here is a men’s hygiene product with female founders.

Ananya & Anushree Malloo, cousin sisters from Ahmedabad, caught the Shark’s attention from the moment they entered the stage. They made the judges feel shy and gross by scratching their groins and talking about men’s intimate talks. But that’s what kept the judges hooked and interested to hear about their idea. Having grown up in a joint family, these sisters were aware of the problems most men face in their intimate areas. To find a modern solution, they came up with Nuutjob, a men’s intimate hygiene brand that aims to help men keep their intimates clean and dry. Their products work on preventing irritation, bad odor, itching, and anti-chaffing while also maintaining a good pH balance in men’s intimate areas.

With a unique offering and an enticing pitch, the Malloo sisters got funding of Rs 25 lakhs for 20% equity in the company from the sharks Peyush Bansal, Aman Gupta, and Namita Thapar.

2. Aditi Gupta and Tuhin Paul, Menstrupedia:

Menstruation has always been considered taboo in some parts of India. Due to this, most girls and ladies fall victim to societal restrictions and face a sense of shame while growing up. Although some people are changing their perspectives with the help of education and information through media, some often remain uneducated about unhygienic situations and the underlying causes that women have to face.

Being a receiver of period-related stigma, Aditi Gupta could understand the discomfort most ladies face while talking about periods. This situation inspired her to start Menstrupedia comics with the aim of bringing change to society. Aditi and her husband, Tuhin Paul, quit their jobs and worked on creating this India’s first comic book dedicated to periods. With strong facts and narratives, including interesting characters, they crafted a friendly comic that makes it easy to grasp the sensitive information related to menstruation. This comic is already creating a positive impact by educating girls about menstruation and empowering them as it’s available in over 11000 schools in India.

Aditi and Tuhin want to expand this startup by creating an app to make a global impact. As the concept sounded quite touching and inspiring, Shark Tank’s judge Namita Thapar couldn’t let this idea slip away. She invested Rs 50 lakhs for 20% equity and helped the duo to take their idea to new heights.

3.Malvica Saxena, Quirky Naari:

With the rise of social media, people are getting introduced to  newer fashion trends that give them an identity of their own. Some prefer staying old-school, while some get attracted to the quirky side of fashion. But looking at the ongoing trends, we can say that the quirky touch is definitely going to take over the fashion market.

Malvica Saxena, the founder of a fashion and lifestyle startup named Quirky Naari, was another female entrepreneur who won the hearts of the Shark Tank judges with her quirky product ideas. At Quirky Naari, she artfully designs and provides customized products like hand-painted sneakers, bridal sneakers, jackets, and a wide range of footwear. These innovative and artistic products appealed to the sharks, Anupam Mittal and Vineeta Singh. So, when Malvica pitched this business idea which was anticipated in 2018, the judges couldn’t resist investing in her business and offered Rs 35 lakhs funding for 15% equity.

4.Riya Khattar, Heart Up My Sleeves:

Raise your hands if you always say that you have nothing to wear even though you have a closet full of clothes! We know most of you might fit in this category. Riya Khattar, a Delhi-based female entrepreneur, faced the same situation while cleaning her closet during the pandemic. But instead of feeling upset, she came up with an idea to spruce up this situation.With a modern concept that’s beneficial for transforming India, Riya started the brand “Heart Up My Sleeves,” where she designs and makes detachable sleeves. It’s a simple yet fashion-oriented solution to spice up the attire. As the product is simple and resourceful, Riya got a heads up from the Sharks Anupam Mittal and Vineeta Singh, who invested Rs 25 lakhs for 30% equity in her startup. And the best part is that her brand even got a good response from celebrities and influencers like Hansika Motwani, Neha Kakkar, and Komal Pandey.

5. Aishwarya Biswas, Auli Lifestyle:

We all dream of having flawless skin no matter how old we grow. And that is why we constantly keep trying homemade, organic, and ayurvedic products and follow a skincare routine whenever possible.

Supporting this idea, Aishwarya Biswas, a female entrepreneur from Kolkata, presented her brand “Auli,” an ayurvedic skincare business, to Shark Tank India. Conceptualized and curated by herself, Aishwarya Biswas aims to sell her products widely as they are organic and have proved to show the best results. Her lively nature and the experience behind starting AULI showed that the products aren’t just tied to pampering your skin but also portray a sense of wellness and indulgence.

Although the male sharks were skeptical about investing in Aishwarya’s company, the female Shark Namita Thapar stepped her foot ahead and decided to invest in AULI for the confidence she saw in this female entrepreneur. Namita Thapar invested Rs 75 lakhs for 15% equity in Aishwarya’s company and felt proud to mentor a woman who said she would rather go solo than having a co-founder with her.

6. Aditi Madan with Naveen Panwar & Rohan Singh – Blue Pine Foods:

Any momo lovers in the house? If yes, then the next idea on this list by a female entrepreneur will surely hit your heart and your tastebuds.
Aditi Madan, a former Masterchef India contestant, founded Blue Pine Foods to offer authentic frozen momos from the Himalayas in every corner of India. With natural and zero-preservatives, she aims to provide these soul-touching momos to every momo lover and make her brand popular across India. She even prepares gluten-free and vegan momos with different skin types, which makes her brand unique among others.

Her delicious momos and the desire to introduce people to authentic Himalayan momos lured the Sharks for a bite. And for that, she received funding of Rs 75 lakhs in exchange for 16% equity from the Sharks Ashneer Grover, Vineeta Singh, and Aman Gupta.

7. Shraddha Himmatsingka & Raghav Himmatsingka, Raising Superstars:

It’s no doubt that kids need nourishment from the moment they enter this world. Right from their body to mind, new parents leave no stone unturned in developing their kids both physically and mentally.

To support such parents, Shraddha and Raghav thought of creating and sharing skillful activities that are knowledgeable and fun for the kids. These parents developed an app named ‘Raising Superstars’ where they offer several activities for parents and 5 minutes sessions for kids. Apart from this, they provide products that help nurture the skills of kids aged between 0-3. The duo impressed the sharks by presenting a 2-year-old kid who has been learning new skills through their app. The kid’s smartness and the app’s usefulness to new parents were enough to seal the deal on the Shark Tank India.
Aman Gupta and Ashneer Grover couldn’t let this idea slip away, so they mutually decided to offer funding of Rs 1 crore for 4% equity in the company.

8. Surabhi & Chetana Shah, Carragreen:

We all know how plastic usage is deteriorating our Earth and the impact it’s going to have on our future generations. Although recycling and reusing old products improve the situation, we want more people to reduce plastic usage and diminish global warming.

The classic duo of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, i.e., Surabhi & Chetana Shah from Indore, MP, came up with Carragreen, an initiative to stop the massive use of plastic cutlery in our day-to-day life. With a benevolent heart, both these female entrepreneurs, or more specifically female ecopreneurs, aimed to create products that are biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

Through Carragreen, they want to offer these innovative products to people so that they can have substitutes for disposable & throwaway plastic at affordable prices. The Shark Tank’s judges, Peyush Bansal and Anupam Mittal were quite impressed by these ecopreneurs’ ideas and thus, invested Rs 50 lakhs for 20% equity in the startup.

9. Kanika Talwar & Angad Talwar, CosIQ Intelligent Cosmetics:

CosIQ, a skincare product by Kanika Talwar and her husband Angad Talwar, was a four-month-old startup that got funds from shark tank India. Like many other skincare brands, CosIQ aims to cure skin problems, but one thing that sets this brand apart from others is the minimal formulations. Their Vit-C serum contains only 2 ingredients, while their sunscreen is created in serum form.

Their products are also backed by effective clinical technologies that focus on clean ingredients and unique formulas. Looking at the unique packaging and the huge scope for this product, the sharks Vineeta Singh and Anupam Mittal offered funding of Rs 50 lakhs for 25% of equity in the company.

10. Anuja Kabra & Ravi Kabra, Skippi Ice Pops:

Don’t we all feel nostalgic while thinking about the Pepsi sticks we carried in our childhood? Yes, the ones that came in different colors and flavors. And now, in the world of family packs and scooped ice-creams, the essence of those Pepsi sticks got a little bit blurred out.

But Anuja Kabra and her husband Ravi Kabra came up to the rescue of most Pepsi lovers by introducing India’s first ice popsicle brand named ‘Skippi Ice Pops.’ With 100% natural ingredients, the duo created this brand with an aim to bring back our childhood days and allow parents to introduce their kids to these lovely treats that are made in standard hygienic conditions.

With their impressive pitch and creative branding, ‘Skippi Ice Pops’ became the first brand to receive an “All Shark Deal” on Shark Tank India. They got funding of Rs 1 crore for 15% equity from Ashneer Grover, Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Vineeta Singh, and Namita Thapar.

11. Rishika Nayak, The Sass Bar:

Fragrances and colors magically take us to another world with their essence. Such was the power of our next female entrepreneur’s brand, who appeared on The Shark Tank India.

The Sass Bar is an online soap brand that deals with the concept of gifting sassy yet creative soaps which can bring a smile to your face. Founded by Rishika Nayak, a female entrepreneur from Mumbai, the Sass bar provides a wide range of quirky soaps designed in the form of desserts. Sounds amazing, right? Rishika tried to impress the sharks by asking the sharks to open the product boxes kept in front of them. Initially, the dessert-shaped soap surprised the sharks as they imagined the products to be eatable. Rishika also presented another line of products from her brand that she deliberately made for gifting purposes.

With the help of another artist, she worked on curating soaps with themes like Travel, Food, and Music. She desires to make ‘The Sass Bar’ a gifting brand and add a sassy touch to people’s lives. After interrogating for a while, the sharks Anupam Mittal and Ghazal Alagh offered funding of Rs 50 lakhs for 35% equity in Rishika’s brand.

12. Ridhima Arora, Namhya Foods:

At some point in our life, we get introduced to Ayurveda as it strives to attack the root causes and heal the underlying problems. Ridhima Arora, a female entrepreneur from Jammu & Kashmir, supports Ayurveda as her roots lie in it.

She brings Ayurveda and food combined under the company named ‘Namhya Foods,’ which claims to be India’s first Ayurvedic brand to prevent health problems. Inspired by the secrets of her grandfather, she curated ayurvedic tea products, cereals, and herbs that people can easily integrate into their daily lifestyles.

More than her products, her confidence, and the thoughts aligned with Ayurveda impressed some of the sharks. So, after several offers and counter-offers, she finalized the deal with Aman Gupta, who offered funding of Rs 50 lakhs for 10% equity with Rs 50 lakhs in debt.

13. Vidushi Vijayvergiya, ISAK Fragrances:

Every one of us applies fragrances to uplift our personality by carrying some good vibes. And to find the best one, we also hop into different brands and shops to find the best perfume or attar that can rejuvenate your senses. But have you ever thought about creating a perfume on your own? If not, then you should definitely check this brand presented on the Shark Tank India.

Vidushi Vijay Vergiya, a female entrepreneur from Lucknow, founded Isak Fragrances to give a new turn to their 160 yearlong family business of creating perfumes. Isak Fragrances is a perfume and Itar manufacturing brand that offers customized, artisanal, collection-based, and unisex fragrances through their website. Vidushi started this business after researching the perfume industry, where she desired to provide people with an option where they can create their own perfumes that contain 100% homemade and organic composition.

Although the sales of Rs 3.5 lakhs per month failed to impress the sharks, the scalability of this fragrance brand hooked the attention of Peyush Bansal, who decided to invest Rs. 50 lakhs for 50% equity in Isak fragrances.

Wrapping Up:

Looking at the inspiring stories and business ideas of these female entrepreneurs from Shark Tank India, all we can say is “Women Rock!” Despite the challenges, be it lack of money, societal restrictions, gender comparison, or work-life balance, women can lead the business industry successfully with their willpower and skills. So, if you are thinking of starting your own business, don’t wait for validations from anyone. These stories should be enough to boost the boss-lady inside you!