Shark Tank India 4: Controversy erupts as sharks clash over social media platform founders’ pitch

Shark Tank India 4 airs on Sony Liv.

The latest episode of Shark Tank India Season 4 took a dramatic turn as the founders of Medial, a social media platform for startups, faced intense scrutiny from the Sharks.

The four young entrepreneurs—Aishwarya Raj Pandey, Harsh Dwivedi, Niket Raj Dwivedi, and Prateek Kaien—pitched their vision of a professional networking space where users could share ideas, get advice, and stay updated on startup news. They asked for Rs 50 lakhs in exchange for 1% equity.

However, their pitch didn’t sit well with Kunal Bahl, who immediately dismissed Medial as a ‘feature factory.’ He criticized their approach, saying, “Jahan jahan koi accha feature dekha, thoda sa Twitter, thoda sa Google News, thoda sa LinkedIn, thoda sa Github, thoda sa Kickstarter bana diya.”

He argued that merely combining features from other platforms wouldn’t ensure success without a clear product positioning.

The scrutiny continued when Ritesh Agarwal asked about Medial’s power users. The founders pointed to user engagement driven by paid acquisitions, prompting Anupam Mittal to cut in sharply: “Aap baat ghumaiye mat, don’t switch the narrative.”

When the founders struggled to defend their retention metrics, Kunal Bahl bluntly told them, “If the answer is no, just say no.”

As the Sharks debated Medial’s viability, the founders revealed they had previously launched a startup pitching section, which received strong traction. Kunal Bahl suggested they pivot entirely and become India’s Product Hunt. But the founders insisted they were still experimenting with features, hoping to refine their product.

Anupam Mittal grew frustrated, accusing them of lacking a clear vision. “Bhai, aap kar kya rahe ho yaar? Business nahi hai, traction nahi hai, micro-use case nahi hai, power use case nahi hai. Abhi aap tukka maar rahe ho funding mil jaaye.”

He claimed Medial was trying to be LinkedIn, Twitter, and everything at once, without a concrete strategy.

As the discussion grew heated, Anupam outright accused the founders of coming on the show just for marketing.

The Sharks, except for Ritesh Agarwal, unanimously backed out. Ritesh, however, saw potential in Medial and offered Rs 50 lakhs for 2.5% equity, under the condition that they pivot to become a Startup Showcase App.

Aman Gupta then questioned whether the founders were willing to compromise their original vision just for funding. Meanwhile, Anupam escalated his criticism: “Bhai aapne apna product bhi aggregate karke banaya aur roadmap bhi sabka advice leke bana rahe ho. I don't think you can build anything.” Aman agreed and also opted out.

Despite the backlash, the founders accepted Ritesh’s offer. As the deal was sealed, a new argument erupted between Anupam and Ritesh. Anupam challenged the legitimacy of the investment, questioning whether it made strategic sense. Ritesh dismissed the criticism, saying, “Main ek baar cheque de deta hoon phir aap question kar lo, aapne deal diya nahi unko.” Anupam shot back, “Would it make sense if I asked them in the beginning?”

The tension didn’t end there. As Ritesh and the Medial founders posed for photos, he taunted Aman, saying, “Ye startup nahi hai, joh aate hain unko hum leke aayenge.” Aman replied, “Nahi bhai, hum bhi startup hain.” Despite the heated exchanges, Ritesh congratulated the team and wished them success, while Anupam and the other Sharks remained unconvinced.