Makers of the popular business reality show Shark Tank, which returns for the fourth season in January, have said they look forward to hosting Zomato founder and chief executive officer Deepinder Goyal again. Goyal debuted as a “shark” in the third season but is missing from the line-up for the new edition.
"We will love to have Deepinder Goyal on Shark Tank at some point in time," said Danish Khan, business head, Sony LIV and StudioNext, during a recent press conference to introduce the fourth season.
Moneycontrol has earlier reported that food and grocery platform Swiggy, a rival of Goyal’s Zomato, was close to finalising a deal to sponsor the fourth season of Shark Tank India for Rs 25 crore. As part of the agreement, Swiggy didn't want Goyal to the show.
"There are 50 episodes and there are a lot of permutations and combinations to bring sharks on the show. They are busy people who have their own companies to run and then we get them to spend weekends with us on Shark Tank. There are sharks who have been on the show for four seasons and you will see them in the next season as well," Khan said.
Along with Swiggy, the fourth season’s sponsors include ACKO, Pokerbaazi, Swiggy, Adani, Jaguar, Rayzon Solar, ICICI Direct and Lenskart.
Ritesh Agarwal, founder and group CEO, Oyo, said he joined Shark Tank the same season as Goyal. "The channel and studio that we work with they have a vision of sharks sharing their knowledge about business on the show. I visit the US a lot, as the majority of our business comes from there and in that country, there are so many who are following Shark Tank India who may not be watching Shark Tank US that much. Indians are the fastest growing population in the US, while Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US," the hotel aggregator CEO said.
BoAt co-founder and chief marketing officer Aman Gupta, who has been with the show since the first season, said he never sponsored Shark Tank but has been a “shark” for multiple seasons. "I have not been paid even a rupee to be a shark on the show," he added.
It was a privilege to be on the platform to share ideas and his mistakes with aspiring entrepreneurs, Kunal Bahl, co-founder, Snapdeal and Titan Capital, said.
"I am only happy that I got a place in the show with Deepinder's exit," said Viraj Bahl, founder and managing director of Veeba, who makes his debut on the show. "I can write a thank you note to Swiggy."
The show has faced flak from pitchers , who say the judges or sharks do not invest in their companies or are not available after the show.
"I have seen one season. Every shark comes into the tank with the intent to do a deal and actively work with pitchers. I have experienced that there are times when we give deals but companies get so popular that they may receive another offer outside. End of the day, 100 percent pitchers will say that Shark Tank has changed their lives," Agarwal said.
Namita Thapar, executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said there were times when founders ghosted them.
Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO, Shaadi.com, said 80 percent of the time when deals didn’t go through was because the founders changed the deal terms.
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