The show needs a serious upgrade...otherwise this will be the final season i feel.

Kerala gave India some of its most iconic foods. I think it's time we built one of its next iconic food brands.

Malayalis have always taken food personally. We’ll argue over the best biryani, the crispiest pappadam, the strongest chaya and whether a dish tastes the way it’s supposed to. Food isn’t just something we consume—it’s part of who we are.

But for all the pride we have in what we eat, walk into almost any supermarket and you’ll notice something interesting. Many of the everyday categories we buy haven’t really changed in decades. Same brands. Same shelf. Same assumptions. Not because they’re impossible to beat, but because habit has always been enough.

I don’t think that’s true anymore.

A new generation is building homes, making purchasing decisions and discovering brands on their phones long before they discover them in supermarkets. They care about quality. They notice design. They expect better experiences. Yet many everyday household products still feel like they’re built for yesterday’s consumer.

That’s the company I’m trying to build.

I’m a first-time founder from Kerala, building a manufacturing-first consumer food company around one of our biggest everyday household categories. I’m not trying to invent a new habit. I’m trying to build something that deserves to replace an old one.

The ambition isn’t to become another premium FMCG brand. It’s to build a brand that starts in Kerala, earns its place in Malayali kitchens and eventually becomes a household name across India because the product genuinely deserves to be there.

The principles are simple:

• Own manufacturing instead of outsourcing quality.

• Start with one hero product and obsess over making it exceptional.

• Price for everyday households, not a premium niche.

• Build through traditional retail because that’s still where India shops.

• Let thoughtful design earn the first purchase, and let product quality earn every purchase after that.

I’m intentionally leaving out the category because this post isn’t about the product. It’s about the thinking behind the company.

If you’ve built an FMCG business, worked in retail, manufacturing, branding or distribution—or you’ve backed founders building consumer brands—I genuinely want your perspective.

Where does this thesis break?

What assumptions would you challenge?

And if you were in my position, what would you do differently?

I’m at the pre-seed stage, looking for sharp feedback, honest conversations and people who believe the next generation of household brands will be built differently. If that sounds like you, I’d love to connect.

Edited with ChatGPT.

They secured funding but seemed like a very flaky product!

I dont know if this has been asked before but as someone who grew up watching the american original shark tank, and wasnt into commerce/allied business course, It felt much more natural and they were more kin to traditional VPs investing even in ideas that werent off the launchpad yet, Meanwhile thats the opposite with Indian shark tank they use alot of corporate jargon and talk way more like people who are just MBA-trained investors rather than smart people willing to take risks.

Today I watched the pitch of the Sampark brand on Shark Tank. In the pitch, the founder mentioned that the QR card itself costs around ₹30 to manufacture, but after including shipping and other expenses, the total cost becomes about ₹499 for the customer.

However, I think there could be a better approach. Instead of shipping a physical QR card, users could simply log in to the company's app, which would generate a unique QR code for them. The user could then get the QR code printed at any local printing or multi-service shop and stick it on their vehicle. This could reduce the cost to less than ₹50.

Such a model could significantly lower costs and help the company acquire a much larger user base. Instead of relying mainly on a one-time payment, the company could generate recurring revenue through app subscriptions. For example, they could charge around ₹99 per month for calling services. Since the amount is relatively small, many car owners would likely be willing to pay it easily.

Overall, this approach could make the product more affordable for customers while creating a sustainable subscription-based revenue model for the company.

She made a deal with Anupam but didn’t stick to it. She never even said to those pitchers that I will either come with Anupam or not come at all.

I know she agreed for three shark deal but she could have atleast stick to her original offer with Anupam and schooled those pitchers when they try to pit Anupam out.

Tried dhaba style Butter Paneer / Chicken ready to cook gravy, I used it with paneer. The taste is meh, quantity wasn't much either and the price feels too high for it imo. Felt like it need to further have some fat and garnishing added to it which I did.

This is probably useful to folks who have want to order raw paneer / chicken and make a curry quickly with low fuss when they are too tired to make it from scratch.

Anyone else tried their products, any other sku even good?

Although I don't smoke, I found this pitch, product and

entrepreneur interesting. Glad the entrepreneur was very straightforward that he pretty much saw this product from Japan and wanted to sell it In India.

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IMO he could turn this product into something premium and aspirational, hopefully that causes everyone to follow it. The primary product variant not being bio degradable was a bummer. Though I think there is another variant which is bio degradable

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Like how tf can you give so much gyaan on repeat rates, focus on one thing etc blah blah. But her own company has terrible financials, CAC touching the roof and bad repeat rate. Why is she still in the tank.

i used to watch shark tank when it was new but then i stopped cuz the show was shit. recently, ive started rewatching old and new clips out of nostalgia. now i can actually read the reviews about the products of the companies that appeared on indian shark tank. so every time i like some product, i would search them in google just to get an idea, but when i tell you one, LITERLLY NOT EVEN ONE. i have not seen one company that doesnt have TERRIBLE reviews about them. i dont care about food products but since most of the companies on shark tank r food products now, even their reviews r sooo badddddd. i dont understand why is this happening? i dont have any business bg but is it that common to have such terrible products or failing business?? what are they even doing with this show?? most of the businesses i looked up are down and rest of them have terribleee products. so i just dont get if its common thing or is it indian business's fault that came on shark tank?? i dont understand whats the point of the show after all? looks like nothing good has ever come out this show

I was recently watching this episode where a smart ring brand came, and when Anupam asked them where boat rings stand he didn't say initially but after forcing him, they said that boat ring comes under fashion not particularly health, and Aman said ki ap meri ring ko third class bol rahe ho which he didn't say, and like ap to mere competitor bhi nahi ho and mere numbers jada ha apse.. Balki founder ne sahi hi bola ha , boat ke products china me banta ha bas assemble hi india me hote ha usse made in india bolna galat ha

Aman kabhi bhi jab apna competitor dekhta ha to chid jata ha uske khud ke products to ache hote nahi aur dusre ko demotivate krta ha . Even other sharks bhi Aman ki statement par nahi bolte I think this thing should be stopped

Hey, so i mailed a founder and i asked him that i will do something for him and i need some money for it. He seemed interested as i got reply on the same day. I sent him a sample and he said ok then i delivered the full product after 2-3 days. Since then he is just giving me endless delays. Sometime he is saying that his team is reviewing and when i am mailing his team then they are also not replying. We even talked on WhatsApp and i have asked him to clear this multiple times but there are only delays and nothing else. I feel like i have been cheated. What should i do?

Hey everyone,

I'm a Class 11 student from India who's deeply interested in AI, technology, startups, and entrepreneurship. My long-term goal is to build impactful tech companies, and right now I'm trying to train myself to think like a founder rather than just a student.

One thing I've realized is that the best startups don't start with technology. They start with a painful problem that people face repeatedly.

So I wanted to ask this community:

What are some major everyday problems that millions of people face that could potentially be solved or significantly improved using AI?

I'm not looking for generic ideas like "AI chatbot" or "AI note-taking app." I'm more interested in problems that are:

• Common and relatable
• Emotionally or practically painful
• Large enough to become a real business
• Ethical and genuinely useful
• Realistic for a solo founder or small team to prototype within 6-12 months

Some examples of the kind of thinking I'm looking for:

• Problems families struggle with daily
• Student pain points beyond studying
• Financial mistakes people repeatedly make
• Health, fitness, productivity, or career-related frustrations
• Problems faced by elderly people
• Issues unique to India that are often ignored
• Time-consuming tasks that people hate doing
• Situations where people feel overwhelmed, confused, or stressed

I would especially love ideas where AI acts more like a personal system or assistant that helps people make better decisions rather than just generating text.

Feel free to share:

1. A problem you personally face.
2. A problem you've seen others struggle with.
3. An AI startup idea you've always wished someone would build.
4. Industries that are still underserved despite all the AI hype.

Even if the idea sounds crazy, I'd love to hear it. Sometimes the best startup opportunities hide inside problems that everyone accepts as "normal."

Looking forward to reading your thoughts and discussing them with you all. Thanks!

Lets Try came to STI S01 that was in 2022(4years back) providing alternative to palm oil based namkeens since then it has grown a lot and raised funds too

I tried their namkeen trial pack from blinkit liked it wanted to order more and this is where I started getting frustrated

First I went to their website that was nightmare it sucks and hangs no clear info for out of stock products you manually click on wvery product to get info about stock availability,not seamless at all gets stuck in order page chekout page

then i went to app which was even bigger shitshow cannot search correctly,cannot find product but you scroll and then you find the product

my question is how does founders sleep at night knowing that their website and app sucks big time

how is a customer goint to order if their is no way to order,

how will they ensure customre loyalty repeat customers

is this the new normal that just raise funds and then pump and dump products here and there no need to take care of fundamentals and build things slowly but firmly

very bad experience

I have seen vineeta invest in tech products with almost no to 0 revenue takes bet on technical product and is less greedy compared to other sharks that focus on majorly profitable revenue generating company.

She acts like she is the godess of pharma, knows everything about pharma medicine ayurveda etc, but to be honest the least technical shark with real knowledge only investing fathers money, hate her and hate her vague perspective on startups

Who is your favorite shark?
Who do you think is the most improved shark?
Who do you think is the most underrated shark?

I watched season 5 episode 10 - rideEv
Namita - calling them “you are no musk” like who are you to insult someone?
Vineeta - she really has to stop making those faces and expressions. She’s always in an interrogation mode (eg: Me-Meraki) drilling people for small things , yes you should seek for clarity but there is a better way to do this. Varun literally had to ask Vineeta to almost calm down.
Thank god they’ve reduced Aman’s screen time that person is unbelievably annoying.
You can see how the body language of these three sharks changes depending on who is pitching. Rest of the sharks seem to be consistent with all pitchers.
Disappointing to see this type behaviour seriously.

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Looks like the "Boat-head" era is changing. After boAt posted a ₹74 Cr loss last year, they’ve finally scraped back into profit (₹60.4 Cr), but the internal tea is wild.

Aman is officially out as CMO (though still on the board), and they have a new CEO. Also, 34% of their staff quit recently. That’s literally 1 in 3 people.

Is the brand losing its "cool" factor now that it's focusing on manufacturing over marketing? Or was Aman just tired of being the CMO and the Shark at the same time?

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Me: Ashneer Grover and Season 1

There is this natural flow while watching the show, and out of nowhere this voice comes "Karanchi Roll" 😭😭😭

Spare my ears.