Author: sushree

Mass-premium pet care brand Nootie made a strong impression on Shark Tank India Season 5, walking away with a ₹1 crore investment after a high-voltage face-off against cat-food startup Smylo.  The episode aired on January 12, 2026, and featured a sharp debate around dog-first versus cat-first nutrition in India’s growing pet food market.

Founded by Karan, Anil, and Akshay Mahendru under parent company Pet Point India Pvt. Ltd., Nootie operates across two verticals, its own private-label pet products and The Pet Point, a chain of physical pet stores. While Pet Point has been around since 2003, the Nootie brand represents the founders’ push into modern, mass-premium pet nutrition.

During the pitch, the founders highlighted that all Nootie products use 100% human-grade ingredients, even going so far as to eat a dog biscuit on camera to prove the point.

One of the spotlight products was “Nibblr,” priced at ₹179, along with a ₹10 dog biscuit pack sold on Swiggy Instamart, created specifically so people can affordably feed stray and community dogs. This social initiative drew strong praise from the sharks, especially Namita Thapar, who called it thoughtful and noble.

The pitch wasn’t without its tense moments. Akshay Mahendru faced tough questioning around branding focus and product diversification, particularly the pressure of launching multiple categories to meet quick-commerce demands. At one point, the emotional intensity showed, leading to a rare vulnerable moment on the tank, one that Anupam Mittal responded to with reassurance and empathy.

On the business front, Nootie shared that it serves over 70,000 families, operates eight physical retail stores, has a strong quick-commerce presence, and clocks over ₹24 crore in annual recurring revenue.

The founders initially asked for ₹1 crore for 1.2% equity, valuing the company at over ₹83 crore.  After a round of back-and-forth negotiations, Anupam Mittal and Namita Thapar came together with a joint offer, agreeing to invest ₹1 crore for a 4% stake in the company, along with a 1% royalty on sales until their investment is fully recovered, effectively valuing the business at ₹25 crore.

Cat nutrition startup Smylo made an appearance on Shark Tank India, where founders Abhishek Agrawal (IIT Delhi) and Kartikeya Gupta (BITS Pilani) shared their vision of building everyday, nutrition-focused food for cats in India.

Founded to address gaps in the pet food market, Smylo positions itself as a natural and preservative-free brand that focuses on balanced meals rather than treat-style products. During the pitch, the founders pointed out that nearly 60% of pets in India are overweight or obese, while the overall cat food market is already estimated at ₹3,000–₹3,500 crore.

The brand currently offers flavours such as Chompin’ Chicken, Tastin’ Tuna, and Munchin’ Mackerel, and runs a ₹299 trial pack with a 100% money-back guarantee to onboard first-time customers. Around 40 users have already opted for the trial programme.

Sharing traction, the founders said Smylo has served over 4 lakh cat meals so far. The brand sees around 2,500–2,800 customers every month, with close to 45% coming from repeat subscribers.

On the financial front, Smylo reported revenue growth from ₹21 lakh in FY24–25 to ₹56 lakh in October 2025 alone, taking cumulative sales to ₹2.3 crore. Gross margins on its bone broth products stand at around 75%, though the company is still in its investment phase with a current monthly EBITDA loss of about 20%.

The founders also shared that Smylo raised ₹4 crore in May 2024 and is now preparing to launch dry food products. Expansion through quick-commerce platforms is also part of the company’s next growth phase.

Smylo initially asked for ₹68 lakh in exchange for 1% equity. After negotiations, Anupam Mittal, Kunal Bahl, and Varun Alagh came together with a joint offer of ₹75 lakh for 1% equity, along with 5% advisory equity. The deal valued the company at ₹75 crore.

With the sharks on board, Smylo now plans to scale operations and strengthen its presence in India’s growing pet nutrition market.

Lab-grown diamond jewellery brand Emori made a strong appearance on Shark Tank India Season 5, where the founders walked the sharks through their vision of building an affordable, transparent jewellery brand for modern Indian consumers.

Founded in 2023 by Arushi Jain, Emori positions itself as an online-first brand focused on lab-grown diamonds that are third-party certified and priced clearly.

During the pitch, the founders highlighted that a 1-carat lab-grown diamond is priced at around ₹32,000, significantly lower than natural alternatives, with jewellery prices starting at ₹50,000 and premium pieces going up to ₹3–3.5 lakh.

The brand currently offers 600+ ring designs across 14-carat and 18-carat purity, along with a lifetime warranty.

Sharing traction, the team revealed that Emori operates through a mix of online (42%) and offline (58%) sales, with its sole physical store located in Sector 67, Gurugram.

The store sees a 45% walk-in conversion rate, while the brand reports an average order value of ₹59,000 and a 12% repeat rate over 12 months.

Emori manages a lean inventory model split evenly between ready-to-ship and made-to-order pieces, with inventory turning over 10 times a year.

On the financial front, the founders shared that Emori closed FY24–25 with ₹4.5 crore in revenue and has already crossed ₹6.2 crore in FY25–26, targeting ₹13 crore by the end of the fiscal year.

The company expects to post an EBITDA of ₹80 lakh with margins improving to 6%, up from around 2% earlier. Until the show, Emori had been completely bootstrapped.

For the deal, the founders initially asked for ₹75 lakh for 1% equity, valuing the company at ₹75 crore. After negotiations, a deal was finalised with Anupam Mittal and Amit Jain, Namita Thapar, and Ritesh Agarwal, who together invested ₹3 crore for 6% equity, bringing the final valuation to ₹50 crore.

With fresh capital in the bank, Emori plans to open new stores in Noida and Delhi, strengthen inventory, and scale its presence in India’s growing lab-grown diamond jewellery market.

Nutrition startup Goat Life made a confident pitch on Shark Tank India, where founder Yash Kalra, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Kota, walked the sharks through how he’s building a nutrition brand focused on “experience over degrees.”

During the episode, Yash explained that Goat Life isn’t positioned as just another whey protein brand. Instead, he described it as a complete-meal nutrition product, designed with balanced macros and a controlled glycemic index. He also pointed out that the product delivers higher nutritional value and is priced at close to ₹3,000 per kg.

Talking about traction, the founder shared that Goat Life follows a limited-drop model, releasing products every few months. The first product drop received 400 pre-orders on Day 1, while sales grew from 2,000 boxes in the first drop to 10,000 boxes in the second, a jump that caught the sharks’ attention.

On the numbers front, Yash told the panel that the brand clocked ₹11 lakh in revenue in FY24, followed by ₹25 lakh in FY25, and has already crossed ₹2 crore in FY26 (till December). He also highlighted that the company manufactures its products in-house in Kota, with a daily capacity of 4,000 packets, and works alongside an NGO-supported, all-women workforce.

The founder further mentioned that Goat Life enjoys a 40% repeat customer rate, 57% gross margins, and strong online traction, including 8% engagement on Instagram, with a clear focus on scaling through D2C channels.

For the deal, Yash came in asking for ₹36 lakh in exchange for 1% equity, valuing the company at ₹36 crore. After detailed discussions, multiple offers, and counter-offers, the final deal was struck with Aman Gupta and Anupam Mittal, who together invested ₹2 crore for 8% equity, valuing Goat Life at ₹25 crore.

With the investment secured, Goat Life now looks to scale its operations and deepen its presence in India’s fast-growing nutrition market.