Viral Shark Tank pitcher’s wife says ‘main kamati hun, wo udata hai’, narrates emotional journey of Flatheads

The wife of Ganesh Balakrishnan, an entrepreneur who garnered a lot of attention after appearing on Shark Tank India season 2 recently, wrote about their difficult journey.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | January 21, 2023 11:27 AM IST

3 min read

Ganesh Balakrishnan with his wife and daughter. (Photo: Linkedin/Anuradha Pasupathy)

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On the fifth episode of Shark Tank India season 2, the co-founder of a footwear company called Flatheads, Ganesh Balakrishnan, broke down in tears as he spoke about the struggles of running his business. The IIT Bombay graduate was offered a deal but he declined it. The episode soon made headlines, and Balakrishnan’s wife, Anuradha Pasupathy, shared a post on LinkedIn to tell her side of the story, and revealed that she did not cry even as her husband broke down on the show.

Anuradha, who is a senior manager, said that she rejected better-paying jobs to support Balakrishnan’s dream. She wrote, “Main kamati hun, wo udata hai (I earn, he spends) – I am Ganesh Balakrishnan’s wife, and this is my side of his story.”

She continued, “When Ganesh decided to leave his corporate job and start up on his own, I had my own apprehensions about how this will work. It is very difficult to do a startup in India, it needs a very strong, resilient mind. Coming from a very conventional family, will he be able to deal with the rigours of entrepreneurship? There are plenty of wolves out there, will being an honest lamb really work?”

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Anuradha explained that the lockdown was a big existential jolt for them. She wrote that throughout the journey, she could have chosen a better-paying job or even explored international career options. But instead, she chose stability over ambition.

Even though Balakrishnan dropped out of the deal, he grabbed attention and was even trending on Twitter. He thanked everyone on LinkedIn and said, “To be honest, I was dreading the airing of the Flatheads pitch on Shark Tank India. Breaking down on national TV isn’t exactly great for one’s self confidence. We’ve almost sold out our inventory in India, so pardon us if you aren’t able to find your size on http://www.flatheads.in. Would be amazing if you can tell your friends in the US and UAE to try our shoes.”

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