Shark Tank India 2: PadCare founder Ajinkya Dhairya says Peyush Bansal was ‘generous’ to offer a blank cheque, dismisses ‘Padman’ title

Shark Tank India 2 pitchers interviews: Recode’s Dheeraj Bansal | Stage’s Vinay Singhal | Team Patil Kaki | Flatheads’ Ganesh Balakrishnan | Primebook’s Chitranshu Mahant | Inside FPV’s Arth Chowdhary  | Janitri founder Arun Agarwal | Snitch’s Siddharth Dungarwal

The young entrepreneur, who was awarded the ‘Loksatta Tarun Tejankit Awards 2021’ further shared that he was touched by how the sharks were aligned with his vision. “It was not about the money but the aim to revolutionise this. I was anxious, and confused about how things would work out. However, there were no negotiations at all and I was eager to have more than one shark on board, and thus I accepted the offer,” he shared.

When asked if at any moment he wanted to take Peyush’s blank cheque, and Ajinkya laughed, “It was very generous of him. He wanted to be associated with the cause. And as I said, being on the show was not for monetary value but we wanted to be associated with all of them. As for his cheque, I guess I just enjoyed the moment.”

Talking more about his objective to be on Shark Tank India 2, the founder said that their intention was to be aware and educate the ecosystem. He said that the show is a big platform that reaches millions of households, and that could get many who could support the cause. “Breaking the taboo and making this conversation in every house was important. As for money, we are looking at raising a large amount of investment and this was to gain a small portion, which we successfully did.”

His marketing and communication lead Kanchi Baldwa further shared how they are overwhelmed with the positive feedback. She said that many women have reached out out to them and said they have often wondered what happened to their pads. “A lot of partnership stakeholders, and even international connections have also reached out to help build this big. They have all loved what we are doing,” she said, adding that Ajinkya’s pitch also did wonders, as people are amazed how a young entrepreneur has taken personal responsibility and added a human touch to his business. She said that he has brought together the aspect of empathy for women and waste pickers.

Stating that they have been flooded with demo bookings, Kanchi said that on their website, people can connect their administration directly to have PadCare in their offices. “I am proud to say that on that button, we got a click from staff of the Supreme Court. They want us on board. That’s the biggest feat for us, all thanks to Shark Tank India.”

During the pitch, shark Aman Gupta had called Ajinkya the ‘Padman of 2022’. Sharing that he was amazed how the tune of the film was also used in the edit, the businessman said that while he considers himself Padman only in part, it’s rightly suited for f Arunachalam Muruganantham, who made low-cost sanitary pads for women, especially in rural areas. However, his marketing head added that they had seen the title coming as they fondly call him ‘Pad Boy’ for years now.

During the episode, Ajinkya Dhariya revealed how when he told his family about his decision to start PadCare, he was in tears, while his family was smiling. When asked what got him emotional then, he shared, “I remember it was May 2018, and I was doing a stable job. When I told my parents, the tears were not because I was scared but how easily they were convinced. I was taken aback by how they did not show any kind of resistance. It was happy tears for sure. Also, I would like to not just thank them but my team and the entire ecosystem that has shown trust in us and helped it reach great heights. Otherwise, it would have just lived being just a normal project.”

Shark Tank India Season 2 airs on Sony TV and streams on SonyLIV.