‘Ugly’ ads and no clinical trials: Shark Tank pitchers get rejected despite Rs 51 cr revenue, Kunal Bahl says ‘pehle vishvas banao’

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While there are a lot of Ayurvedic brands in the market, Ayuvya’s revenue from FY 24-25 caught the attention of all the ‘sharks’. Astha revealed that the brand made over Rs 51.5 crore in the past year and is projected to make Rs 70 crore by the end of FY 25-26. The numbers definitely got everyone’s attention, but the ‘sharks’ soon raised some questions. Kunal was the first to point out that the company’s growth rate was slowing down in comparison to previous years. This led to more questions, such as the repeat rate of customers, which was a number that the three entrepreneurs were not very clear on.

Aman also critiqued the quality of the video advertisements that the company was running on social media platforms. Tanishk retorted that this decision was taken in line with the fact that ‘ugly ads’ are currently trending on social media. These are low-budget projects which are supposed to feel more authentic and less formulaic. The other shoe fell when the ‘sharks’ realised that none of the products that the young entrepreneurs were selling had gone through clinical trials.

Pawanjot argued that these products were made according to texts and practices that go back thousands of years, but the judges didn’t seem to be convinced. Kunal backed out of the deal and said that while they have achieved something impressive, they need to showcase better care for their customers. He said, “Pehle illaj nahi vishwas banao (Create trust before you manufacture cures). ” Ritesh made the same point, and Aman told the entrepreneurs that despite their valuation, they haven’t yet made it into a “brand”. The trio walked out without any deal.