Radhika Gupta invested in 3 deals out of 4 committed in Shark Tank Season 3

Radhika Gupta, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Edelweiss Asset Management, stated in her latest post on LinkedIn on Tuesday, August 13, that she invested in three deals out of four committed in Shark Tank Season 3.

Gupta was the new addition to the Shark Tank judge panel in the third season. However, she made a limited appearance on the show.

Her post read, "As a capital markets person, one of the things that was important to me at Shark Tank India was transparency about deal journeys after the show airs, especially given the noise in the press before this season. Here’s my update, 3 months after the season ended, from my limited appearance.

Deals committed: 4; Deals invested: 3."

Gupta said that the two were done before the season ended on TV, and the last one recently.

Gupta added that the maximum diligence was six months post-shoot. The fund manager further said that the reason for the failure of one deal was that the entrepreneurs chose not to do the deal on their own accord midway through the diligence process.

This update holds great significance as "Sharks" have drawn flak in the past, with several startup founders accusing them of ghosting after committing the deals on TV.

In their defence, Sharks have said that there is proper due diligence that needs to be followed before investing money in startups, and many times, the entrepreneurs have failed to live up to the mark or have opted out of deals with the Sharks after gaining fame from their appearance on the reality show.

Shark Tank India is a business reality show. The first season of Shark Tank India premiered on December 20, 2021, and concluded on February 11, 2022. It is an Indian adaptation of the globally renowned business reality show Shark Tank. In the first season, the investor panel comprised Ashneer Grover, Namita Thapar, Peyush Bansal, Aman Gupta, and Vineeta Singh, all business tycoons (Sharks) in their own areas.

"The high-stakes environment and candid deal negotiations (pitches) have captivated audiences, with each season witnessing a surge in venture capitalist (VC) activity and startup funding. Data suggests that over ₹100 crore was invested across the first two seasons, propelling many innovative direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and social enterprises into the limelight," said a report by Treelife.in.