How family's marriage pressure inspired this 'Shark Tank' pitcher's brand
What's the story
The fourth season of Shark Tank India recently saw a pitch from Pooja Balani and Narpat Singh Rathore, co-founders of the cheesecake brand Miss Cheesecake.
The duo pitched for ₹30 lakh for a 5% equity stake in their business, valuing it at ₹6 crore.
Although they didn't get a deal, they certainly made an impression on the "Sharks," especially OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal.
Here's what happened.
Origin story
Balani's journey from family pressure to entrepreneurship
Standing before the Sharks, Balani shared that she founded the company a year ago after her family pressured her into marriage following her decision to quit her job.
With no prior baking experience, she began making cheesecakes as a way to delay the inevitable.
"Mujhe shaadi karni nahi thi, life mein kuch karna tha (I didn't want to marry...wanted to do something in life)," she said, humorously adding Anupam Mittal played a part in her story too.
Backstory
How Balani's brand origin is linked to Mittal
Balani shared a humorous backstory about the brand's origin, tied to Mittal—founder of Shaadi.com.
"I had quit my job and was at home. And someone opened my profile on Shaadi.com. I used to be very angry, wondering, who started this site."
"I was scared because I didn't want to get married. I started making cupcakes, but they didn't turn out well. After a lot of effort, I finally got them right. Then, I thought, why not sell them?" she recalled.
Business growth
Miss Cheesecake's success and social media presence
With Singh Rathore's help, Balani set up a small shop in Jodhpur that earns over ₹8 lakh in revenue every month.
Even though the sales numbers were impressive, most Sharks believed it was too early to invest in the business.
The co-founders also emphasized their strong social media presence with a million followers on Instagram and their most-watched Instagram Reel getting over 60 million views.
Investment proposal
Agarwal's offer and founders' response
Resonating with their story and impressed by their social media presence, Agarwal offered ₹30 lakh for a 7.5% equity stake. However, the founders requested he reduce his equity ask to 5%, a proposal he declined.
Despite not getting a deal, the founders were happy with the advice they got from the Sharks.
Shark Tank India Season 4 is currently airing on SonyLIV.