Shark Tank India: Bengali lifestyle entrepreneur Aishwarya Biswas bags Rs 75 lakhs financing

On Oct 9, Auli received financing of Rs 75 lakhs from Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Namita Thapar at Shark Tank India.

Shark Tank India is a show that calls upon aspiring entrepreneurs from India to pitch their business models to a panel of investors and persuade them to invest money in their idea.

Aishwarya got a chance to pitch her five-year-old wellness brand Auli when Shark Tank arrived in India.

Aishwarya said, “It was a long process which started in August where we got a letter from Goldman Sachs… Then we auditioned in Delhi end-August. I think there were 65,000 entries out of which 15,000 auditioned and then from that 200 start-ups were shortlisted.

"We were the sole women-led team from Calcutta. I just had a seven-day window to prepare. Shark Tank is very competitive and serious. I got a lot of help from the team and existing shareholders.  I have been funded many times before, but this time, I feel I met someone whose soul matches mine.

"Namita Thapar is phenomenal. She is grounded, emotional, thinks with her heart, amazing flair and personality. Our vibes matched. She is in pharma, an heiress and most importantly, a skincare junkie as she calls herself and the right person to give me advice.”

In the early stages, Auli was a small home-based initiative which has now turned into one of the biggest names in the skincare market of East India, she said.

The 2017 founded lifestyle brand can now boast of one lakh customers pan India, US, UAE & Bangladesh, she said.

After cracking Shark Tank, Aishwarya Biswas has plans to spread the footprints of her beauty startup globally and mentor women entrepreneurs from Kolkata.