Making an eye-popping return of 2,900% in just two years, Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta‘s Rs 20 lakh investment in ice popsicle brand Skippi has turned into Rs 6 crore. In the first edition of the reality TV show in December 2021, Gupta and four other sharks had together invested Rs 1 crore for a 15% stake in the startup. While talking to Sanjeev Bikhchandani of Info Edge at the ET Now Global Business Summit 2024, Gupta recalled that in the first season he made around 20 investments with a total investment of Rs 6 crore.
“I invested Rs 20 lakh in Skippi and I am just getting an exit at Rs 6 crore. So one company is itself giving me a return of all the rest,” Gupta said while explaining the high-risk-high-reward nature of investment in startups.
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Skippi benefited not just from the funding and support from the sharks, but also from the publicity that the brand got. The company’s sales have jumped 100 times and is now eyeing Rs 100 crore revenue in FY25. The ice pops brand is expecting to end FY24 at a revenue of Rs 70 crore and remains profitable, ET had reported earlier. Gupta, who runs consumer electronics brand Boat, recalled when he had no money to invest two years ago and was dependent on wife’s earnings.
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“Two years ago, I didn’t have money to invest. My wife used to earn and I used to burn her money. I got my secondary exit in 2021. It was the first year of Shark Tank. I was given a list asking how many investments have you made till now. I had done 5 co-investments till then which was about Rs 5-10 lakh each. So I actually became an investor for the first time on Shark Tank. I had never heard pitches before that. I had only given pitches,” recalls the self-made entrepreneur.
He said he learnt the art of investments while sitting with other sharks like Namita Thapar and Anupam Mittal. “They have done investments all their life. I learnt a lot on Shark Tank and I don’t invest outside of Shark Tank anymore,” Gupta said.
D2C audio and wearables brand Boat had clocked sales of Rs 4,000 crore in FY23. Earlier, the company had filed a draft prospectus with the market regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for a Rs 2,000-crore initial public offering (IPO), but the company proactively withdrew its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP).
Later on, Gupta had said they are not in a hurry to go for a listing and were looking at the FY25-FY26 timeframe for the IPO.
“When people were not investing in electronics, Kanwal (Fireside Ventures Founder Kanwaljit Singh) invested Rs 6 crore and I have already returned Rs 100 crore. He still has 3% in our company,” Gupta said at the summit.
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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.