ITV

Tag: Shark Tank India

  • How Sony sparked conversations on entrepreneurship with ‘Shark Tank India’

    How Sony sparked conversations on entrepreneurship with ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) in association with its digital partner White Rivers Media (WRM) was successfully able to make conversations around entrepreneurship more mainstream with the first season of “Shark Tank India.”

    “Shark Tank India” was able to sustain a consistent engagement with the audience throughout the season with live updates, decoding the business jargon, anecdotes from the Sharks, inspiring moments from the show, and highlighting each ‘deal’ thereby making the business reality show more inclusive and relatable to the audience.

    Starting with the registration phase, WRM played a pivotal role in reaching out to the incubator community, college alumni, and co-working spaces encouraging participation in the show. Furthermore, the digital agency created exclusive social media pages, on Twitter and Instagram, to engage with the audience. It gained 750K followers in no time and went on to become the one-stop destination for everything related to the show with its viral posts.

    WRM also executed a 100-hour countdown on social media leading to the launch of the show thereby building intrigue and urgency around the show through content that explained the format and gave a sneak peek of the ‘Sharks.’

    From building the sharks through live sessions to promoting the ‘pitchers’ and their unique ideas and explaining A-Z of ‘entrepreneurship’ through curated content, WRM ensured that the social media engagement on the show is sustained and heightened throughout the show.

    It was only a matter of time post the launch of the show that content creators, brands, and communities were found indulging themselves in viral contexts via episodic content. #SharkTankIndia was trending week after week and everything about it, from the Sharks to their responses, became a palpable part of the popular culture. The daily average of one million+ views on reel content and positive comments drove a massive increase in followers for SET and SonyLIV’s owned social media platforms.

    “It has been an incredible experience being a catalyst in disrupting India’s TV narrative with SET’s Shark Tank India,” said White Rivers Media chief executive officer and co-founder Shrenik Gandhi. “Commonly used business-related terms turned into a regular dinner-table conversation at any average Indian household. Entrepreneurs, who were noted for their achievements among professional circles, turned into celebrated faces. These have been the team’s top marketing wins for this season.”

  • upGrad to offer online courses worth Rs 1.5 cr to job creators on ‘Shark Tank India’

    upGrad to offer online courses worth Rs 1.5 cr to job creators on ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: Homegrown higher edtech major upGrad announced on Monday that it will offer ‘online courses worth Rs 1.5 crore’ to the entrepreneurs pitching on Sony’s new reality show – ‘Shark Tank India’.

    The show which premiered on Monday night will have aspiring entrepreneurs from across the country pitch their business models to a panel of investors and persuade them to invest money in their idea. upGrad is also the presenting sponsor for the show.

    “At upGrad, we stand for job seekers as well as job creators. The entrepreneurs on ‘Shark Tank India’ today, can potentially create thousands of jobs in Bharat tomorrow. Assessing their business pitch and identifying possible lacunae, we are offering them need-based courses. This is our crusade to empower the entrepreneurial community – the job creators of tomorrow, to upscale their businesses,” said upGrad CEO – India Arjun Mohan.

    Throughout the first season of ‘Shark Tank India’, the edtech major will be awarding programs on a need-gap basis, across domains including Product Management, Masters of Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Business Analytics, and Operations & Finance to the ‘pitchers’.

    According to upGrad, the Indian chapter of the ‘Shark Tank’ serves as the perfect platform for the it to showcase to its audience the significance of upskilling and lifelong learning. “With an audience mostly comprising working professionals seeking to positively pivot their careers or nurturing their entrepreneurial zeal, this association will go a long way in improving upGrad’s deep India penetration plans and building an ecosystem of a skilled workforce,” the brand said in a statement,

  • SonyLIV announces six sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    SonyLIV announces six sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has signed six sponsors for “Shark Tank India,” which is set to premiere on 20 December. The streaming platform has partnered with upGrad, Acko General Insurance, Black Dog Drinking Soda as the ‘co-presenting’ sponsors, Cashfree Payments as ‘payments’ partner, Flipkart as ‘digital’ partner and Dell Technologies as ‘technology’ partner.

    SonyLIV has sold out almost 75 per cent of its ad inventory two months before the show goes on-air. It has generated the maximum interest from categories like BFSI, e-commerce, ed-tech, digital payments, consumer durables, and technology brands. “With the launch of the India edition of Shark Tank, we will be adding to our library of diverse, engaging content,” said Sony Pictures Networks India senior vice president and head of ad revenue Ranjana Mangla. “The show has a unique proposition that has attracted brands from across categories such as e-commerce, ed-tech, beverages, consumer durables, handset, auto and BFSI. Currently, we have managed to sell over 75 per cent of our ad inventory and onboarded six sponsors for the show.”

    Based on the business reality show “Shark Tank,” the show will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas, business prototypes or active businesses to business experts aka ‘The Sharks.’ The show will be telecasted on Sony Entertainment Television channel.

    The ‘Sharks’ that will appear on the show include Ashneer Grover (BharatPe founder and managing director), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics CEO and co-founder), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart founder and CEO), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO), Ghazal Alagh ( Mamaearth co-founder and chief mama) and Aman Gupta (boAt co-founder and chief marketing officer). The show will be hosted by Rannvijay Singha who will act as a guide for the pitchers on the show and the audience alike.

    “We at Acko definitely understand what it takes to turn a dream into a successful venture. So, we are excited to be associating with the first-ever season of Shark Tank India, a show that we believe can help boost India’s start-up ecosystem and encourage entrepreneurship across India,” said Acko executive vice president marketing Ashish Mishra.

    “At upGrad, it is our aim to support professionals in their lifelong learning journey and equip them with evolving skills required to venture out into the professional world, which shall also help them survive the market roller-coaster,” said upGrad chief executive officer Arjun Mohan. “This is similar to what Shark Tank India aims to do with the aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking forward to creating successful businesses for a better future of our country.”

    “We are elated to associate with Shark Tank India, in their bid to support budding entrepreneurs and the rapidly-growing Indian start-up ecosystem,” said Cashfree Payments co-founder and chief executive officer Akash Sinha. “We look forward to nurturing this partnership, which will help us contribute towards the development of a favorable business environment to foster innovation in the startup space.”

  • upGrad, Flipkart & Kia Motors come onboard as sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    upGrad, Flipkart & Kia Motors come onboard as sponsors for ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television is set to telecast “Shark Tank India” starting 20 December every Monday to Friday at 9 p.m. Produced by Studio Next, the show will see upGrad as ‘presenting’ sponsor, Flipkart as ‘co-powered by’ sponsor and Kia Motors as ‘associate’ sponsor, announced the channel in a statement.

    The first edition of “Shark Tank India” will feature seven ‘Sharks’ including Ashneer Grover (BharatPe founder and managing director), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics CEO and co-founder), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart founder and CEO), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com – People Group founder and CEO), Ghazal Alagh ( Mamaearth co-founder and chief mama) and Aman Gupta (boAt co-founder and chief marketing officer). The show will be hosted by Rannvijay Singha who will act as a guide for the pitchers on the show and the audience alike.

    The selected applicants or the ‘Pitchers’ will find themselves face-to-face with the ‘Sharks’ or the investors who will understand, assess and make an offer based on the applicant’s final ‘pitch.’

    “This revolutionary show that celebrates entrepreneurship perfectly aligns with the current sentiments across the country and we feel that there couldn’t have been a better time to launch this show,” said head content – Sony Entertainment Television and digital business Ashish Golwalkar. “Shark Tank India is an extremely relevant show for us and I believe that it has the potential to connect with the Indian audience as well.”

    “At Studio Next, it’s our endeavour to present to our viewers ‘entertainment with a purpose’ and shows like KBC, Scam 1992, Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii or soon to be released Whistleblower are a testament to our efforts,” said head – Studio Next Indranil Chakraborty. “In line with this thought, we are excited to bring a show like Shark Tank India that offers a unique viewing experience to the audience not only educating them but entertaining them at the same time.”

    Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the rights for the Indian adaptation of the globally successful business reality format – “Shark Tank,” which will be aired on Sony Entertainment Television. The format has reinvigorated businesses in over 40 countries since its first launch in 2001. With over 180 seasons; winning over 30 awards globally, “Shark Tank” is the world’s top business reality show. Since its first launch in 2001, as “Tigers of Money” in Japan, created by Nippon TV the format was later adapted as “Dragon’s Den” in 2005 in the UK and the show premiered in the US as “Shark Tank” in the year 2009. The format is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.

  • SET unveils seven ‘Sharks’ who will be part of ‘Shark Tank India’

    SET unveils seven ‘Sharks’ who will be part of ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television has unveiled the seven ‘Sharks’ who will be part of the first season of “Shark Tank India” that will premiere soon on the TV channel.

    The show will provide an opportunity and platform for entrepreneurs with interesting business ideas, business prototypes, or active businesses that will be evaluated by the business experts aka ‘The Sharks.’

    These business experts are BharatPe founder and managing director Ashneer Grover; Sugar Cosmetics co-founder and chief executive officer Vineeta Singh; Lenskart.com founder and chief executive officer Peeyush Bansal; Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar; Shaadi.com (People Group) founder and chief executive officer Anupam Mittal; Mamaearth co-founder and chief mama Ghazal Alagh, and boAt co-founder and chief marketing officer Aman Gupta.

    “Shark Tank India” is produced by Studio Next. It is based on the American Emmy award-winning entrepreneurial reality show “Shark Tank.” A panel of five investors called ‘Sharks’ listen to business pitches from entrepreneurs and decide to invest in their company. The ‘Sharks’ include personalities like Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, and others who appear as guests on the show.

  • StudioNEXT collaborates with Venture Catalysts for ‘Shark Tank India’

    StudioNEXT collaborates with Venture Catalysts for ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: The popular American business reality show Shark Tank is making headway into India. StudioNEXT, an independent business unit of Sony Pictures Network (SPN), has announced its collaboration with Venture Catalysts as the startup ecosystem advisor for the very first edition of Shark Tank India.  

    The StudioNEXT-produced show is all set to provide an opportunity and a platform to entrepreneurs with interesting business ideas, business prototypes, or active businesses that will be evaluated by experienced investors & business experts, the production company said in a statement. Registrations for the very first edition of Shark Tank India have commenced in June and are currently underway on SonyLIV.

    SPN head – StudioNEXT, Indranil Chakraborty, said, “The format of Shark Tank is revolutionary, and we are excited to be producing the very first edition of Shark Tank India. The show will certainly give a boost to the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country and we are looking forward to showcasing some interesting ‘pitches’. Will the ‘Sharks’ bite the bait? That remains to be seen. Given the nature of the show, we are glad to have collaborated with Venture Catalysts as the Startup Ecosystem Advisor for Shark Tank India.”

    Venture Catalysts co-founder, Anuj Golecha, said, “In the last 12 years, Shark Tank has helped create multi-million-dollar companies across geographies. Venture Catalysts is excited to partner with Sony Entertainment Television for Shark Tank India as it aligns our Ideology of spreading entrepreneurship bug across the smaller towns and cities in India. Together we hope to see some really interesting ideas coming from far-flung Indian towns too or the entrepreneurs from the ‘Bharat’. For entrepreneurs, Shark Tank is not just about monetary gains but the exposure, mentoring, and support that they receive. It also provides founders with a direct go-to-market strategy and that is very valuable. We are extremely delighted to have partnered for the show as Startup Ecosystem Advisor to provide our deep expertise in entrepreneurship and building business to make the show a great success.”

    Since its first launch in 2001, as Tigers of Money in Japan, created by Nippon TV, the format was later adapted as Dragon’s Den in 2005 in the UK and the show premiered in the US as Shark Tank in the year 2009. The format is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.