Gaurav Taneja, popularly known as Flying Beast, walked into Shark Tank India with soaring numbers and a bold vision for his protein brand, Beast Life.
Seeking Rs 1 crore for 1% equity, Taneja valued his company at Rs 100 crore and touted revenues of Rs 1 crore within the first hour of its launch.
However, while his achievements impressed some of the sharks, Anupam Mittal wasn’t buying into the hype.
Mittal delivered a sharp critique of Taneja’s approach, questioning whether the social media influencer could truly commit to building a sustainable business. “When I started, I was a lot like you. I thought of myself as a star, but when you think of yourself as a star, you think you’re infallible,” Mittal remarked, drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey. He stressed that entrepreneurship demands relentless focus and full-time dedication. “You can’t allocate time in startups, you have to be there all the time. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I trust in Indian entrepreneurship. They won’t let a part-timer like you win.”
Beast Life’s impressive performance—Rs 14 crore in revenue over six months and a projected Rs 35 crore for the year—earned Taneja praise from Vineeta Singh, who called the figures “mind-blowing.” Yet, the details behind the pitch raised eyebrows. Taneja disclosed that he holds 30% equity while his co-founder, Raj, owns just 11%. Aman Gupta flagged this imbalance, pointing out that Taneja could easily walk away if the venture failed. “There is a difference between an investor and a founder,” Gupta said before opting out.
Vineeta Singh and Peyush Bansal also decided against investing, citing concerns over the company’s scalability and reliance on Taneja’s personal brand. Singh admired the achievements but doubted the long-term sustainability of the model. Mittal, however, took a harsher stance, cautioning Taneja and the other sharks: “Don’t get carried away, it’s Rs 14 crore in six months. He’s pitching himself as the co-founder. Which influencer-led brand has earned money for its investors?”