‘Mera business main naam nahi aaega’: Aman Gupta sets condition before Rs 2 crore deal on Shark Tank India

The latest episode of Shark Tank India 5 saw boAt co-founder Aman Gupta emerge as the sole investor in budget destination wedding startup Awayddings, finalising a deal after other Sharks raised concerns over the business’s operational complexity.

The investment, however, came with a firm condition, with Aman insisting that his name should not be associated with the business.

Awayddings was pitched by founders Ashish Godghate and Vijay Kumar before a panel comprising Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Mohit Yadav and Kunal Bahl. While the founders made a baaraat-style entry into the tank, the discussion soon shifted to the challenges of running an operations-heavy wedding business.

During the pitch, Aman recalled a previous investment experience to explain his hesitation. “If someone’s maid ran away, I would get an email. Yahan kisi ki towel nahi aayi woh toh hamari baja dega,” he said, adding, “Mera naam nahi aana chahiye isme. If someone doesn’t get their towels, I shouldn’t get a WhatsApp. Mera business main naam nahi aaega.”

Awayddings is an affordable destination wedding brand founded in 2021 by Pune-based Ashish Godghate and Goa-based Vijay Kumar. Ashish, who previously worked with OYO’s Weddingz.in, partnered with Vijay after the latter invested Rs 40 lakh to start the venture. Seeking to scale the business, the founders asked for Rs 2 crore in exchange for 5 percent equity, valuing the company at Rs 40 crore.

Questions around the company’s equity structure drew sharp reactions from the Sharks. The founders revealed that Kesari Tours invested Rs 1.23 crore in 2023 for 50 percent equity. “You’ll give 50 percent of your company to them for Rs 1.5 crores?” Aman asked, while Anupam Mittal remarked, “Paise ke saath saath unhone identity bhi leli.” The founders later said the equity division was restructured to 75–25 after receiving pushback from other investors. They also disclosed that both founders draw a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh each.

On the financial front, the founders said Awayddings posted a revenue of Rs 1.95 crore in 2024–25 with an EBITDA margin of 10–12 percent. In 2025–26, the company has recorded Rs 1.17 crore in year-to-date revenue and is projecting Rs 3.6 crore for the full year.

Operational challenges dominated the discussion as the Sharks probed risks unique to the wedding industry. Anupam jokingly asked how the founders handle non-payment after weddings, saying, “Kya baaraat ko gate par rok lete ho?” Vijay responded that they had faced payment issues two or three times and once switched off the lights during a sangeet function until payment was cleared. Namita Thapar later asked whether any wedding organised by Awayddings had been cancelled, to which Vijay said their most recent wedding was called off after the bride and groom had issues.

When Anupam asked if advances were refunded in such situations, Aman interjected, “Do you give a refund if someone’s wedding doesn’t materialize through Shaadi.com?” Anupam replied, “We never take guarantees.” Anupam also flagged concerns about profitability leakage in the sector, noting that OYO eventually exited Weddingz.in because the business was difficult to standardise and scale.

Citing similar concerns, all Sharks except Aman opted out of the deal. Kunal Bahl said that launching city by city was challenging and that the complexity of such businesses was “10x,” requiring significant physical effort. Namita said scaling would mean handling multiple weddings across cities on the same date, while Mohit Yadav described the category as interesting but said it was too early for him. Anupam concluded that while the business could work well for the founders, it was not suitable for venture capital-style investment.

Aman eventually made a conditional offer of Rs 1 crore for 10 percent equity along with Rs 1 crore as debt at 10 percent interest for two years. As the deal was sealed, Aman celebrated by dancing to the beats of a dhol and said, “Hum shaadi mein drones ke saath jaaenge.” The segment ended on a light note when Anupam made Aman sit on a dhol as Namita quipped, “Begaani shaadi mein Aman deewana.”