Young Prodigy Wins Big on Shark Tank India with Machine Design Skills from YouTube

Dhaval was inspired to bring change after he stopped drinking tea from a stall. Stuck at home during the Covid lockdown, he learned machine design on YouTube and honed his skills working at a hardware shop for free, using available scrap. Despite multiple failed prototypes, he continued to improve his design. However, he was eventually asked to discontinue his operations by the hardware store owner.

Dhaval, facing a lack of money and resources, sought guidance from his college professor and received ₹10,000 to work on the design. Although the machine was functional, it was not market-ready. However, after a friend uploaded a video of the machine on YouTube, Dhaval received interest and inquiries. Despite money constraints, he presented his prototype to other professors and gathered ₹1 lakh to further develop the product. He even gave away the first machine for free.

“From that ₹1 lakh we made five machines, and because I wanted to sell these, my brother joined me. We’ve already sold three machines - one in Karnataka, one in Tamil Nadu, and one in Maharashtra,” shared Dhaval.

Dhaval received a grant from DreamDeal.com, an initiative started by Mittal to support aspiring entrepreneurs. Participants made a short Instagram reel and pitched their business ideas, with selected winners receiving up to ₹1 lakh without giving up equity.

“Last year, I felt people had to work hard to even reach Shark Tank India. I thought about my own journey. All of us got a chance. There are so many people who have ideas but face only hurdles. If you can’t even make a business plan, how will you reach a VC (venture capitalist), raise money, or come on Shark Tank? So, I floated DreamDeal.com,” shared Mittal.

Dhaval used the grant money to upgrade the design and present the final version on the show. The machine, which can wash 15 tea glasses in 30 seconds using high-pressure water and has a capacity of 38 litres (able to wash 250 glasses according to the founders), is sold for ₹28,000 per unit to tea vendors. Dhaval also shared on the show that the machine's size can be adjusted for smaller tea stalls or compact areas.

Dhaval's dedication and determination impressed the judges, who are also investors, and they started a round of questions. Dhaval answered most of their questions, including the startup's vision, use of funds invested, and target market. The target market is vendors with a setup for heating tea and lighting a bulb. Mittal offered ₹30 lakh for a 20% equity stake, valuing the company at ₹1.5 crore and praised Dhaval's "innocence and diligence." Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, also joined Mittal's offer. The entire panel including Vineeta Singh, Namita Thapar, and Peyush Bansal also joined Mittal.

“With Anupam’s support, you reached here. With our support, there’s no limit to which your business can grow,” claimed Gupta.

This is the season’s second all-shark offer - which the founders accepted.