New Delhi [India]: When Kanika Talwar revisited her Shark Tank India pitch during a recent episode of Made to Market with host Ronit Thakur, she didn’t sugarcoat the experience. Vineeta Singh, co-founder of Sugar Cosmetics, “scolded” her on branding and strategy. Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, delivered what she described as “brutal wake-up calls.” For CosIQ, the skincare label Talwar launched with her husband Angad in 2021, the real story wasn’t just the ₹50 lakh deal for 25% equity, it was what came after.
The couple soon discovered that Singh and Mittal aren’t just TV sharks. They’re relentless in their follow-ups, brutally honest in feedback, and surprisingly hands-on when it comes to the grind of building a business.
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Anupam Mittal: India’s Angriest Mentor?
Unlike many celebrity investors, Mittal didn’t disappear after the cameras shut. Talwar said he remains astonishingly available—the kind of investor who replies to WhatsApp messages in under ten minutes, no matter if it’s midnight or dawn.
But his accessibility comes with a sting: blunt criticism. Talwar recalled one review call where Mittal snapped, “What are you doing? If you can’t handle this, why are you running a business?” The words stung, but she admitted it was the “wake-up call” CosIQ needed. “He doesn’t sugarcoat anything—he says it straight to your face. And honestly, that’s what we value,” she added.
Vineeta Singh’s Soft Power Is Her Real Investment
If Mittal is fire, Vineeta is ice—calm, clinical, but equally uncompromising. Her involvement may be more through her team, but the impact is tangible. “No one understands D2C in beauty and skincare the way she does,” Talwar said, adding that Singh’s playbook on packaging and performance marketing has been priceless.
Interestingly, Singh doesn’t need to step in often. “Her team is good enough to fix problems before she needs to intervene,” Talwar admitted. Yet when she does, whether over mail or a direct note, her word carries weight.
Her dual identity as a beauty founder and investor gives her authority in a noisy market, and Talwar confessed that simply having Singh’s name on the cap table “opens doors we could never open ourselves.”
Not Just Investors, But Accelerators on Speed Dial
The Made to Market podcast revealed a lesser-known side of Shark Tank deals: the due diligence slog, the equity negotiations, and the months of second-guessing. CosIQ even debated walking away from the money altogether. In the end, the deal went through at the same valuation but lower equity than televised.
And yet, Talwar insists, the true value wasn’t in the cheque but in the sharks themselves. “We even got emails where people said they’d only talk to us because Anupam was on the board. Just having their names on the cap table opens doors we could never open ourselves,” she said. In other words, Singh and Mittal’s presence wasn’t just mentorship—it was credibility.
When Sharks Scold, Startups Listen
For CosIQ, that credibility has been tested. A post-Tank sales surge brought stockouts and supply chain chaos. When numbers dipped, the couple feared investor backlash. But Singh and Mittal didn’t pull out. “They backed us even when sales fell. Neither of them once said they were walking away,” Talwar recalled.
That doesn’t mean it was gentle. Singh grilled them on brand clarity. Mittal outright scolded them on sloppy execution. The paradox? Those very moments became the fuel for CosIQ’s turnaround.
The Double-Edged Sword of Shark Tank Fame
As Talwar reflected, “People on the internet dismiss Shark Tank too easily. They don’t realize that when you’re actually building a business, having the sharks on board and guiding you makes all the difference.”
While CosIQ remains the stage, Singh and Mittal are the story. One brings blunt truths at ungodly hours, the other brings polish and market playbooks. Together, they embody two sides of the same coin: the tough love and the steady guidance a fragile D2C brand desperately needs.
