Shark Tank India 5: IIM Ahmedabad alumna rejects Rs 75 lakh offer from Namita Thapar and Kunal Bahl, walks away without a deal

Namita Thappar in a still from Shark Tank India Season 5.

The latest pitch on Shark Tank India Season 5 saw founder Akriti Gupta address a major concern of modern-day Indian parents — access to good-quality, reasonably priced strollers. Akriti Gupta asked for Rs 75 lakh for 1 percent equity in her brand Loopie, which sells strollers and other baby products such as car seats, diaper bags and more. The Sharks — Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Kunal Bahl and Mohit Yadav — were clearly impressed by the quality of Akriti’s products. But did they agree to invest in her company? Let’s find out.

Akriti Gupta was born and brought up in Dhanbad. She completed her MBA from one of India’s top institutes, IIM Ahmedabad. Despite graduating from a premier institute that virtually guarantees placement in a high-paying job, Akriti chose entrepreneurship and launched her own kids’ apparel brand, Tiny Toddler. She ran the business for three to four years before stepping away from it to take up a lucrative role at Udaan.

However, her passion for entrepreneurship pulled her back into the startup ecosystem. Akriti went on to start an e-commerce platform called Jolly, which sold kids’ clothing, shoes and related products. Eventually, she pivoted her business focus to baby gear and launched Loopie.

Loopie’s strollers are priced between Rs 17,000 and Rs 20,000. The Sharks expressed concerns over the high pricing of the strollers. However, Kunal Bahl pointed out that in a category where imported foldable strollers are priced at around Rs 60,000, Loopie’s products were still positioned at a reasonable price point.

Akriti revealed that the brand began selling in March 2025 and had earned just Rs 2 lakh in gross sales initially. However, the company saw significant growth and clocked Rs 45 lakh in sales by October.

The founder also disclosed that she had already raised Rs 14.7 crore for the company and currently had Rs 30–40 lakh in the bank. Additionally, Loopie holds inventory worth Rs 3 crore. Kunal Bahl also highlighted that the baby stroller market is heavily impacted by the resale economy, which could pose challenges for Loopie’s long-term market share.

Anupam Mittal was the first Shark to opt out of the deal, citing valuation concerns. Mohit Yadav also declined to invest in the company. Aman Gupta admitted that he was not comfortable with the valuation and chose to step away from the deal.

However, Namita Thapar made an offer of Rs 75 lakh for 3 percent equity, asking for 2 percent more stake than what Akriti had initially offered. Kunal Bahl stated that he “can’t get comfortable with this valuation” but agreed to match Namita’s offer. Akriti countered with Rs 75 lakh for Rs 1.5 crore valuation. While Kunal refused to budge, Namita agreed to come down to 2.5 percent equity. When Akriti declined both offers, the Sharks eventually opted out, and Akriti walked away without a deal.