Namita Thapar, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, opened up about investments she made during Shark Tank India and the regrets she has after the show ended. In a new write-up, Namita talked about ‘missed opportunities’ and being ‘vulnerable’ as a business leader.
Namita revealed she evaluated as many as 170 pitches on the show and made investments worth ₹10 crore in 25 businesses: “I saw around 170 pitches and invested ₹10 crore in 25 companies that touched my heart. I invested ₹7 crore during the show and ₹3 crore post the show in deals I had lost out on and in a few existing deals to increase my stake.”
She went on to talk about her ‘biggest regrets’ about not backing certain business ideas. “As future leaders we need to champion not just founders who can scale and make money for us but also those who have tremendous potential, are working on a real problem but don’t have the right mentorship to gain traction in their business. Jugaadu Kamlesh and Pandurang of Agro Tourism were both Maharashtrian farmers out to solve real problems but due to lack of right guidance hadn’t made sales,” wrote Namita.
In her piece, she continued: “Leaders like me need to be bold, back such founders and ensure they become a success so that entrepreneurship doesn’t just become the dream of the ones with the right education and resources but even of the common man. This is one of our core responsibilities as business leaders who have been blessed with power and privilege, who people look up to… and not investing in Kamlesh and Pandurang remain my biggest regrets at Shark Tank India.”
