Daryaganj

Raghav Jaggi is the grandson of Mr. Kundan Lal Jaggi, the founder of "DARYAGANJ – By the Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani." Amit Bagga serves as the CEO and co-founder of the company. Raghav Jaggi is Season 2's most historically significant food heritage founder the literal grandson of the man who invented Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, the two most consumed and most recognised Indian restaurant dishes in the world. Kundan Lal Jaggi's 1947 inventions Butter Chicken created from leftover tandoori chicken for a late-night customer, Dal Makhani ("Maa Ki Dal") created from black lentils with extra butter for a vegetarian guest were not calculated product innovations but improvised hospitality moments that became India's most beloved dishes.Daryaganj's founder Kundan Lal Jaggi moved from Peshawar to Delhi's Daryaganj area in 1947. He started a restaurant with his two friends there. Kundan Lal Jaggi invented the famous dishes butter chicken and daal makhani in this restaurant.

Daryaganj is India's most heritage-validated casual dining restaurant chain serving the original Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani recipes as developed by Kundan Lal Jaggi in 1947, in a modern, comfortable casual dining format at prices 15 to 20 percent below comparable competitors, targeting the urban Indian consumer who wants restaurant-quality authentic North Indian food without the premium pricing of fine dining.The brand's commercial proposition has two layers the culinary heritage (the original recipes, unchanged from 1947, made by the inventor's descendants) and the dining experience (professional service, comfortable casual setting, consistent quality across locations). The heritage layer is what Daryaganj's competitors cannot replicate regardless of their capital, marketing spend, or chef quality: no other restaurant can legitimately claim to be "by the inventors of Butter Chicken."

Amount Asked: ₹90 lakhs Equity Offered: 0.5% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹180 crore

Aman Gupta and the Sharks arrive at the program after spotting the food on the table and become enthused about it. Later, the business owners take the stage and present their well-known and recognizable delicacy, Butter Chicken. Threads The food-first, founder-second pitch entry was Season 2's most commercially self-confident product introduction communicating that the product's quality was Daryaganj's primary credential, and the founders' story would follow naturally from the food itself. The 1947 history narration Kundan Lal Jaggi's journey from Peshawar to Delhi as a refugee, the improvised creation of Butter Chicken from a late-night customer's request, the accidental development of Maa Ki Dal from a vegetarian guest's alternative request gave the pitch the most emotionally resonant food origin story in Indian restaurant history. Independence and partition, loss and creation, refugee resilience and culinary invention all in a single dish.

Namita Thapar exited pharmaceutical distribution networks provide no specific strategic value for casual dining restaurant chain management and expansion. Peyush Bansal exited optical retail expertise has no commercial overlap with restaurant operations, supply chain management, or hospitality brand scaling. Vineeta Singh exited SUGAR Cosmetics' beauty brand expertise is disconnected from restaurant chain management, though she appreciated the food quality. Anupam Mittal exited on competitive valuation grounds ₹180 crore valuation for a 5-restaurant Delhi-based chain was aggressive relative to comparable restaurant chain valuations, and he could not construct an investment thesis at those terms. Aman Gupta was the most personally invested Shark Daryaganj was already his favourite restaurant, making him simultaneously the most commercially aligned investor and the most conflict-interested .

The business pitched for ₹90 lakhs for 0.5% equity (₹180 crore valuation). Aman Gupta offered ₹90 lakhs for 1% equity (₹90 crore valuation). Founders countered with ₹90 lakhs convertible debt with 30% discount on next round valuation. Aman revised to ₹90 lakhs for 1% equity at ₹90 crore valuation with condition that Aman be included in secondary offload. Founders accepted Aman's revised offer.

Raghav Jaggi, Gurpreet Singh, and Amit Bagga accepted Aman Gupta's offer of ₹90 lakhs for 1% equity at ₹90 crore valuation with the condition that Aman be included in any secondary equity offload. The deal was confirmed and formally closed after the episode aired. Aman Gupta's involvement, beyond just the financial aspect, signified a partnership rooted in shared passion and expertise. Notably, Aman was already a fan of Daryaganj's culinary delights, a testament to the brand's excellence.

Daryaganj continues expanding the restaurant chain growing its Delhi NCR presence while building toward the 100-restaurant vision that Raghav, Gurpreet, and Amit presented on Shark Tank. The 10 prestigious awards in a single year including multiple food and hospitality industry recognitions confirm that the brand's culinary quality is sustaining through the expansion phase. Aman Gupta's involvement, beyond just the financial aspect, signified a partnership rooted in shared passion and expertise.