Dorje

Sparsh did his BA from Ashoka University. After working for the Centre for Political Research, he joined Dorje as the Chief Brewing Officer. Ishaan managed finances. Both grew up in Kolkata. They work with Selim Hill Tea Estate, established in 1871 — Sparsh's family business. Ishaan is a Bachelor of Science graduate from Università Bocconi, Italy, who previously worked as an M&A Analyst at Duff & Phelps before leaving to co-found Dorje Teas. The founding insight was simple but commercially transformative: Darjeeling tea is globally celebrated as the "Champagne of Teas," yet most Indians cannot access quality Darjeeling tea at home because the entire industry was built for export, not domestic consumption. India's tea market is ₹1.2 lakh crore and the Darjeeling tea market holds ₹1,500 crore — just 1% of total.

Dorje Teas is India's most authentically terroir-driven Darjeeling tea brand — sourcing exclusively from the Selim Hill Tea Estate (USDA Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified, established 1871), delivering each seasonal flush (First, Second, Monsoon) directly to consumers within weeks of harvest through a subscription and e-commerce model, packaging in technology that preserves flavour for up to six months, and eliminating the entire chain of brokers, exporters, and wholesalers that historically separated India's best tea gardens from Indian tea drinkers. Their range includes black, green, white, oolong, and herbal wellness blends — all sourced from Selim Hill. Rather than sending bulk tea into obscurity, they focused on preserving the unique character of each seasonal flush — from the delicate spring leaves to the robust monsoon harvest.

Amount: ₹30 lakhs Equity: 5% Implied Valuation: ₹6 crore

Sparsh calls Anupam to taste their different types of teas where he explains that Darjeeling gets its first rain in the spring season — it is when the tea bushes start blooming. Sparsh gives a fantastic demo of his teas, keeping on explaining different types of teas in different kinds of weather. Anupam and other Sharks were really impressed with Ishaan's way of explaining everything. Finally, all the Sharks tasted the teas offered by Sparsh. The co-founders made tea from all these flavours live during their pitch and the Sharks tasted it. This live multi-flush tasting — First, Second, Monsoon, and Autumn flush brewed fresh in the Tank — was the pitch's most commercially effective moment. Each flush had a distinctly different colour, aroma, and taste, communicating the product's terroir-driven complexity directly through the Sharks' senses.

Aman Gupta exited on vision and financial grounds. Aman was also out because they were currently in the loss-making stage, even with a lot of funding already. Namita Thapar exited on strategic disconnect grounds. She felt competing with India's deep-rooted CTC tea-drinking habits was difficult and suggested an experiential model instead — inviting consumers to walk through the tea gardens and purchase directly. She saw a disconnect between the subscription model and the market reality Vineeta Singh was the most constructively critical investor who still chose to invest. Anupam Mittal appreciated the founders' dedication and execution, engaged most directly with the financial model, and joined Vineeta and Peyush's coalition. Peyush Bansal saw the operational and supply chain potential — bringing Lenskart's backend expertise to Dorje's farm-to-cup logistics.

Vineeta's solo offer: ₹30 lakhs for 10% equity (₹3 crore valuation) Three-Shark joint offer: Anupam + Vineeta + Peyush — ₹30 lakhs for 15% equity (₹2 crore valuation) The founders accepted the three-Shark deal, recognising that three complementary networks — D2C brand (Vineeta), digital platform (Anupam), operational supply chain (Peyush) — were worth the additional equity cost over Vineeta's solo offer.

Deal Secured: CONFIRMED AND FORMALLY CLOSED Investment Amount:- ₹30 lakhs Equity Given:- 15% Investing Sharks Anupam Mittal + Vineeta Singh + Peyush Bansal