Hood

Jasveer Singh (Co-founder and CEO) is the strategic and commercial lead having built Hood's investor network to include 20 plus unicorn founders and raised $3.2 million in seed funding before appearing on Shark Tank. Abhishek Asthana (Co-founder) is Season 2 Episode 40's most dramatically self-referential participant the founder of the famous @GabbarSingh Twitter handle with 1.4 million followers, a social media influencer known for sharp, witty commentary including observations that had previously taken digs at Shark Tank India's panel of Sharks. Deepak Kumar (Co-founder) focuses on technical architecture and platform development. Asthana is not new to the social media world. He also runs the famous Twitter handle Gabbar which has 1.4 million followers.

Hood is a modern social network where users can share their genuine stories without revealing their true identities. It provides a safe space for everyone to express themselves openly and honestly. On this platform, no one can see who you really are, allowing you to speak your mind without fear. The Hood is a platform for democracy of opinion where you can share your views without revealing your true identity. The app ensures that the data is end-to-end encrypted. Hood is a pseudonymous social networking platform the structural alternative to identity-linked social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now X). On Hood, users create pseudonymous profiles (not their real names), join groups organised by interest category (company groups, college groups, topic groups), share opinions and posts without attribution to their real identity, and engage in discussions protected by end-to-end encryption.

Amount Asked: ₹1.2 crore Equity Offered: 0.2% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹600 crore

Jasveer, Abhishek, and Deepak walked into Season 2 Episode 40 carrying the most socially complex interpersonal dynamic of any Season 2 pitch Abhishek (@GabbarSingh) had previously used his 1.4 million Twitter followers to mock the Shark Tank India format and its Sharks. The Sharks recognised him immediately and used the pitch as an opportunity to return the commentary, pointing out that the founder who had criticised Shark Tank was now seeking investment from it. The pitch itself was technically sophisticated presenting user statistics (750,000 users, 240,000 monthly actives, 60,000 daily actives, 5,000 groups), the encryption and safety features, the content moderation approach with Ikigai Law, and the global roadmap. The co-founders are confident that this startup will stand out. "Anonymity apps are not new but the idea is to create multiple interest groups. This is a platform where freer discussions can happen."

Namita Thapar was the most commercially direct in her valuation critique. Namita told them that they need a reality check for the ₹600 crore valuation because throughout the pitch they were saying that their company is new. Amit Jain exited on founder humility grounds. Amit pointed out that the founders lack humility. Anupam Mittal delivered the most structurally pessimistic assessment. Anupam adds that they are only interested in the market and do not need a Shark because they already have 20 unicorn founders. Vineeta Singh exited without a formal offer the social networking category was outside her beauty consumer brand expertise. Peyush Bansal was initially uninterested but was won over by the founders' confidence when challenged. Aman Gupta was the most personally aligned Shark his boAt brand's community-building approach and digital marketing expertise made him understand the social platform's potential for brand engagement.

Aman Gupta and Peyush together gave the offer of ₹60 lakhs for 0.54% equity and ₹50 lakh debt at 12% interest. The founders accepted and the deal was secured. The deal structure ₹60 lakhs equity at 0.54% (₹111 crore implied valuation) plus ₹50 lakhs debt was significantly below the founders' ₹600 crore ask but still valued the company at ₹111 crore, far above a revenue-based justification for a pre-revenue platform. Aman and Peyush essentially bet on user growth and monetisation potential rather than current financial metrics.

Jasveer Singh, Abhishek Asthana, and Deepak Kumar accepted Aman Gupta and Peyush Bansal's joint offer of ₹60 lakhs for 0.54% equity plus ₹50 lakhs debt at 12% interest valuing Hood's equity component at ₹111 crore. Despite the valuation being a fraction of the founders' ₹600 crore ask, the deal provided both capital and the credibility of two nationally recognised consumer brand founders joining the existing 20 unicorn-founder investor community.

Hood, the pseudonymous social network, plans to utilise the recent funding of ₹1.2 crore from Peyush Bansal and Aman Gupta to scale the platform. The investment will go towards improving technology, hiring tech experts, and content moderation. The platform also intends to introduce additional features such as direct messaging and Ask Me Anything. Hood reached the Top 10 in the App Store the same day the episode aired. The Shark Tank national visibility drove massive app downloads and social media attention the episode trending nationally gave Hood the consumer brand awareness that its $3.2 million seed round of unicorn-founder investors had not generated at mass scale.