House of Chikankari

Our co-founder Poonam Rawal, a textile expert, has long created ethnic clothing for herself and her loved ones. Her wardrobe is overflowing with clothing that has been painstakingly hand-embroidered in Chikankari, and her daughter Aakriti Rawal has unavoidably inherited this devotion. Poonam Rawal is the brand's textile heritage anchor. A lifelong Chikankari enthusiast who personally collected and wore hand-embroidered garments for decades, she brought the craft knowledge, artisan relationships, and authenticity validation that no amount of market research could substitute. Aakriti Rawal is the commercial and digital architecture of House of Chikankari. She studied in London and graduated in 2018, then worked at another startup before co-founding House of Chikankari with her mother during the pandemic. Her London business education and startup experience gave the brand its D2C digital strategy, marketing sophistication, and the ability to position a GI-tagged traditional craft.

House of Chikankari is India's most authentically GI-certified online Chikankari fashion brand, producing hand-embroidered ethnic garments crafted by women artisans from Lucknow's traditional Chikankari community. Chikankari is a form of embroidery that originated in Lucknow, India, over 100 years ago. It is a delicate and intricate form of hand embroidery that involves using white cotton or silk threads on fine muslin or cotton fabric to create intricate designs. Begum Noor Jahan, the wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir, was a patron of this art form and helped spread its popularity all over the world. The Indian government has granted Chikankari a GI tag, which means that only products made in a specific region and using specific techniques can be called Chikankari.

Amount Asked: ₹75 lakhs Equity Offered: 1% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹75 crore

The mother-daughter founding duo of Aakriti and Poonam Rawal, the owners of House of Chikankari, had the most unique and artistic pitch since the beginning of the season. Their models put out a performance to display their handcrafted clothing's grace. Aakriti and Poonam walked into Season 2 Episode 8 with models wearing live Chikankari outfits, creating an impromptu fashion showcase on the Shark Tank stage. The visual impact was immediate: delicate white thread embroidery on flowing fabric, demonstrating exactly why this craft has been called an art form for over four centuries. The pitch opened with a cultural question: what comes to mind when you hear Lucknow? The founders answered their own question: food, poetry, language, and Chikankari. By framing the product within Lucknow's cultural identity, they made the pitch about preserving something irreplaceable rather than just selling ethnic garments.

Aman Gupta was the most immediately enthusiastic Shark and gave the first formal offer of ₹75 lakhs for 5% equity. Namita Thapar exited because Aman refused to partner with her and she did not want to engage in a competitive bidding war with a fellow Shark over the deal. Anupam Mittal co-offered with Vineeta at ₹75 lakhs for 6% equity, personally moved by the brand's mission of recognising women's contributions. Vineeta Singh co-offered with Anupam at ₹75 lakhs for 6%, bringing her D2C fashion consumer brand expertise to the evaluation. Peyush Bansal initially offered ₹75 lakhs for 5% and expressed comfort co-investing with Aman.

Aman offered ₹75 lakhs for 5% equity solo. Anupam and Vineeta jointly offered ₹75 lakhs for 6%. Peyush offered ₹75 lakhs for 5% and accepted pairing with Aman. The founders countered at 2% equity. Peyush countered with 4%. Anupam matched Peyush's 4% offer. The company countered at 3%. Aman countered with 3.75%, which Aakriti accepted.

Aakriti Rawal and Poonam Rawal accepted Aman Gupta and Peyush Bansal's joint offer of ₹75 lakhs for 3.75% equity, valuing House of Chikankari at ₹20 crore post-deal. Four of five Sharks had made offers, creating one of Season 2's most competitive bidding moments for a traditional craft brand. The founders negotiated from 1% to 3.75% moving 3.75x on equity in exchange for retaining the confidence of India's most marketing-savvy consumer investors.