IN A CAN

Sameer Mirajkar (Co-founder & CEO) is the operations and growth leader. Sameer earned a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management and Catering Technology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College. Viraj Sawant (Co-founder) brings beverage industry expertise and entrepreneurial energy — a hotel management graduate whose shared love of mixology with Sameer sparked the InACan idea during the 2020 lockdown when bars were closed and good cocktails were unavailable at home. Varun Sudhakar (Co-founder, Product Innovation) is Season 1's most specialised founding team member — 13 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry. A wine sommelier by profession, he is also India's only Advance Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommelier.

IN A CAN is India's first craft ready-to-drink canned cocktail brand — producing five premium, low-calorie, bartender-quality cocktails (LIIT, Gin and Tonic, Whiskey Collins, Vodka Mule, and Rum Latte) in 250ml cans with a 9-month shelf life, manufactured in a centralised automated facility for hygiene and flavour consistency, and distributed across states — delivering the full experience of a top-tier bar cocktail to anywhere you want to enjoy it, without a bartender, without mixing, without glassware. The ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage category was nascent in India in 2020 — dominated globally by brands like White Claw, TRULY, and Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails, but almost entirely absent in the Indian market except for low-quality, sugar-heavy premixed drinks that bore little resemblance to actual bar cocktails.

Amount Asked: ₹50 lakhs Equity Offered: 2% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹25 crore

The most immediately appealing product sampling moment: every Shark was handed a cold IN A CAN and asked to taste a craft cocktail that had been made in Pune, sealed in a can, and delivered to the Shark Tank studio in perfect condition. India's first "ready to drink" cocktail can is available in 5 flavours that include LIIT, Ginger and Tonic, Whiskey Collins, Vodka Mule, and Rum Latte, with the main motto of open, chill, and drink anytime or anywhere without the help of a bar, bartender, or mixing of products. Sameer feels that they are unique in this field as the cocktails are made from specialized ingredients so that they can be preserved and can be tasted persistent all the time. The 9-month, 15,000-kilometre development journey — disclosed during the pitch — communicated obsessive product quality commitment. This was not a startup that had thrown a spirit and a mixer into a can and called it a cocktail.

The product sampling was the pitch's decisive moment — every Shark who tasted an InACan product appeared genuinely impressed by the craft quality. The subsequent negotiation moved quickly, with all five Sharks choosing to participate rather than compete. The primary commercial concerns raised during the pitch centred on two structural challenges: the state-level alcohol regulatory complexity (limiting geographic availability), and the valuation gap (₹25 crore implied ask vs. the ₹10 crore implied post-deal valuation). The All-Five-Shark coalition formation resolved both by giving InACan five Sharks' regulatory and distribution networks across different states simultaneously. The founders shared in the Out and Out podcast that they mainly went to the show for branding. They said that what was aired was a heavily edited version and negotiations didn't go the way it was shown on the show.

Although the partners had requested ₹50 lakhs in exchange for a 2% stake in the firm, the Sharks ended up offering them ₹1 crore in exchange for a 10% stake. The Sharks more than doubled the capital offered (from ₹50 lakhs to ₹1 crore) while simultaneously taking five times more equity (10% vs 2%).

Deal Secured: YES — All-Five-Shark Deal confirmed and formally closed Investment Amount:- ₹1 crore Equity Given10%