Tramboo

Hamaad Tramboo (18) and Saad Tramboo (20) are Season 3's youngest deal-securing founders — two college-going brothers from Srinagar whose family had been in the Kashmir wood business for generations. Growing up around Kashmir willow timber and playing cricket passionately, they recognised the commercial gap: Kashmir willow bats were traditionally heavier than English willow bats, making them less preferred by serious cricketers despite being more affordable and locally sourced. Their innovation was solving the weight problem of Kashmir willow through their own proprietary seasoning plant and hard-pressed construction techniques, they made Kashmir willow bats lighter and more playable while retaining the wood's natural power and durability. Starting in 2021 while still studying, they sold 20,000 plus bats primarily through Instagram and their website within 2 to 3 years.

Tramboo Sports produces handcrafted Kashmir Willow cricket bats using Grade 1 Kashmir Willow with a revolutionary seasoning process and hard-pressed construction that makes the bats significantly lighter than traditional Kashmir willow alternatives, while the Singapore Cane Handle technology absorbs shock better than conventional handles. The Kashmir Willow Act restricts export of raw Kashmir willow wood, creating a natural competitive moat: only bat manufacturers based in Kashmir have access to the raw material at source, giving local manufacturers like Tramboo a supply chain advantage that no outside competitor can replicate. The brothers highlighted this during the pitch: "With the Kashmir Willow Act restricting the export of raw material, we're poised for success in the domestic market."

Amount Asked: ₹30 lakhs Equity Offered: 3% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹10 crore

Hamaad and Saad walked into Season 3 Episode 7 as the youngest founders of the episode — two college students from Srinagar who brought the craft heritage of Kashmir willow cricket bats to India's biggest investment stage. Their youthful confidence and infectious enthusiasm engaged every Shark from the opening moment. The pitch demonstrated the bat quality through physical examination by the Sharks, explained the weight-reduction innovation that solved Kashmir willow's historic heaviness problem, and highlighted the commercial traction: 20,000 bats sold, 1,000-bat export order to Qatar, and ₹18 lakh monthly revenue with 25% profit margins, all achieved while both founders were still pursuing their BBA degrees. The competitive bidding that followed was Season 3 Episode 7's most positive multi-Shark investment dynamic, in stark contrast to the Zorko deal collapse earlier in the same episode.

Vineeta Singh appreciated the founders' confidence at such a young age. She joined Anupam for an initial offer of ₹30 lakhs for 10% equity, later stepping aside when Aman and Peyush entered with better terms. Anupam Mittal asked detailed questions about market size and growth expectations. He co-offered with Vineeta at ₹30 lakhs for 10% equity initially, and humorously noted "Aman will decide which cricketer will use your bats." Ritesh Agarwal made a solo offer of ₹30 lakhs for 4% equity, recognising the brand's export potential and young founder energy. He was ultimately outbid by Aman and Peyush's combined strategic offer. Aman Gupta saw the marketing potential of connecting Kashmir willow bats with star cricketers who were already boAt brand ambassadors (Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya). He co-invested with Peyush at ₹30 lakhs for 4% equity. Peyush Bansal recalled his Season 2 investment in a Kashmir-based delivery startup, showing his continued interest in Kashmiri entrepreneurship.

Multiple competing offers were made. Vineeta and Anupam jointly offered ₹30 lakhs for 10% equity. Ritesh offered ₹30 lakhs for 4% equity solo. Aman and Peyush jointly offered ₹30 lakhs for 4% equity. The founders chose Aman and Peyush's offer at 4% equity, matching Ritesh's percentage but with the combined strategic advantage of boAt's cricketer brand ambassador relationships (Aman) and Lenskart's consumer product scaling methodology (Peyush).

Hamaad and Saad Tramboo accepted Aman Gupta and Peyush Bansal's joint offer of ₹30 lakhs for 4% equity at ₹7.5 crore valuation. The deal brought two of India's most prominent consumer brand founders into a Kashmir willow cricket bat company Aman's relationships with Indian cricketers (boAt brand ambassadors) and Peyush's consumer product distribution expertise creating the specific strategic combination needed to scale a cricket equipment brand nationally and internationally.

The CBMAK legal notice challenging specific claims Tramboo made during the pitch about being the sole manufacturer or the largest manufacturer of Kashmir willow bats created a post-episode controversy that the founders had to navigate alongside their post-deal scaling. Kashmir has hundreds of bat manufacturers, and the association took issue with claims that they felt misrepresented the competitive landscape. Despite the controversy, Tramboo Sports continues operating the Aman and Peyush investment providing both capital and the specific cricket marketing relationships needed to position Kashmir willow bats as a premium cricketing choice. The brand's Instagram-first sales model (70% of revenue from Instagram) demonstrates that social media cricket content and direct-to-consumer sales can build a cricket equipment brand without traditional sports retail distribution. Tramboo Sports prioritizes traditional craftsmanship techniques while incorporating modern innovations like steam-based seasoning for enhanced bat performance.