Waggy Zone

Darshankaur Khalsa's journey in the pet industry is nothing short of extraordinary. Inspired by her beloved dog, Tyra, she combined her family background in ice cream making with her passion for pets to create Waggy Zone, India's pioneering brand of dog-friendly ice creams. The founder, Darshan Kaur Khalsa, hails from Bombay, and the idea came from her love for dogs and the fact that they cannot have regular ice cream. She is from Mumbai and her dad owns an Ice Cream factory which helped her in opening this venture.

Waggy Zone is India's first dedicated dog and cat ice cream brand producing freeze-dried premix powder made from coconut milk powder (replacing dairy, which is harmful to many dogs due to lactose) and natural fruit powder (replacing refined sugar and artificial flavours), which pet owners can prepare at home by adding water and freezing. The 6-flavour range (Mango, Blueberry, Banana, Aquamelon, and others) gives pet owners variety that mirrors the human ice cream category experience. The company has already served more than 20,000 dogs, and their goal is to provide this ice cream to every dog in the world.

Amount Asked: ₹50 lakhs Equity Offered: 5% Implied Pre-Money Valuation: ₹10 crore

The pitch opened with the dog ice cream problem conventional ice cream contains dairy and sugar that are harmful or uncomfortable for most dogs. Indian pet parents who wanted to give their dogs a treat had no quality, safe, commercially produced alternative. Waggy Zone's coconut milk and fruit powder premix addressed this specific gap. The product demonstration preparing the premix and showing the final frozen product gave the Sharks the most unusual food tasting of Season 2 Episode 44: the ice cream was technically human-edible (coconut milk and fruit powder with no harmful ingredients) but positioned for dogs. Several Sharks reportedly tasted it, confirming its palatability even for humans.

Anupam Mittal delivered the most commercially direct assessment. Anupam, on the other hand, felt that the pet market was too small for a business selling only ice cream treats and considered it more of a hobby. Aman Gupta focused on the pricing barrier. Aman thought that it is too high to get wide distribution. Vineeta Singh gave the most operationally specific product advice. Vineeta advised directly that the packaging can be simplified to reduce the MRP. Namita Thapar exited despite being a pet lover herself, the limited total addressable market and premium pricing concerns were commercially insurmountable at the ₹10 crore implied valuation. Peyush Bansal was the most internationally constructive in his exit. Peyush suggested that the company could focus on the international market where the product could be sold for a lower price.

No Shark made a formal offer. All five exited before entering negotiation. The combination of premium pricing limiting the total addressable market, Anupam's "hobby business" characterisation, and the general concern that India's pet premium food market was too small for investor-level returns prevented any Shark from reaching an offer stage.

Darshankaur Khalsa left Shark Tank India Season 2 Episode 44 without any investment. All five Sharks declined primarily citing the premium ₹199 price point limiting wide distribution, the small total addressable market of urban Indian pet owners willing to pay premium prices for ice cream, and Anupam's characterisation of the business as a passion project rather than a scalably investable enterprise

Our research in the Waggy Zone revealed that while the company did not get a deal on Shark Tank India, their appearance on the show had a positive impact on the business. Petbizindia wrote a piece on them in March 2024, where they shared that the company has merged with another company called Pets Of Paradise. The article mentioned that their appearance on the show led to this strategic partnership. Due to the merger, we will mark this company as closed as their Shark Tank Brand Name is not valid anymore. "Shark Tank India was a pivotal moment. It not only validated my vision but also led to strategic partnerships." Darshankaur Khalsa Darshankaur's appearance on Shark Tank India Season 2 elevated Waggy Zone's profile and facilitated a merger with Pets Of Paradise. This move strategically broadens her reach within the Indian pet market, further solidifying her commitment to providing the best possible pet care solutions.