Exclusive: Shark Tank India 5’s newest Shark Kanika Tekriwal on being an entrepreneur; says ‘My own family didn’t take me seriously initially’

The latest season of Shark Tank India has aviation entrepreneur Kanika Tekriwal as its newest Shark joining the panel. Her journey has been an inspiring one and while speaking to Times of India TV, she opened up about her humbling experience on the show, evolving pitchers, young entrepreneurs and how even her own family once doubted her vision. She spoke about how grit and self-belief can defy all odds.

It's been fun. I think I wasn't expecting what I have witnessed. Just the learning from all the people who've pitched has been so amazing. I didn't know this India existed. You know, people have come from such cities, such places whose names I didn't even know, to start with. And at this age, they know so much. And they use such words that you can't even understand what's happening around you. We feel like we're running a business. So I think for me, it's been a very humbling experience. I'm going back so inspired, so motivated. And having learned so much that I feel very small after finishing the season.

I think the biggest thing that has changed is confidence. You know, to see these people come so confidently and be themselves on national television, I think is a very big deal. I don't think any of us at that age could have pitched with so much confidence, so much self belief, could have shared our ideas, could have trusted ourselves so much. Just to see, it's a new India, like you said, the country is changing, moving forward.

I think, throughout the pitches, because the kind of ideas you saw, what people are doing with AI, we don't even know what happens in AI. To be honest, you know, we are still stuck in GPT. Here, those big models are talking about all sorts of things. So I think the biggest change you're seeing is that entrepreneurship has become cool, right? It's become acceptable. And I think because of that, just the quality of work, the quality of ideas you're seeing is making, it's going to make sure India is going to be the next superpower.

The most important requirement is grit... You have to be made of steel to survive this rollercoaster called entrepreneurship. You need a lot of courage. You'll fall down every day, you'll get slapped every day, people will make fun of you every day. You know, when I was starting, people used to say ‘game bana rahi hai’, My own father used to say, ‘Time waste kar rahi hai, shaadi nahi karni’, and to turn around and tell my dad, no, I'm doing the right thing. My uncle asked me, ‘do you know how many zeroes are there in 1 crore?’ and seriously I didn’t know. And that made me realize, how to raise so much of money. It takes a lot to just believe in yourself and keep going each day. And I see that, you know, I see people who've come to the tank, who don't have anything, they're in government schools, they don't have financial backing, they don't have exposure, but they still have self-confidence, that they can do it. And I think that's what, you know, keeps it going. Otherwise, at the ages, all of us, like 17, 18, 19, you're so foolish, you're so hungry, which is why it also makes it probably easier, I think, for younger people to succeed. So you just keep taking risks and moving ahead, I guess.

I think I am the most raw. Like I keep saying, I am a baby shark. I had human computers sitting next to me. They were processing my numbers. For the first time, I didn't even understand. At first pitch, I was quiet. Blank, quiet. I was like, what is happening? Because you aren't used to doing things this fast. And when you are normally investing in a company, first the team will do the due diligence. Then they will make a note and give it to you. Then they will compress that note. Then you will have a budget. You know, which will help you make the right decisions with an excel sheet. And here, it was like 40 minutes. I think for me, it just became what gut and instinct and yeah, numbers obviously matter. You know, no one will invest without seeing the numbers. And I have been a big preacher on profitability from the day of starting. I am only focusing on profitability. By God's grace, except one year from all the 10 years of inception, 11 years, we've always been profitable. I know how hard it is to run a profitable business and what it takes to get there.

I think the one thing I used to look for is that the entrepreneur has the grit. He will make it profitable if he has the thinking. There are two types of entrepreneurs. One thinks that I will burn the money of the investor. And I will make it further. Then I will sell the company. And one is that I have to think about today. I have to earn money. I have to stabilize the business. I was looking for the later part. But, more than any of that, I think what I was looking for is the undying passion with perseverance and grit to go out there and succeed. And that's been my only approach. And I think I always take a decision from the heart. You know, I think it's for me, it's always been heart over mind. And that's been my only approach. It's been a very heartful approach.

Jab maine business chalu kiya tha na, market size bhi nahi tha, koi samajhta nahi tha. I had a lethal combination. Main ladki thi 21 years ki in an industry which is dominated by men. I remember main kahi baar airport jaati thi aircraft dekhne and people would think I work in the cabin crew. Uss time funding ka trend chala tha. When I went to ask for money, people used to say, market size kya hai? Okay, market size kya hai? Kaise karao? Aap karoge? Har darwaza band hua tha yaar. Okay, ek jan se funding raise nahi ho. Only one man believed in me, who was my customer, who approached me to fund me. And I'm telling you, the best thing that happened to me in life was that I didn't raise money. Because it taught me that in this, in the business that I'm in, I don't need to raise money. I can do it profitably. And sab log bolte hain, ki aapne private jet ka business bina capital kaise start kiya? I'm very proud. I've only invested Rs 5600 till date. Wow. And we operate India's largest fleet of private jets. And I think, you know, one thing that every entrepreneur needs to understand is, yaar raising money is not the benchmark to your business. Sometimes not getting money from here is probably the best thing. Bahot log humko mana karke jaate hain. Hum log rohte hain, ki yaar I wish li leta, thodo more offer kar dete, yeh kar dete. You know, stuff like that. So I think, the one message that I would really like to put out there is, sometimes not raising money is probably the best thing that's happened to you and your business. You will learn to hustle, you will learn to survive, and you will grow with wings, no one can defeat you at.

Aj kal raha hai, ek word trend kar raha hai, Pagloo, jo mujhe pata nahi tha. As you can see, I'm not very trendy. But, I was a aviation ka Pagloo. I wanted to become a pilot, Marwadi ghar se. My parents said, humara, mera bachcha, ladki driver banegi. I was like, no, I want to become a pilot. And my father said, no. And I think that's what, every no na, puts a fire in every human being. Toh for me, it was aacha, pilot nahi ban payi na, kyunki in 11th, 12th, they made me take commerce. And you need science in India to become a pilot. I said, yaar ab main plane kaise chalaungi. You know, I didn't know at that time, obviously, ki plane chalana, quite literally, will mean owning a fleet of planes and running them.

But I think it was that journey, which was, you know, I mean, it was a very humbling journey, obviously, but it was that, you know, undying passion ki, yaar karna hai, sab bolte the, nahi ho sakta, industry nahi chalegi, India mein. Yaar, COVID aaya boss. Okay. I am telling you, it changed everything for us. The number of people, that are flying private, ask him, I think your first flight, must have happened after COVID. You know, if you were, for safety, security, all of those reasons. A lot of people, everything changed for us, dramatically. For me, it's never been, that you're a woman, in a male dominated industry. For me, it's about, karna hai boss. And I don't think, being a woman, has worked in my favor. Har insaan ko, uncle, bhaiya, sir mana ke, kaam kar waya hai yaar. DGC la ke, uncle, please, uncle, I said, I think, choti se bachchi, kaam kar ke de do. You know, so I think, I had it very easy, because of that.