Shark Tank India 4: Aman Gupta questions fashion brand’s ‘too good to be true’ numbers; founders remind him about receiving an award from him at an event

The latest episode of Shark Tank India 4, featured a D2C men's fashion brand The Bear House. The founders clinched a deal on Shark Tank India 4. Founded by Harsh Somaiya and Tanvi Somaiya, the Bangalore-based label has gained recognition for its versatile sizing and European-inspired designs. Harsh, who ventured into the fashion industry in 2014, initially set up a factory with his uncle to manufacture apparel for leading brands. Tanvi, a NIFT graduate, later joined him to oversee brand and factory operations. In 2016, the duo brought their vision to life by launching The Bear House.
Harsh shares his journey, revealing that in 2014, they established their own factory, exporting garments for renowned brands. However, in 2016, despite their business thriving, they made a misstep by expanding the factory and taking on domestic orders. This decision led to their downfall, as payments in the domestic market were frequently delayed, resulting in significant financial losses. By 2019, they were forced to shut down the factory. At their peak, they had generated ₹55 crores in B2B revenue, but as losses mounted, they ended up incurring losses of Rs 18-19 crores before closing operations. Harsh shares the investments came from his uncle who had funded around 25-30 crores. Fortunately, they could sell the factory to an MNC company and repay the losses.
Harsh shares a hilarious story behind their brand name 'Bear house' and his wife reveals it is based on his husband, who she feels looks like a teddy bear. Tanvi’s commitment particularly impressed the panel, as she had returned to work just 25 days after giving birth. The Sharks applaud her efforts.
Namita shares a piece of advice that life does not necessarily work out the way we want and if there is a worst-case scenario, women should always protect their financial health and financial stake. She advises that she is not in favour of women happily giving away their stake. She asks Tanvi to rethink.
Harsh and Tanvi captivated the Sharks with their product demonstration, emphasizing the brand’s standout feature—420 GSM fabric.
Aman Gupta was initially doubtful about their remarkable sales figures, considering them almost too good to be true. He feels like the founders have made-up stories around their numbers. He says, "Mujhe toh ab apne aap par shak horaha hai, it is actually too good to be true. Agar aisi brand bani hoti itne paise banane waali toh mujhe pata hota."
However, the founders reminded him that he had personally presented them with an award not long ago. Namita pulls his leg and asks what happened to his memory and Anupam jokes, "Woh sirf award lete hain toh yaad rehta hai."
Kunal offers a deal Rs 3 crores for 3 percent Equity, on the other hand Viraj backs out. Aman and Anupam also back out as they find Namita's offer better and best for them. After intense negotiations, Namita Thapar closed the deal, offering Rs 1 crore for 1 percent equity, along with Rs 2 crores in debt at a 10 percent interest rate over five years.