Shark Tank India 4: Vineeta Singh reveals her father lost his parents before he was 5; says "he studied while farming, is now a renowned AIIMS scientist'

The latest episode of Shark Tank India Season 4 featured Cograd - a social startup that offers affordable quality education for students and training for teachers in villages. Cograd was started in 2021 by renting closed schools and transforming them into state-of-the-art learning centers with equal opportunities for all kids. The initiative is founded by IIT and NIT alumni Himanshu Chaurasia and Saurabh Yadav. Their ask is Rs 1 crore for 2 percent equity.
Cograd schools cater to students from class 1 to 8. They are running 5 schools at present. They show photos of their schools running in the villages to the Sharks and Anupam Mittal comments, "Humne picturein kuch zyaada he dekh he maine kuch aur he visual kiya, pedh ke neeche bacche baithe hue hain. Mera khud ka ab school jaane ke mann ho raha hai."
Cograd students participates in various comeptitions and conclaves at prestigious universities in India. Sharks praise their efforts after listening to their stories. Ritesh Agarwal says, "Mere rongte khade hogaye aapki baatein sun kar."
Cograd hires teachers through the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) alumni network. Their plan is to open 1000 schools. Himanshu and Saurabh reveal 80 percent of their revenue comes from non-scalable part of the business which is skill-training and teacher training. Ritesh questioned the founders, asking if the school business was facing losses, as they seemed to have other ventures running alongside it. Himanshu and Saurabh share that they got an opportunity and decided to take it. However, Kunal Bahl takes a dig at them asking, "Isiliye toh nahi ke ghar aayi lakshmi ko mana nahi kar paa rahe?" The founders mentioned that they had free hand after August. In response, Anupam argued that they could have started opening new schools since their goal was to establish 1,000 schools. However, when Kunal asked how many schools Cograd had started this year, the founders admitted that they hadn't opened any.
The founders admit that they had no money left hence the focused of operating other ventures rather then opening new schools. Kunal advised the founders, pointing out that many entrepreneurs face a common challenge—they begin with a clear vision for their business, but along the way, someone promises them grand opportunities. As a result, they get distracted and start chasing those promises, losing sight of the very reason they started their company in the first place.
Anupam appreciates their vision, but doesn't understand where they are heading out. Hence, he backs out from the deal. Kunal feels the founders have lack of focus and hence he backs out. Vineeta praises Saurabh and Himanshu efforts and gives her father's example how education changes things for him. She reveals that her father lost his parents before he was 5-year-old. "There's a village named Barispur, it was the same thing there he would walk 6 km barefoot to school and no one taught in the schools. He sat on the tree and studied while farming. He did all that and completed his BSc, MSc and PhD and today's he is on of the most reputed scientists at AIIMS who created the maximum structures possible in the world for cancer research. He would tell me one things a lot as a child. Education is one opportunity that can change your life."
She offers them a deal of Rs 50 lakhs for 10 percent equity plus Rs 50 lakhs debt at 10 percent interest for a 3-year period for school business. She asks them to focus on school business. Ritesh offers a deal with along with Namita of Rs 50 lakhs for 5 percent Equity plus Rs 50 lakhs in debt at 9 percent interest for 3 years. He also puts the same condition of focusing on school business. Saurabh and Himanshu offer a counter offer of Rs 50 lakhs for 2.5 percent equity and Rs 50 lakhs debt or the same. Ritesh, Vineeta, and Namita joined the deal.
The finalized deal saw Cograd secure 50 lakhs for 6% equity, plus 50 lakhs debt at a 9% interest rate for three years by the three sharks.