This Shark Tank India judge mortgaged his house to fund the skincare brand Hindustan Unilever bought for ₹2,955 crore
Shark Tank India series, which has become an effective platform for early-stage founders and entrepreneurs in the country, returned for a new season on January 5 with five new judges on its panel.
Among them is Minimalist co-founder Mohit Yadav, who shared that he mortgaged his home to finance the skincare brand acquired by FMCG major Hindustan Unilever last year.
Minimalist founders ‘mortgaged the house to raise loans’
Sharing his journey on the show, Yadav said that he had a hard time finding initial financing for his first venture (a children’s clothing brand) and later had to mortgage his house to make ends meet for Minimalist. ₹1 crore loan as per Indian Express report.
“Many years ago, I had started a seed fund to make children’s clothes. This was my first venture in 2010-2011. We (Mohit and his brother, co-founder Rahul Yadav) had also taken money from our families. Later, when we started Minimalist, we had mortgaged our house to make ends meet. ₹1 crore loan. “I knew in my heart that if this didn’t work, maybe my family wouldn’t have a home to live in,” he said, according to the report.
Mohit Yadav’s journey to success: ‘The best thing to do is accept failure and move on to something else…’
He added that this experience taught him that one can feel that one’s identity is tied to the success of the brand and that if the company closes shop it will fail, but years later he realizes that it doesn’t matter what people think.
“Years later, I realized that when you close a close or start something new, it doesn’t matter if people think you’ve failed. The best thing I ever did was accept that the venture didn’t work, move on and do something else, and then build (another) brand. If I was still making clothing, I wouldn’t be here,” he said in the report, speaking about Minimalist.
In January 2025, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced acquisition of 90.5% stake in the skincare brand. The value of the deal has been determined ₹2,955 crore and was approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in March.
New judges added to Shark Tank India Season 5: Who is on the panel?
This season, five new judges have been added along with familiar faces like Aman Gupta (boAt), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Amit Jain (CarDekho), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal and Titan Capital), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO Rooms), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics) and Viraj Bahl. (Veeba).
New faces include Hardik Kothiya (Rayzon Solar), Kanika Tekriwal (JetSetGo Aviation), Mohit Yadav (Minimalist), Pratham Mittal (Masters’ Union and Tetr College of Business), Shaily Mehrotra (Fixderma) and Varun Alagh (Honasa Consumer Ltd).
Over its five seasons, Shark Tank India has carved out a unique niche in Indian media by combining competitive reality television with practical business advice. Season 5’s mix of seasoned investors and new voices reflects not only established success but also the broadening contours of India’s entrepreneurial ambition. Launching in early January, the series is poised to deliver high-stakes pitches, candid feedback, and potential deals that could shape the future of start-ups across the country.
