Shark Tank India Season 5: Shark Tank India in its fifth edition has been witnessing innovative pitches, from designing clothes for gaming characters to expanding spiritual wearables globally. In the latest episode of Shark Tank India Season 5, one such pitch stood out from the rest. Effortlessly blurring the lines between ethics and business, spiritual wearable brand Japam founder, Ritoban Chakrabarti, secured a Rs 1.5 crore deal from Shark Tank judges, Namita Thapar and Varun Alagh.
Marketing his brand based on authenticity, Japam, presented a range of products, including the rudraksha, energy crystals, and spiritual jewellery. Pitching his brand to the investors, Chakrabarti claimed that by the end of March 2026, his 2.5-year-old company would have achieved a revenue of Rs 60 crore, even after shipping nearly 12,000 products a month for free, at a loss.
Better designs, zodiac bands, and Gen-Z marketing
Asking the Japam founder, Shark Tank judge Varun Alagh, questioned how the brand would market itself to a ‘younger audience’. Emcure Pharma’s Namita Thapar was quick to identify the gap as she remarked, ‘these designs’, pointed to the metal-set rudraksha beads. “Make the products in a way which resonates with them,” Chakrabarti shared his ideology.
CEO of Honasa Consumer, with a vision to build brands for millennials and Gen-Z, while expressing interest, he mentioned ‘faith concerts’. A rising Gen-Z trend after 2025’s ‘fake wedding’, a large section of millennials and Gen-Z are turning to a new phenomenon, ‘bhajan clubbing’. Gathering in huge crowds to sing songs that praise the lord would indeed be an ideal place to market Japam.
Namita-Varun make offer
Concluding the deal on a high note, Shark Tank India judges, Namita Thapar and Varun Alagh, pitched Rs 1.5 crore for 1.5% equity, but with a 1% royal until the principal amount is reoccupied. However, the Japam founder found this unfair. He questioned, “Then what do you bring to the table?” when it came to eventually returning the initial investment.
Namita, the founder of a 90+ country pharma brand, promised her global expansion with a separate price point for international customers, and managed to convince the spiritual brand founder by lowering the equity share.