The protagonists of the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, plot a dream venture to market a curiously weird Rise Up toilet – an inventive device to help wobbly older adults get off the seat. In one episode, the two elderly women appear on the American reality TV show Shark Tank, pitching their way to a handsome investment from one of the cele­brity investors-cum-judges in exchange for 10% stock. 

 It's another thing that Grace declines the offer, but the pop culture reference only served to emphasise the appeal of Shark Tank, an Emmy-winning ABC series that premiered in 2009, right in the middle of the economic downturn, and is now in its 13th season. 

On Monday, Sony Entertainment Television launched its own version of the long-running series, Shark Tank India, in India, screening the first of 30 episodes that would be broadcast weekdays, promising seven tycoons, or "sharks," committing money worth Rs 41.68 crore to 67 start-up enterprises. According to Sony TV, the show attracted 62,000 applications from India, with 198 companies being chosen to present their ideas to the "sharks." 

 It was humbling for Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth, to be on a show that attracted themes she never imagined would be discussed on Indian television. From farmers to teenagers to the elderly, the participants came from all walks of life. A significant number of couple entries or pairings is also a strong point for Alagh, who developed the personal care brand with her husband Varun Alagh. 

"Nearly one out of every seven pitches came from people who knew one other. "Through the show, the fact that every household in India has an entrepreneur who is humming with ideas comes to life," she says. 

 The producers felt the moment was ideal for an Indian version of the show because of a start-up wave in the nation, according to Ashneer Grover, MD and co-founder of finance firm BharatPe. 

 The "sharks" were originally nervous about appearing in front of the camera, but they were told that the presentation would be entirely unscripted. "We've been shooting in Mumbai every weekend for the past two and a half months." "There isn't a single line of dialogue or script in the show," Grover explains. 

He goes on to say that they didn't get to know the pitchers until after they were short­listed and met them. "There's a sense of surprise here." We have no idea what they're selling. When the pitcher talks, we have to take a call within half an hour to an hour." 

 Alagh notes out that there was a good diversity of product concepts, but that food was the most prevalent. "We had a lot of food businesses come in and pitch, and even in fashion, people were talking about specialist niches like innerwear or premium apparel," she says. One of the highlights was a category that we rarely discuss, such as sex toys. As a result, no one was reluctant." 

She could connect to the folks offering fresh ideas because she was the creator of a startup business. She believes the programme would help the Indian start-up ecosystem by convincing entrepreneurs that venture capitalists aren't their sole option for funding. "It makes no difference where you come from. There are individuals to back you up if you genuinely believe in your idea and we see potential in expanding it up," she emphasises, noting that there have been multiple joint investments. 

 People from North and West India, according to Grover, made up the majority of the participants. After seeing the first season and the show's premise, he believes the quality of pitches and segments will improve next year. 

For him, ultimate success would be seeing 20-25 of the 67 firms in whom the sharks have invested grow significantly over the next year. He also ensures that the show will continue when the deals are disclosed. 

 "We've already begun moving money around. By the end of January, half of the participants would have received their investments. "The aim is to capitalise early and help them expand," he adds, adding that he has already spent time with the entrepreneurs after the shoot, assisting them in clearly thinking through their ideas and connecting them with the proper people.