Over two years after being grilled on Shark Tank India Season 4, Gaurav Taneja has now revealed that he had gone on the show primarily to “perform”. The businessman and YouTuber recently spoke at an event where he opened up about his appearance on the reality show, revealing that although he walked away without a deal after asking for Rs 1 crore for 1% equity in his brand Beast Life, he later secured Rs 3 crore for 1% equity outside the show.

Taneja recently attended an event organised by YouTube Goldmine Framework, where he discussed his Shark Tank India experience during an interaction with the audience. “I had gone there to perform. The fact that they didn’t give me the funding is a different matter,” he said.

Addressing the impression that the sharks were collectively grilling him during his pitch, Taneja said the aftermath of the episode eventually worked in his favour.

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“The aftermath turned out to be good for us. Sometimes, you feel low. But when one door closes, another opens. We had gone there seeking funding of Rs 100 crore. About four months later, I got funding of Rs 300 crore. Earlier, I was giving away 1% equity for Rs 1 crore. Now, I got Rs 3 crore for 1%. It saved us from having to keep our valuation at Rs 100 crore. We saved our equity,” he said.

He added, “It became the most-watched episode. A lot of people also discovered us. We used a lot of reels from that episode. So, whatever happens, happens for good.”

Taneja had previously hit back at the sharks while speaking to YouTube channel Think School Hindi by Zero1. Recalling the criticism he faced during his pitch, he said, “A lot of things happened at Shark Tank and I was wondering why are they so much against me. When I receive a customer’s complaint, I give my team the order number and ask for an update. I won’t sit and see in the system. Obviously, I will delegate the task.”

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He further recalled being asked why he did not shut down his social media channel, Flying Beast.

“They told me, ‘You aren’t shutting down Flying Beast?’ and I was like, what a foolish decision. They are asking me to shut down what distinguishes me and from where I am selling everything. We got a kickstart and we had an advantage, but the rest of the journey has been the same as theirs. We didn’t get everything on a plate. I have also had sleepless nights and built this distribution. I would get up at 4 am and take flights,” he said.

In May this year, Aman Gupta joined Taneja’s food brand Rosier Foods, known for products such as raw honey and A2 Vedic ghee.