Shark Tank India: Tramboo Sports, a Kashmir-based cricket bat brand, secures Rs. 30 lakh investment.

This season of Shark Tank India appears to be captivating not only for entrepreneurs and potential businesspeople but also for cricket lovers. First, with the presentation of URturms, including the T-shirt worn by Ms. Dhoni, and now with Tramboo Sports offering Kashmir Willow Bats made from Premium Grade 1 Kashmir Willow, which recently caught the attention of the Sharks in the second week of the show.

Started in 2021, Tramboo Sports is the brainchild of 20-year-old Saad Tramboo and 18-year-old Hamad Tramboo from Srinagar. 'We initially aimed to enter the entrepreneurial world, but as time passed, we experimented with various products until we began crafting bats in 2021,' says Saad Tramboo.

Tramboo employs Singapore Cane Handles, known for their ability to absorb shocks, ultimately enhancing the bats' quality. The collection includes Tennis Bats for tennis balls and Season Bats for season balls, making cricket affordable for all. 'Our bats are budget-friendly,' the founder adds, attributing this to their 'seasoning method,' which makes the bats lighter.

According to the team, the brand has sold over 20,000 bats and secured a deal for 1,000 pieces in Qatar.

What Happened at Shark Tank?

Highlighting the USP of the brand to the sharks on the show, the duo demanded 30 lakhs in funding for 3% equity. Regarding this, the founder says, 'The initial ask was based on the idea of not diluting much of our equity at such an early stage of the business.' He also adds that he was more interested in finding mentors than securing investment.

Although all the sharks offered them investments, the founder mentioned that they found the deals of Peyush Bansal, Aman Gupta, and Ritesh Agarwal 'very close to what they were looking for.' The founders ultimately struck a deal with Bansal and Gupta for Rs. 30 lakhs for four percent equity. 'We accepted their offer because they come from the same field and are doing exactly what we want to do. We have always considered them our mentors and believed that they were the perfect sharks who would help us advance further on our journey,' he says.

Reflecting on the insightful conversations with the sharks that took place within the one-hour time frame allotted to them, he says, 'What we learned in one hour was invaluable. The insightful questions asked by the sharks challenged us to showcase the true potential of our products. They forced us to think and work on a few aspects of our brand with their questions.'

Having watched the show growing up, Saad Tambaroo says that he and his brother had never imagined being on the stage and pitching to them. 'It was also a great confidence booster in learning how to communicate with investors,' he adds.