Aman Gupta

Co-Founder, boAt Lifestyle / Founder, OFF/BEAT Studios / Angel Investor

Reviewed Updated May 1, 2026

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Location Delhi, India
Check Size ₹10L-₹1Cr (Shark Tank deals); larger checks for private angel rounds
Last Verified Investment OFF/BEAT Studios (Seed (founder, not investor)) — Apr 7, 2026
Social @amangupta0303 LinkedIn
Stage Focus
pre-seed seed early-stage
Sector Focus
consumer d2c food-and-beverage consumer-electronics fashion apparel healthtech foodtech ev fintech logistics

Background

Aman Gupta (born 4 March 1982 in Delhi) is the co-founder of boAt Lifestyle, an Indian consumer-electronics brand, and one of the most visible angel investors in India through his role as a “Shark” on Shark Tank India 1. He earned a B.Com (Hons) from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University, qualified as a Chartered Accountant via the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, completed an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, and pursued a General Management/Marketing MBA programme at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management 1 2.

Gupta began his career as an Assistant Manager at Citibank, then moved to KPMG as a Senior Management Consultant 1 3. He served as CEO of Advanced Telemedia Private Limited, a consumer-electronics distribution business, before joining HARMAN International (the JBL parent) as Director of Sales between 2012 and 2013 1 3. In November 2016 he co-founded Imagine Marketing Ltd., the parent company of boAt, with Sameer Mehta 1. Gupta has publicly described starting and shutting down five ventures before boAt found product-market fit 4.

boAt grew into India’s largest audio brand, holding roughly a 33-36.8% share of the Indian audio-devices market and approximately 33% of the country’s true-wireless earbuds segment by late 2024 5. Imagine Marketing reported revenue of ₹3,073 Cr in FY25 and a return to profitability with a ₹61.08 Cr net profit (versus a ₹79.68 Cr loss in FY24) 5. The company filed a confidential DRHP with SEBI in April 2025 and an updated DRHP for a ₹1,500 Cr IPO in October 2025; both Gupta and Mehta stepped down from their executive roles (CMO and CEO respectively) approximately 29 days before the filing, transitioning to non-executive director positions 6 7. Per the UDRHP, Gupta holds a 24.76% stake in Imagine Marketing and Mehta holds 24.75%, with promoter entity South Lake Investment (affiliated with Warburg Pincus) holding 39.25% 6 7. Gupta is the seller of ₹225 Cr of shares in the OFS portion of the IPO 7.

Gupta has been a judge on Shark Tank India across Seasons 1 through 4 (2021/22–2025) and is among the show’s most prolific dealmakers 8 9 10. On 3 March 2026 he announced a new venture, OFF/BEAT Studios, which raised a ₹100 Cr seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners on 7 April 2026 11 12. He has received awards including Businessworld Young Entrepreneur (2019), Economic Times 40 Under 40 (2021), and a National Creator Award in the Celebrity Creator category (2024) 1.

Stated Thesis

Gupta publicly frames his angel investing as opportunistic personal capital deployment, distinct from institutional VC. At The D2C Summit 3.0 in 2022 he said: “There are so many startups that are doing so well in their respective industries. It may not be investable as a VC, but it is investable as a person” 13. He described his target companies as “cash-making businesses where you may not lose money” and acknowledged at the same event: “I really want to have one or two exits, for my wife to feel comfortable that I’m doing the right thing at Shark Tank” — adding “but it’s too early” 13.

On founder selection, Gupta has repeatedly emphasised execution and humility over ideas. At Startup Mahakumbh 2025 he said: “Founders have a problem… they think they are indispensable” 14. On marketing — his operating speciality — he told the same audience: “I think performance marketing comes first… Till today, brand and performance go together” and “To reach the mass in India, you have to follow subcultures, and that’s what we did” 14. To entrepreneurs more broadly he has offered the line “hustle hard and stay humble” 15.

On OFF/BEAT Studios and his transition out of boAt operations, Gupta said that partnering with Bessemer was not for capital needs but to gain “global perspective” and to “leverage technology and AI” 11.

Inferred Thesis

Aman Gupta’s investing activity comes in two distinct streams that should not be conflated: (a) on-air Shark Tank India commitments, which are heavily televised but where a meaningful share never close after due diligence, and (b) private angel cheques in later-stage growth rounds (often into companies founded long before Shark Tank existed). The math below is based on roughly 40 portfolio entries with sector identification from a public claimed count of 138-139 companies per Tracxn 16 — i.e., this analysis covers ~30% of the claimed portfolio.

Shark Tank India deal volume (on-air commitments): - Season 1: 28 deals, ₹9.358 Cr 9 - Season 2: 42 deals, ₹15.726 Cr 9 - Season 3: 36 deals, ₹15.23 Cr — highest among all Sharks that season 10 - Season 4: ₹17.4 Cr invested, again the season’s top investor 17

Across S1-S3 alone, ~106 on-air commitments totalling ~₹40 Cr (~US$4.75M) 9. Note: on-air commitments are not the same as closed deals. Gupta has personally described one prominent case where his Shark Tank co-investor Anupam Mittal withdrew after due diligence, leaving Gupta as the sole backer of Let’s Try 4.

Sector distribution of 35 verified, sector-tagged Shark Tank and angel deals from public listings 15 16: - Food & Beverage / FoodTech: 13 of 35 (37%) — Licious, Skippi Ice Pops, Beyond Snack, Jain Shikanji, Anveshan, WickedGud, Floryo, Namhya Foods, Beyond Water, InACan, Bluepine Foods, COCOFIT, Let’s Try - D2C apparel & fashion: 4 of 35 (11%) — Bummer, Farda Clothing, Very Much Indian, Nasher Miles - Consumer electronics / wearables: 3 of 35 (9%) — Hammer, Altor, Loka - HealthTech / Wellness / MedTech: 4 of 35 (11%) — The Renal Project, AyuRythm, Nuutjob, What’s Up Wellness - EV / Motor Vehicles: 3 of 35 (9%) — Gear Head Motors, Revamp Moto, Chargeup - Logistics / Commerce infrastructure: 2 of 35 (6%) — Shiprocket, 10Club - Media / OTT / Content: 1 of 35 (3%) — STAGE - EdTech / E-Learning: 2 of 35 (6%) — Raising Superstars, EventBeep - Other (AgriTech, marketplace, retail, gaming, religion-tech): 3 of 35 (9%) — Brainwired, The Yarn Bazaar, Hoovu Fresh

Stage distribution: Predominantly pre-seed and seed. Shark Tank cheque sizes typically range ₹10L-₹1Cr per deal, often with a high equity ask (3-10%, occasionally 40%+ in the case of Hammer). Private angel deals are markedly larger — Gupta participated alongside large investor syndicates in Shiprocket’s $185M Series E (2021) and Licious’s $150M Series F2 (2022) 15 18.

Founder profile patterns: Heavy preference for consumer-brand operators in India with revenue traction, particularly first-generation founders building D2C businesses targeting Tier 2/3 India. Many deals require a visible product story (taste, design, packaging) rather than pure tech defensibility — consistent with Gupta’s own background scaling a brand-led, marketing-heavy business.

Co-investor patterns: On Shark Tank India, Gupta most frequently partners with Vineeta Singh (SUGAR Cosmetics), Namita Thapar (Emcure), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart) and Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com) 8 17. In private angel rounds, he often appears alongside larger syndicates including 9Unicorns, Zerodha founders Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, and Mayfield (in the case of Licious) 15.

Verified exits (3): PB Fintech (IPO, November 2021), Silvan (acquisition, June 2021), FlyRobe (acquisition, November 2019) 16. Gupta has 2 portfolio unicorns: Shiprocket and Licious 16.

Notable gap between stated and actual thesis: Gupta describes his angel checks as targeting “cash-making businesses where you may not lose money” 13, but the bulk of his named portfolio is high-burn D2C and consumer-electronics challengers, not bootstrapped profitable ones. The on-air Shark Tank flow also skews toward early-stage founders with no revenue history — exactly the riskiest profile.

Portfolio

This table represents approximately 30% of Gupta’s 138-139 claimed investments per Tracxn 16. Years labelled “STI Sx” indicate Shark Tank India deals from the named season; private angel investments are labelled “Angel.” On-air Shark Tank deals are commitments; some did not close post due-diligence (see Background).

Company Year Stage Sector Source
Shiprocket 2021 Series E Logistics/E-commerce 15
Licious 2022 Series F2 FoodTech/Meat 15 18
10Club 2021 Seed Marketplace/Manufacturing 15
Chargeup 2022 Seed EV/Battery Swap 15
Floryo 2022 Seed Food & Beverage 15
WickedGud 2021 Pre-Seed Food & Beverage 15
WYLD 2022 Pre-Seed Consumer Services 15
Anveshan 2020 Seed FoodTech 15
Hoovu Fresh 2022 STI S2 Retail/Flowers 15
STAGE 2022 STI S2 OTT/Content 15
Skippi Ice Pops 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15 19
The Renal Project 2022 STI S1 Healthcare 15
Namhya Foods 2022 STI S1 FoodTech/Wellness 15
Let’s Try 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 4 15
Hammer 2022 STI S1 Consumer Electronics 15
Bummer 2022 STI S1 Apparel 15
AyuRythm 2022 STI S1 HealthTech 15
Peeschute 2022 STI S1 E-Commerce 15
Beyond Water 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15
Gear Head Motors 2022 STI S1 EV 15
Very Much Indian 2022 STI S2 Apparel/Fashion 15
Bluepine Foods 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15
InACan 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15
Brainwired 2022 STI S1 AgriTech 15
Jain Shikanji 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15
Altor 2022 STI S1 Automotive Wearables 15
Revamp Moto 2022 STI S1 EV 15
Ariro 2022 STI S1 Toys & Games 15
Raising Superstars 2022 STI S1 EdTech 15
Growfitter 2022 STI S1 Wellness 15
The Yarn Bazaar 2022 STI S1 Marketplace 15
Beyond Snack 2022 STI S1 Food & Beverage 15
EventBeep 2022 STI S1 EdTech 15
Farda Clothing 2023 STI S2 Apparel 15
Nuutjob 2023 STI S2 Personal Care 15
Loka 2023 STI S2 Metaverse/IT 15
Easy Rugs 2025 STI S4 Consumer/Rugs 17
Whale Wearables 2025 STI S4 Wearables/Safety 17
ZOFF Foods 2026 Series A FoodTech/Spices 16
Orbit Wallet 2026 Angel Fintech 16
Rosada 2026 Angel Consumer 16
Edinora 2026 Angel Consumer 16

Verified exits: PB Fintech (IPO, Nov 2021); Silvan (Acquired, Jun 2021); FlyRobe (Acquired, Nov 2019) 16. Note: dates marked “2022” or “2023” for Shark Tank deals reflect on-air season of commitment, not necessarily date of legal close; some on-air commitments are known to have been withdrawn after due diligence (e.g., Anupam Mittal exiting the Let’s Try deal 4).

In Their Own Words

“There are so many startups that are doing so well in their respective industries. It may not be investable as a VC, but it is investable as a person.” — Aman Gupta, The D2C Summit 3.0, as reported by Inc42, September 2022 13

“I really want to have one or two exits, for my wife to feel comfortable that I’m doing the right thing at Shark Tank. But it’s too early.” — Aman Gupta, The D2C Summit 3.0, as reported by Inc42, September 2022 13

“Founders have a problem… they think they are indispensable.” — Aman Gupta, Startup Mahakumbh 2025, as reported by TICE 14

“You have to help people train. If they don’t upgrade, you have to upgrade your team.” — Aman Gupta, Startup Mahakumbh 2025, as reported by TICE 14

“I think performance marketing comes first… Till today, brand and performance go together.” — Aman Gupta, Startup Mahakumbh 2025, as reported by TICE 14

“To reach the mass in India, you have to follow subcultures, and that’s what we did.” — Aman Gupta, Startup Mahakumbh 2025, as reported by TICE 14

“In the last five years, the best company has been Let’s Try. I invested in them in season one. Nobody else invested with me. All the Excel sheet investors said it can’t make it. Bande mein dam tha. I knew he will do something. He had that aag.” — Aman Gupta, public interview as reported by Startuppedia, December 2025 4

“Hustle hard and stay humble.” — Aman Gupta, advice to entrepreneurs as reported by Business Today, May 2023 20

What Founders Say

No independently sourced founder testimonials with verbatim quotes about working with Aman Gupta as an investor were found in publicly available reporting. Press coverage of Skippi Ice Pops describes Aman Gupta as one of the “key mentors” providing guidance after the All-Sharks deal, but the cited language is publication paraphrase, not a verbatim founder quote 19. Until first-person founder statements can be sourced (e.g., from a published interview, podcast transcript, or social-media post by a portfolio founder), this section will remain conservative.

Connections

  • Co-founder, boAt Lifestyle (Imagine Marketing Ltd.) — alongside Sameer Mehta (Nov 2016–Sep 2025 as CMO; non-executive director thereafter) 1 7
  • Founder, OFF/BEAT Studios (since March 2026); raised ₹100 Cr seed led by Bessemer Venture Partners (Apr 2026) 11 12
  • Frequent Shark Tank India co-investor with Vineeta Singh (SUGAR Cosmetics), Namita Thapar (Emcure), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Ashneer Grover (then BharatPe), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal, S4), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO, S4), and Viraj Bahl (Veeba, S4) 8 17 19
  • Prior employer: HARMAN International (JBL parent company), Director of Sales (2012-2013) 1
  • Prior employer: KPMG India, Senior Management Consultant 1 3
  • Prior employer: Citibank, Assistant Manager (early career) 1
  • Promoter / non-executive board ties: Imagine Marketing Ltd. board, alongside Anish Kumar Saraf (Managing Director, Warburg Pincus India, representing 39.25% promoter shareholder South Lake Investment) 7

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, “Aman Gupta,” accessed May 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aman_Gupta↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Cheggindia, “Founder of boAt: Aman Gupta’s Inspiring Journey, Career & Net Worth in 2025,” accessed May 2026. https://www.cheggindia.com/earn-online/aman-gupta-founder-of-boat-biography/↩

  3. StartupTalky, “Success Story of Aman Gupta: CMO and Co-Founder of boAt,” accessed May 2026. https://startuptalky.com/aman-gupta-success-story/↩↩↩

  4. Startuppedia, “‘In last 5 yrs, the best Co. has been…’: Aman Gupta reveals ‘best investment’ of ₹12 L that turned into ₹40 Cr,” December 3, 2025. https://startuppedia.in/trending/in-last-5-yrs-the-best-co-has-been-aman-gupta-reveals-best-investment-of-12-l-that-turned-into-40-cr-108709↩↩↩↩↩

  5. Digitalcourseai, “boAt Case Study: Brand Journey, Growth & Strategy in 2025,” accessed May 2026. https://digitalcourseai.in/boat-india-success-2025/↩↩

  6. BusinessToday, “boAt IPO: Red flags everywhere? Employee attrition soars to 34%; Aman Gupta, Sameer Mehta stepped down before DRHP filing,” November 9, 2025. https://www.businesstoday.in/markets/ipo-corner/story/boat-ipo-red-flags-everywhere-employee-attrition-soars-to-34-aman-gupta-sameer-mehta-stepped-down-before-drhp-filing-501383-2025-11-09↩↩

  7. Inc42, “boAt DRHP: A Look At Shareholding Pattern & Key Executives,” accessed May 2026. https://inc42.com/buzz/boat-drhp-a-look-at-shareholding-pattern-key-executives/↩↩↩↩↩

  8. Sharktank-india.com, “Aman Gupta - Biography, Net Worth, Investments & Career | Shark Tank India,” accessed May 2026. https://sharktank-india.com/aman-gupta/↩↩↩

  9. Koimoi, “Shark Tank India Season 3: Aman Gupta Beats S2 Winner Namita Thapar By 53.83% Higher Investments,” accessed May 2026. https://www.koimoi.com/television/shark-tank-india-season-3-aman-gupta-beats-s2-winner-namita-thapar-by-53-83-higher-investments-total-89-deals-worth-78-26-crore-report-card-of-every-shark-ranked-from-least-to-highest/↩↩↩↩

  10. Jumpstart Magazine, “Shark Tank India Season 1-3: How Much Money Have These Top Sharks Invested?,” accessed May 2026. https://www.jumpstartmag.com/shark-tank-india-season-1-3-how-much-money-have-these-top-sharks-invested/↩↩

  11. Inc42, “boAt Cofounder Aman Gupta’s New Venture OFF/BEAT Raises ₹100 Cr,” accessed May 2026. https://inc42.com/buzz/boat-cofounder-aman-guptas-new-venture-off-beat-raises-%E2%82%B9100-cr/↩↩↩

  12. YourStory, “boAt co-founder Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT raises Rs 100 Cr led by Bessemer Venture Partners,” April 2026. https://yourstory.com/2026/04/aman-gupta-startup-offbeat-rs-100-crore-bessemer-venture-partners↩↩

  13. Inc42, “I Want One-Two Exits From My Angel Investments: boAt Cofounder Aman Gupta,” September 17, 2022. https://inc42.com/buzz/i-want-one-two-exits-from-my-angel-investments-boat-cofounder-aman-gupta/↩↩↩↩↩

  14. TICE News, “Aman Gupta Reveals What Most Founders Get Wrong — And How to Fix It,” Startup Mahakumbh 2025. https://www.tice.news/brandtale/aman-gupta-founder-lessons-startup-mahakumbh-896379↩↩↩↩↩↩

  15. StartupTalky, “Aman Gupta’s Investment Portfolio | List of Companies Backed by Him,” accessed May 2026. https://startuptalky.com/aman-gupta-funded-startups/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  16. Tracxn, “Aman Gupta - 2026 Portfolio & Founded Companies,” accessed May 2026. https://tracxn.com/d/people/aman-gupta/__dpv15TzljCvrhCepbsprYeoXH7XrQZK0B6oqExFf8B↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  17. BusinessToday, “Shark Tank India 4: ₹94.8 crore invested so far, Aman Gupta emerges topmost investor,” March 13, 2025. https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/shark-tank-india-4-rs948-crore-invested-so-far-aman-gupta-emerges-topmost-investor-check-details-here-467852-2025-03-13↩↩↩↩↩

  18. Planify, “Aman Gupta Net Worth, Boat, Investments & Portfolio,” accessed May 2026. https://www.planify.in/investors/aman-gupta/↩↩

  19. Business Standard / ANI Press Release, “Skippi Ice Pops gets 10 Million INR investment from Shark Tank India,” December 2021. https://www.business-standard.com/content/press-releases-ani/skippi-ice-pops-gets-10-million-inr-investment-from-shark-tank-india-121122801099_1.html↩↩↩

  20. BusinessToday, “‘Hustle hard and stay humble,’ boAt founder Aman Gupta’s advice to entrepreneurs,” May 7, 2023. https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/hustle-hard-and-stay-humble-boat-founder-aman-guptas-advice-to-entrepreneurs-380321-2023-05-07↩