New Delhi— Aman Gupta, one of the well-known judges of the popular reality show Shark Tank India, responded to Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s call for Indian start-ups to aim higher and focus on value-driven businesses.
Gupta, co-founder of the consumer electronics brand boAt, took to social media to express his support for the Minister’s speech at the ‘Start-up Mahakumbh’ event, where Goyal urged entrepreneurs to move beyond niche ideas like vegan ice creams and set their sights on more ambitious goals.
The debate surrounding India’s start-up ecosystem was sparked by Goyal’s address, where he emphasized the need for more substantial innovation. In a pointed remark, Goyal referenced Gupta, urging him to “change your perspective in the Shark Tank.”
Gupta, however, saw Goyal’s comments not as criticism but as constructive encouragement for the growing start-up community. Responding on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Gupta made it clear that the Minister’s words were meant to challenge founders to elevate their vision, rather than discredit their current efforts.
“The Union Minister isn’t against us. He believes in us,” Gupta wrote. “His message is simple: India has come a long way, but to become a global leader, we need to aim higher.” He further added that India, already the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world and the fastest-growing major economy, had the potential to make a global impact — if the focus shifted toward high-tech fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), deep tech, and sustainable innovation.
Gupta elaborated that India must invest in areas like climate change, mobility, infrastructure, and large language models (LLMs), ensuring that innovation stacks are competitive on a global scale. He emphasized the need for scientific risk-taking, more patient capital, and enhanced collaboration between founders and policymakers to build a long-term national vision.
The sharp contrast between light-hearted ventures like vegan ice cream and the ambitious technological goals outlined by Goyal has sparked significant debate. Yet Gupta sees this as an opportunity for start-ups to evolve, asserting that while India’s current achievements in the start-up space are impressive, the possibilities for the future are far greater.
“We’ve built something incredible. But what we can build… is far greater,” he concluded, reinforcing his commitment to pushing for more impactful and transformative ventures.
As India continues to make strides in its entrepreneurial ecosystem, Gupta’s message aligns with the growing call for more innovation that could potentially position the nation as a global leader in technology and business. (Source: IANS)
