The last episode of Shark Tank India 5 saw boAt co-founder Aman Gupta become the sole investor in budget destination wedding startup Awayddings, finalizing a deal after other Sharks raised concerns about the operational complexity of the business.
The investment, however, came with a firm condition, with Aman insisting that his name should not be associated with the company.
Awayddings was presented by founders Ashish Godghate and Vijay Kumar in front of a panel comprising Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Mohit Yadav and Kunal Bahl. As the founders made a baaraat-style entry into the business, the discussion quickly shifted to the challenges of running an operationally intensive wedding business.
During the pitch, Aman recalled a previous investment experience to explain his hesitation. “If someone’s maid ran away, I would get an email. Here, someone’s towel nahi aayi woh toh hamari baja dega,” he said, adding, “Mera naam nahi aana chahiye isme. If someone doesn’t get their towels, I shouldn’t get WhatsApp. Mera business main naam nahi aaega.”
Awayddings is an affordable destination wedding brand founded in 2021 by Pune-based Ashish Godghate and Goa-based Vijay Kumar. Ashish, who previously worked with OYO’s Weddingz.in, joined hands with Vijay after the latter invested Rs 40 lakh to start the business. Looking to expand the business, the founders asked for Rs 2 crore in exchange for 5% equity, valuing the company at Rs 40 crore.
Questions around the company’s capital structure have drawn strong reactions from the Sharks. The founders revealed that Kesari Tours had invested Rs 1.23 crore in 2023 for 50% stake. “You will give them 50% of your company for Rs 1.5 crore? Aman asked, while Anupam Mittal remarked, “Paise ke saath saath dishonors the bhi leli identity.” » The founders later said the equity division had been restructured to 75-25 after receiving pushback from other investors. They also revealed that both founders get a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh each.
On the financial front, the founders said Awayddings recorded a turnover of Rs 1.95 crore in 2024-25 with an EBITDA margin of 10-12 per cent. In 2025-26, the company recorded a year-to-date revenue of Rs 1.17 crore and is forecasting Rs 3.6 crore for the full year.
Operational challenges dominated the discussion as the Sharks investigated risks unique to the wedding industry. Anupam jokingly asked how the founders dealt with non-payment after weddings, saying, “Kya baaraat ko gate par rok lete ho? Vijay replied that they had faced payment issues on two or three occasions and once turned off the lights during a sangeet function until payment was made. Namita Thapar then asked if a wedding hosted by Awayddings was canceled, to which Vijay said their most recent wedding was canceled after the bride and groom had problems.
When Anupam asked if advances were refunded in such situations, Aman replied, “Do you issue a refund if someone’s marriage does not materialize through Shaadi.com? Anupam replied, “We never take guarantees. » Anupam also raised concerns about profitability leakages in the industry, noting that OYO ultimately left Weddingz.in because the business was difficult to standardize and scale.
Citing similar concerns, all of the Sharks except Aman withdrew from the deal. Kunal Bahl said launching city by city was a challenge and the complexity of such undertakings was “10x”, requiring significant physical effort. Namita said scaling would mean handling multiple weddings in multiple cities on the same date, while Mohit Yadav described the category as interesting but said it was too early for him. Anupam concluded that while the business might work well for the founders, it was not suitable for a venture capital-style investment.
Aman finally made a conditional offer of Rs 1 crore for 10 per cent equity along with Rs 1 crore as debt at 10 per cent interest for two years. Once the deal was done, Aman celebrated by dancing to the beat of a dhol and said, “Hum shaadi mein drones ke saath jaaenge.” » The segment ended on a light note as Anupam made Aman sit on a dhol while Namita joked, “Begaani shaadi mein Aman deewana”.
