This Shark Tank India judge mortgaged his house to fund the skincare brand Hindustan Unilever bought for ₹2,955 crore

Shark Tank India, the series which has evolved into an influential platform for early-stage founders and entrepreneurs in the country, returned for a new season on 5 January, with five new judges on its panel.

Among these, is Minimalist's co-founder Mohit Yadav, who shared that he mortgaged his house to fund the skincare brand, which was acquired by FMCG major Hindustan Unilever last year.

Minimalist founders ‘mortgaged house to raise loan’

Sharing his journey on the show, Yadav said that he struggled for initial funding for his first venture (a children's apparel line) and later for Minimalist had to mortgage his house to raise ₹1 crore loan, according to an Indian Express report.

“Years ago, I had started a seed grant that used to make kids apparel. It was my first venture in 2010–2011. We (Mohit and his brother, co-founder Rahul Yadav) had also taken money from our families. Even later, when we started Minimalist, we had mortgaged our house to raise ₹1 crore loan. I knew in my heart that if this doesn’t take off, maybe my family won’t have a home to stay in,” he said, as per the report.

Mohit Yadav's journey to success: ‘Best thing to do is accept failure and move to something else…’

Adding that the experience taught him that one may feel that their identity is attached to the success of their brand, and that they failed if the company shuts shop, but realized years later that what people think does not matter.

"After years, I realised that when you close a shut or start something new, it does not matter if people think you, are a failure. The best thing I did was to accept that that venture was not working out, move on and do something else, and then build a(nother) brand. I wouldn’t have been here if I was still doing apparel,” he said, speaking about Minimalist, the report said.

In January 2025, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced that it is acquiring 90.5% stake in the skincare brand. The deal was valued at ₹2,955 crore and approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in March.

Shark Tank India Season 5 adds new judges: Who's on the panel?

This season added five new judges besides the return of familiar faces such as Aman Gupta (boAt), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Amit Jain (CarDekho), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal and Titan Capital), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO Rooms), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics), and Viraj Bahl (Veeba).

The new faces include Hardik Kothiya (Rayzon Solar), Kanika Tekriwal (JetSetGo Aviation), Mohit Yadav (Minimalist), Pratham Mittal (Masters' Union and Tetr College of Business), Shaily Mehrotra (Fixderma) and Varun Alagh (Honasa Consumer Ltd).

Across its five seasons, Shark Tank India has carved a unique space in Indian media by combining competitive reality television with practical business mentorship. Season 5’s blend of veteran investors and fresh voices reflects not only established success but also the expanding contours of India’s entrepreneurial ambition. With its early January launch, the series is poised to deliver high-stakes pitches, candid feedback and potential deals that could shape the future of start-ups nationwide.