Shark Tank India 5 So far, the judges have committed investments worth more than Rs 60 million. And while they’ve been looking at pitches very carefully this season, of the 69 pitches, 27 founders failed to secure funding for the program. The latest to join the list were the founders of a dating app called Offline. Gurugram founders brought a networking app for singles to the tank; However, they faced concerns about scalability and security that their business would consider challenges in the future.
The founder also investigated Anupam Mittal‘s Shaadi.com after they lost funding and Mittal flagged “security concerns” in their business.
What is Offline by Happy Hours?
Founded by Tanay Baweja and Aastha Sethi, Offline is a social media platform for singles. They host meetups, festivals, and dinners, creating a safe space for singles to socialize. So far, they have organized more than 300 meetups in 15 cities. They recently launched their app, which allows people to not only attend but also host meetings. Stating that online dating is drying up, Aastha pointed out that India is the second largest market for dating apps.
To scale the business, they went to the tank asking for funding of Rs 50 lakh for 5 per cent equity, putting their valuation at Rs 10 crore. Tanay further shared how being an introvert, he found it difficult to find a partner, just then Anupam Mittal interrupted him and said, “Basically tereko date nahi mila rahi thi to tune yeh shuru kar diya (Just because you didn’t have a date, you started this).”
Tanay later added that he came across this idea in 2019, when he moved to Spain and realized that human connections have great value, especially in India. In 2023, when he returned, he and Aastha met on a solo trip to Manali. When Aastha shared, she said that they met at a bus stop called Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi. Anupam Mittal laughed out loud.
The founders further revealed that they got married a month and a half ago, before appearing on Shark Tank India 5. While Anupam pointed out that scaling the live events they do is difficult, Aman Gupta asked, “Agar isme kuch kaand ho jaaye, woh ho sakta hai kahi bhi… (What if something untoward happens? It’s possible…).”
The founder defended this comment, saying, “So far, nothing has happened. And we only allow group interactions; no one-on-one dates. We only do them in reputable bars and restaurants, not in anyone’s personal space or homes.” However, Aman Gupta did not seem very convinced.
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Anupam Mittal asks, “Why are good men a rare commodity?”
Taking a deeper look at the issues with the brand, the Sharks look at how the dating landscape in the country has changed. Anupam says, “We moved people from offline to online because dating is often a numbers game. To find the prince, you have to kiss a lot of frogs, and since you can see all the frogs in one place, that’s why dating apps were created. Now, you want to go back to the same inefficient way of doing things. Offline won’t solve the problem of people not finding the right partner.”
And he added: “Why are good men a rare commodity? Because very few earn well, are refined, can communicate and manage to impress women. So that is not solving that.”
To further defend their brand, the founders showed the Sharks a video of their events and shared their income. Claiming to have earned Rs 37.5 lakh so far this year, they said that in 2024-25 they earned an income of Rs 51 lakh. Its EBITDA was 2 to 3 percent last year.
Aman Gupta says, “You are just a kaand away”
Unfortunately, the founders did not obtain funding for the program. Namita Thapar was the first to opt out. She said: “In India, there are several avenues for singles to find each other; their model is one of those 10 options that singles have, so scalability is a very important issue. I don’t think it’s a business for an investor, so I’m ruling it out.” Kunal Bahl also said, “I think we are at a very early stage. Can this be a big deal? I can’t visualize it, so I’m out.”
Shaily Mehrotra expressed concern about safety and said, “I think Indian youth kids really lack maturity and lack sincerity; they look for dating apps for fun. I find safety issues, so I’m out.” Aman Gupta also backed down, echoing similar concerns. He said, “There was a film called Mujhse Fraandship Karoge, this is a refined version of that. Men will be men; the ratio will always be bad. And you are just one kaand away from this being altered. So for these reasons, I will stay out.”
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Anupam also gave detailed comments before opting out and said, “This is a network effects business, how will we fix things regarding safety, proportions? You will reduce the quantity, as soon as you do that, the network effects will start going away. However, the real problem is not meeting offline; it is making men more desirable in India.”
As the disappointed founders left, Tanay delved into a video after his presentation. He said, “Where can you find safety and security in India? Dating apps don’t guarantee that, not even Shaadi.com guarantees that. Not all guys are bad, but if your way of thinking is like that, offline dating has a growing interest. For now, we want to build a community; we know this will definitely work.”
Shark Tank India 5 airs on SonyLiv and Sony TV from Monday to Friday at 10 pm