In a recent interview, Pathik Patel, the founder of Fit & Flex, expressed his dissatisfaction with his experience on the latest season of Shark Tank India. Patel criticized judges Anupam Mittal and Deepinder Goyal for their comments during his pitch, accusing them of lacking the necessary knowledge to make informed judgments about his brand. He also claimed that the show’s producers edited out crucial portions of the interaction, potentially misrepresenting his business to the audience.
Appearing on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Patel revealed that his primary goal for participating in the show was to build awareness for his brand, with funding being a secondary concern. He recounted that the pitch was progressing well until Mittal and Goyal abruptly left their chairs to privately discuss something. Upon returning, they raised concerns about an ingredient in one of his products, accusing Patel of misleading customers by branding his products as “healthy.”
“I respected them. I respected their position. They are my elders. But that doesn’t give them the freedom to say whatever they want. It was very unreasonable. It was very unfair. I’d built this business over five years, and for somebody to dismiss it without the proper knowledge, it hurts. I was demotivated,” Patel shared.
Patel specifically addressed a moment during the pitch when Mittal questioned him about the use of oligofructose, an ingredient in his product, which Mittal mistakenly referred to as an artificial sweetener that causes a spike in sugar levels. Defending his product, Patel stated, “Unfortunately, Anupam didn’t know what oligofructose is, and he was wrong about the sugar spike. Oligofructose has a GI index of 0, while sugar has a GI index of 68.”
Patel claimed that despite presenting data to support his position, Mittal was not willing to listen, adding, “He kept calling it sugar, but unfortunately, this is completely wrong… If you don’t know what you’re talking about, you should’ve accepted what I said. And if you know what you’re saying, then you should’ve argued.”
Deepinder Goyal’s criticism of Patel’s brand tagline, “Eat healthy, live well,” was another point of contention. Patel argued that he never claimed his products were fully healthy but rather healthier compared to competitors. However, he acknowledged that the tagline could imply otherwise.
The episode ended with a particularly harsh exchange where Mittal advised Patel, “Don’t lie about health.” This statement, according to Patel, deeply affected him, leading to sleepless nights and, ultimately, a legal notice against the channel, citing significant losses following the episode’s airing.
Despite the negative experience, Patel reported a surge in sales following his appearance on the show, with an “11x spike in sales on the next day, and 8x through the next week.” However, the entrepreneur remains disheartened by what he perceives as unfair treatment from the judges and the show’s producers.