Awayddings: Shark Tank India 5 Investment by Aman Gupta

Awayddings was prominently featured in the recent episode of Shark Tank India 5, where Aman Gupta, co-founder of boAt, became the sole investor in this budget wedding startup. The deal was finalised despite concerns raised by other investors regarding the complexities involved in the business operations.

Aman Gupta’s Conditions for Investment

The investment came with specific stipulations from Aman, who insisted that his name must not be publicly linked with the startup.

Pitching Awayddings

The founders, Ashish Godghate and Vijay Kumar, pitched their venture before a panel that included Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Mohit Yadav, and Kunal Bahl. The duo made an elaborate entrance styled like a wedding procession, but soon the conversation turned to the challenges of managing an operations-heavy wedding business.

Aman’s Experience with Operations

During the pitch, Aman reflected on a previous investment and expressed concerns. He mentioned that in a past venture, he would receive emails regarding staff issues, indicating that if a wedding faced problems, it would reflect negatively on him. He firmly stated that he did not want any association with potential issues related to the business.

About Awayddings

Awayddings is an affordable wedding destination brand that was established in 2021 by Ashish, based in Pune, and Vijay, based in Goa. Ashish, having previously worked with OYO’s Weddingz.in, partnered with Vijay after he invested Rs 40 lakh to initiate the business. To scale their operations, the founders sought Rs 2 crore in exchange for 5 percent equity, placing the company’s valuation at Rs 40 crore.

Equity Structure Concerns

The Sharks raised numerous inquiries regarding the equity structure of the company. The founders disclosed that Kesari Tours made an investment of Rs 1.23 crore in 2023 for 50 percent equity. Aman questioned the rationale behind giving away such a significant portion of the company for that amount, while Anupam commented on the demand for identity that seemed to come with the investment. Following the feedback from investors, the equity distribution was eventually revised to a 75-25 structure. Additionally, both founders disclosed that they receive a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh each.

Financial Overview of Awayddings

On the financial side, the founders reported that Awayddings generated revenues of Rs 1.95 crore in 2024-25, accompanied by an EBITDA margin of 10-12 percent. For 2025-26, the business recorded Rs 1.17 crore in revenue to date and is forecasting total revenues of Rs 3.6 crore for the year.

Challenges in the Wedding Industry

The Sharks delved into the operational challenges specific to the wedding sector. Anupam lightheartedly queried how the founders addressed issues of non-payment post-wedding, to which Vijay responded that they had experienced payment problems a couple of times and had even resorted to turning off the lights during an event until payment was made. Namita later asked whether any weddings arranged by Awayddings had been cancelled, with Vijay confirming that their most recent wedding was cancelled due to issues between the couple.

Discussions on Refunds and Profitability

When asked by Anupam about refunding advances in such cases, Aman interjected with a rhetorical question regarding guarantees in wedding arrangements. Anupam clarified that such guarantees are typically not provided. He also raised alarms on the potential for profitability issues in the sector, citing OYO’s withdrawal from Weddingz.in due to the difficulty of standardising and scaling the business.

Investor Reactions

All Sharks, except Aman, ultimately chose to opt-out of the investment. Kunal Bahl pointed out that the difficulty of launching in multiple cities compounded the challenges manifold. Namita noted that scaling this type of business would involve overseeing numerous weddings on the same day across different locations, while Mohit found the idea intriguing but felt it was premature for him. Anupam concluded that the venture might be successful for the founders but was unsuited for traditional venture capital financing.

Aman’s Offer

Aman, however, presented a conditional offer of Rs 1 crore for a 10 percent stake, along with an additional Rs 1 crore as debt at a 10 percent interest rate over two years. As the deal was secured, Aman celebrated by dancing to the rhythm of a dhol, humourously suggesting they would arrive at weddings with drones. The segment concluded on a light-hearted note as Anupam playfully positioned Aman on the dhol, with Namita joking that Aman was caught up at a wedding where he was not the groom.