ZebraLearn: Educational Book Brand on Shark Tank India

Sibling entrepreneurs Anurag and Radhika presented their educational book brand, ZebraLearn, in a recent episode of Shark Tank India season 4. The brand focuses on providing valuable educational materials, including financial advice and NCERT textbooks tailored for students.

The siblings shared their ambition to achieve revenues exceeding ₹20 crore this year, and noted they currently have ₹2 crore in their account at the time of their pitch.

Concerns from the Sharks

During the presentation, Namita Thapar, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, raised concerns about the high pricing of ZebraLearn’s books, which range from ₹1500 to ₹3000, contrasting with her own products priced at ₹300.

She expressed worries about the potential difficulties in scaling the business and the vulnerability of the current model, pointing out that a mere four books accounted for the majority of sales, posing a risk to sustainable growth.

She stated, “In your case, there are a lot of areas where you could be looking at disasters and scaling issues. It’s my duty to tell you these areas. Four books are driving the majority of your sales. Your books are way too expensive. It’s a highly vulnerable business. Don’t diversify. double down on your strengths.”

Investor Insights

Despite his initial admiration for ZebraLearn, Kunal Bahl, the founder of Titan Capital, identified several concerns. The low repeat order rate of 10% raised a red flag, indicating that customers preferred quick wealth over ongoing education.

Bahl also noted that the primary revenue was coming from a limited selection of books, which suggested inadequate customer retention. Consequently, he opted not to invest in the business.

Moreover, Aman Gupta, co-founder and CMO of boAt Lifestyle, expressed his decision to abstain from investing, reflecting a lack of personal interest in the book industry by quipping, “I would just spend all my time trying to get you to shut down your books business.”

Opportunity from OYO’s Founder

Anupam Mittal also decided against investment, declaring the business’s situation as precarious. He mentioned that he could not make an offer for less than 5 per cent equity, which did not align with the expectations of the ZebraLearn founders.

In contrast, Ritesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of OYO Rooms, saw potential for profitability and praised the founders for their financial education initiative. He proposed an investment of ₹1 crore for a 1.6 per cent equity stake, essentially halving the brand’s valuation, an offer which the siblings ultimately accepted.