YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, popularly known as Flying Beast, recently appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4 to pitch his supplement brand, BeastLife. Accompanied by his business partner Raj Vikram Gupta, Taneja valued the startup at ₹100 crore, seeking ₹1 crore in exchange for a 1% equity stake.
However, the sharks rejected the pitch, citing concerns over Taneja’s divided focus due to his multiple ventures and the brand’s equity structure. Notably, Gupta holds 11% equity, while Taneja and Varun Alagh hold 40% and 30%, respectively.
Anupam Mittal, Shaadi.com founder and one of the sharks, criticised Taneja, calling him a “good influencer” but a “terrible entrepreneur”. “You are a good influencer, but you can’t outsource entrepreneurship,” Mittal told Taneja. He added, “You cannot allot a set time in start-ups; you have to be available all the time.”
This criticism didn’t sit well with Taneja, who took to LinkedIn to defend his brand while comparing it to Mittal’s Shaadi.com. Taneja wrote,
For perspective: Shaadi.com IG distribution (since April 2015): 125K followers. 8-month-old BeastLife: 127K followers and growing. Shaadi.com might have spent millions to create this distribution,”
Taneja wrote on LinkedIn.
He emphasized BeastLife’s organic growth, adding,
“With over 8 years of digital marketing experience, I understand the power of organic reach and audience trust. We’re already EBITDA positive, and because of the distribution we’ve built, we save nearly 90 per cent of our total expenditure on marketing. That’s a huge advantage.”
Taneja also highlighted advice he received during the pitch: “One of the sharks suggested I shut down YouTube and focus solely on BeastLife.” He further shared that Mittal questioned his ability to stay focused, remarking,
“Aap ka focus nahi hoga, aap wahan se paisa bana loge.”
Gaurav Taneja’s Inspiring Journey
During his pitch, Taneja shared his life story, revealing his humble beginnings in Kanpur and his education at IIT Kharagpur. Despite his father’s wish for him to pursue a master’s in civil engineering, Taneja followed his passion for flying, training in the US, and eventually becoming an airline captain in 2010.
“I was passionate about working out when I was in college. In 2013, I went to watch a bodybuilding show. There, I saw people walking onto the stage and receiving applause from an audience of around 5,000 people. I wanted to experience that feeling. I promised myself that the following year, I would compete in that show. I prepared for it, and when I went on stage the next year, I won the title of Mr Delhi. After that, I participated in competitive bodybuilding for four years.”
His fitness journey began in college, and after attending a bodybuilding show in 2013, he decided to compete. A year later, he won the title of Mr. Delhi and pursued competitive bodybuilding for four years.
When Vineeta Singh, CEO of Sugar Cosmetics, asked if bodybuilding required him to quit his job, Taneja shared how he balanced both.
“Later, I began my journey as a fitness influencer and started my YouTube channel ‘FitMuscle TV’. After making videos for a year, I realised that only fitness enthusiasts were watching my content. I started thinking about how to attract a broader audience. That’s when I ventured into lifestyle vlogging because I travel a lot, and our journey began in December 2017. Currently, my YouTube channel, Flying Beast, has over 9.5 million subscribers, and I have more than 3.7 million followers on Instagram.”
His fitness journey eventually led to his YouTube channel, FitMuscle TV. Realizing the need for broader appeal, Taneja transitioned into lifestyle vlogging, launching Flying Beast in December 2017. Today, his channel boasts over 9.5 million subscribers, and he has 3.7 million followers on Instagram.