A 26-Year-Old from Kolkata Just Walked Into the Shark Tank and Walked Out With ₹1 Crore — Here’s Her Story

There are pitches that make you nervous for the founder. And then there are pitches where you just know, mid-sentence, that a deal is happening. Megha Sarayan’s appearance on Shark Tank India Season 5 was unmistakably the latter. The 26-year-old founder of Modge – by Land of Cakes didn’t just impress the Sharks — she walked away with a full ₹1 crore from one of the show’s most seasoned investors, Anupam Mittal.

Shark Tank Deal at a Glance

From Instinct to Institution

Founded in 2017, Modge by Land of Cakes is built around mood-based cravings — a range of vegetarian cakes, desserts, and savoury treats known for handcrafted quality, creativity, and indulgence, operating across cloud kitchens and physical outlets in Kolkata and Hyderabad.

What made Megha’s pitch stand out wasn’t just her product — it was her self-awareness. She recognised her business needed to go from instinct-driven to process-led before she could even think about national scale.

Megha enrolled in Aarambh, a 5-day residential startup immersion programme by PW School of Startups. She reflected: “I knew that to stand on that stage, I couldn’t just have a good product; I needed a business that could speak for itself. The mentorship changed my perception of numbers and scale.”

Anupam Mittal Saw It Immediately

After Megha’s initial ask of ₹1 crore for 4% equity, Anupam Mittal countered with ₹1 crore for 9% equity — and Megha accepted, closing the deal on the spot.

Anupam Mittal, founder and CEO of People Group and Shaadi.com, is one of India’s most prolific angel investors, having backed over 250 startups in sectors ranging from consumer internet to healthcare and SaaS. Bollywood Hungama His backing of Modge is a genuine vote of confidence in the premium D2C dessert space.

To understand what a deal like this means for a young founder, read more about India’s startup ecosystem at TechnoSports.

What’s Next for Modge?

With the fresh capital, Megha plans to strengthen Modge’s offline presence while continuing to scale its cloud kitchen operations — building the brand as a go-to cravings-led consumer business.

This is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial story that shows how venture capital and structured mentorship can transform a passionate local business into a scalable national brand. Follow more startup and entertainment investment stories at TechnoSports.

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