Alum appears on Shark Tank TV show

Alum Jayanti Bhattacharya had the opportunity to present her company, India Hemp and Co. to investors on India’s first Shark Tank which was aired earlier this year.

Jayanti Bhattacharya (MA Advertising and Marketing 2002) is the co-founder of India Hemp and Co. – a leading sustainable hemp company with offices in Bangalore and Barcelona. Jayanti created the company in 2019 with the purpose of building a greener and more sustainable world.

The company was awarded the Hemp Nutraceutical Company of the year 2021-2022 and was then the first hemp company worldwide to be aired on Shark Tank when they appeared on the show in January 2022.

Shark Tank features a panel of potential investors, termed as "Sharks", who listen to entrepreneurs pitch ideas for a business or product they wish to develop and then decide whether to invest their own money to help market and mentor each contestant. 

Jayanti commented on the experience:

“We’ve always been interested in Shark Tank business ideas. We’d usually watch it, look up the companies and really into the whole dynamic format of the show.”

“Our company India Hemp and Co. has grown from strength to strength and today it is one of the top three hemp companies in India, according to Forbes. We were lucky to be on Shark Tank India Season One – which gave us a huge platform to reach more people and educate them on the benefits of hemp.”

Jayanti acknowledges the role that her degree from Leeds played in her success:

“A master's in Advertising and Marketing from Leeds gave me an edge and helped me begin my career with the right company. Leeds was a melting pot of cultures and it really helped me to learn to work with and collaborate with people from different backgrounds.”

Read our full Q&A with Jayanti.