How Atypical Advantage Took Shark Tank Judges & India By Storm

On 11th January, Atypical Advantage founder, Vineet Saraiwala made a pitch to Shark Tank India judges, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Anumpam Gupta and Vineeta Singh. He asked Rs 30 lakhs for 1% equity but in the same breath, he said, “My vision is to make our company obsolete as we want to reach a stage when everybody gets equal opportunities. Let’s work together towards that inclusive world.” 

Atypical Advantage's Fiery Pitch on Shark Tank India

In his less than 2-minute pitch, Vineet spoke about his IIM journey, why he started Atypical Advantage, the impact he has created so far why nazariya (perspective) is more important than nazariya (eyesight). Watch his full pitch here.

After a series of questions, doubts and bantering between judges, Vineet went with the offer made by Namita and Aman, Rs 30 Lakhs for 3% equity. The best part that came out of the episode was the overwhelming support from the judges of Shark Tank and people across the country. 

 Although the offer with Peyush Bansal did not work out, Vineet was more than glad to know he had the moral backing of all the judges. In a conversation with comedian, Rahul Dua, he breaks down the offers made by all judges.  

Preparing for a speech that talks about bringing a grassroots change more than why it needs financial support is never easy. Additionally, this was season 2 of the reality show and judges had heard every kind of pitch, from serious, and funny to sassy. 

“This pitch was for the Nation, anyone who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge and who has been waiting to see themselves represented in popular culture with empathy. I wanted to go out & tell the world how strong we are,” states Vineet. 

Vineet shares the thought process that went into making such a movable pitch with The Better India. He also mentions common mistakes to avoid. Read here: How to Prepare a Pitch for Shark Tank India?

What Happened After the Episode? Vineet Shares

“People who reached out to me after appearing on Shark Tank wanted to know the impact. We reported a significant increase in website traffic, social media followers, sign-ups, and sales leads. However, the true impact cannot be quantified by these transactional metrics,” says Vineet

“The impact can be seen in senior leaders of top companies starting to consider hiring individuals with disabilities, in children with disabilities dreaming of becoming CEO of a company, in society shifting from sympathy to empathy towards individuals with disabilities, in students getting inspired to start ventures that give back to society, and in governments working towards disability inclusion. The impact cannot be measured in numbers but is felt in the hearts of those affected,” he adds.

As we process the outpouring of support and love received in the last few hours, we want to thank everyone. We are glad that inclusion is the winner here because it is not every day that a sensitive topic like this gets a chance to be on prime-time national television.

Who is Vineet Saraiwala? 

Having tried to hire a voice-over artist and a model with a disability out of curiosity for a leading corporate and struggling to find anything, Vineet envisaged a platform where anyone with a disability can showcase their talent and everyone can hire them. He was contemplating the immense employment it could generate and bring a radical shift in mindsets. And this labour of love has turned into a reality; any person with a disability in any part of the country with talent can sign up to gain a livelihood. Vineet urges corporates, individuals and agencies to look at the talent first and then their disability.

About Atypical Advantage

For the uninitiated, Atypical Advantage is India’s largest inclusive platform for generating livelihood for persons with disabilities (PwDs). It helps PwDs get jobs and companies practice inclusive hiring. It is a platform where entrepreneurs and artists with disabilities can sell their products and paintings respectively. Performing artists like dancers, musicians, comedians and motivational speakers can sign up with the platform and earn livelihoods.

Since its inception in December 2020, Atypical Advantage has helped 1000+ PwDs earn a livelihood, 1000+ curated artworks for sale and 500 performing artists. Moreover, 150 brands across India have collaborated with us. Some of the big names include Amazon, HUL, Godrej, Nestle, Accenture, Tata Steel UNDP, PwC and more. 

Atypical Advantage website

Quick Links

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Innovative project ideas for disabled persons
Job Placement: Job portal for Persons with Disabilities
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Atypical Art by Artists with Disabilities 
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How Brands Are Harnessing Atypical Advantage

Atypical Advantage is India’s largest livelihood platform for Persons with Disabilities(PWD). Whether it is a singer looking for a show, a visual artist looking to sell their paintings, or job seekers with disabilities looking for career opportunities, it bridges the supply & demand side inefficiencies so that Persons with Disabilities can earn a dignified income. We have a large pool of 15,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 250+ corporates within a short span of 3 years. We were also featured on Shark Tank Season 2 and were declared the winner of the prestigious National Startup Award under the social impact category by the Union Government. For more information, visit our website here.