Meet man who cleaned tables at Mcdonald’s, later left Rs 1 crore job in food industry, secured Shark Tank funding, and is now...

Success stories and those of becoming rich are often inspirational and add value to the journey one undertakes in pursuit of success, however, these stories are also a reminder that for to achieve the successful path one must be patient but constantly working. A Delhi entrepreneur’s journey to success and wealth has all the elements needed to achieve one’s dreams and goals.  

Nitin Kalra initial days 

Nitin Kalra is a Delhhite who used to work part time during college days. Though college students tend to grab jobs at big companies, Nitin Kalra didn't mind starting with an odd job of cleaning tables and washrooms at McDonald’s for which he was paid Rs 20 per hour. “I used to clean tables and washrooms at McDonald's during college and earned Rs 20 an hour,” he said while speaking to Local18 during Startup Mahakumbh event.  

Delhi entrepreneur Nitin Kalra’s success story 

Post his college days, during which he studied business and commerce from University of Delhi’s Satyawati College, he was hired in big companies where he learned and gained experience in the food industry. He gained valuable market insights during his days at ITC. While working in PepsiCo he gained expertise in managing large accounts and retail operations and improved his marketing skills even more at Raymonds. He served as India Head in Agrocorp International and became Sresta Natural Bioproducts’ National Head for modern trade and e-commerce.  

Through his experience he learned that companies are bringing in lots of snacking options but none that assures health. He therefore donned the entrepreneurial hat, left his job with an annual package of Rs 1 crore to start his own food startup-Let's Try, a premium snack brand. 

Launch of Let’s Try 

Nitin founded Let’s try in January 2022 with a focus on producing healthy snack options for customers which were otherwise scarce in the packaged food market. The USP of his products was making snacks from high-quality ingredients without artificial additives. After Nitin appeared in Shark Tank India season 1, he impressed the Sharks and secured Rs 45 lakhs for 12% equity from Shark Tank investors Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta. 

Post Shark Tank appearance, the packaged food company witnessed remarkable growth, resulting in increasing its manufacturing unit from 100 to 40,000 square feet along with its valuation to Rs 60 crores. Later, the company also received funding from Wipro Consumer Care-Ventures and 9Unicorns and is currently valued at USD 2.5 million.