Shark Tank judge Aman Gupta reacts to Piyush Goyal’s remarks on Indian startups: 'We need to...'

Aman Gupta, one of the popular judges of the Shark Tank India reality show, has reacted to Union Minister Piyush Goyal's remarks on the Indian start-up ecosystem. The co-founder of boAt, Gupta, extended support to Goyal, saying the minister was not critical of start-up founders but was nudging them to aim higher and achieve bigger. The minister called for better ideas and innovation in the Indian start-up ecosystem. His remarks at the 'Start-up Mahakumbh' drew both criticism and concern from across the startup ecosystem. The Commerce and Industry minister's inaugural speech asked the entrepreneurs and investors to self-introspect and focus on value-driven businesses rather than experimenting with the idea of fancy ice-creams. In a pointed reference to the Shark Tank judge, he said, “Aman Gupta, change your perspective in the Shark Tank.”

Aman Gupta responds

Reacting to Goyal's remarks, the start-up founder said that it's not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger and added that the time has come for India to be a leading force. Taking to X, Gupta said that India is already the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world and the fastest growing major economy. “Benchmarking against China, the US, or anyone else isn't a weakness. It's a smart strategy,” he stated. “I was there. I heard the full speech. Union Minister isn't against the founders. He believes in us. His point was simple - India has come far, but to lead the world…we need to aim higher,” he wrote. Check out his tweet here:

It’s not every day that the government asks founders to dream bigger.

But at Startup Mahakumbh, that’s exactly what happened. I was there. I heard the full speech. Hon. Minister @PiyushGoyal Ji isn’t against founders. He believes in us.His point was simple: India has come far,… pic.twitter.com/bA4ontAz1M

— Aman Gupta (@amangupta0303) April 6, 2025

What did Piyush Goyal say?

The minister had questioned whether India should be content with developing apps that deliver groceries or ice cream, especially when Chinese startups are investing in semiconductors, EVs, and AI. "We are making food/hyper delivery apps; creating cheap labour so the rich can have a meal without stepping out, while the Chinese are working on AI (artificial intelligence), EVs (electric vehicles), and semiconductors. Should we make ice cream (delivery apps) or make chips (i.e., semiconductors)? Dukaandari hi karna hai (Do we just want to sell things)?" Goyal asked at the event.

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