‘They won’t let a part-time employee like you…’: Anupam Mittal calls out YouTuber Gaurav Taneja’s business model

Gaurav Taneja, popularly known as Flying Beast, entered Shark Tank India with growing numbers and a bold vision for his protein brand Beast Life.

Seeking Rs 1 crore for 1% equity, Taneja valued his company at Rs 100 crore and touted revenue of Rs 1 crore within the first hour of launch.

However, while his achievements have impressed some sharks, Anupam Mittal is not buying into the hype.

Mittal made a sharp criticism of Taneja’s approach, questioning whether the social media influencer can truly commit to building a sustainable business. “When I started, I was a lot like you. I thought of myself as a star, but when you think of yourself as a star, you think you are infallible,” said Mittal, drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey. He stressed that entrepreneurship requires uncompromising focus. Relentless and full-time dedication “You can’t make time for startups, you have to be there all the time. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I trust Indian entrepreneurship. They won’t let a part-time guy like you win.”

Beast Life’s impressive performance – Rs 14 lakh crore in revenue over six months and Rs 35 lakh crore expected for the year – earned praise from Vinita Singh’s Taneja, who described the numbers as “stunning”. However, the details behind the stadium raised eyebrows. Taneja revealed that he owns 30% of the shares while his co-founder, Raj, owns only 11%. Aman Gupta pointed out this imbalance, noting that Taneja could easily walk away if the project failed. “There is a difference between an investor and a founder,” Gupta said before opting out.

Vineeta Singh and Peyush Bansal also decided not to invest, citing concerns about the scalability of the company and its reliance on Taneja’s personal brand. Singh was impressed by the achievements but questioned the long-term sustainability of the model. Mittal, however, took a tougher stance, warning Taneja and other sharks: “Don’t get carried away, it’s Rs 14 crore in six months. He’s putting himself forward as a co-founder. Which influencer-led brand has made money for its investors?”