Mumbai: Rebekah Sood, who appeared along with her sister Ariella Blank, on the business reality show ‘Shark Tank India 2’ and pitched for their kombucha drinks startup, talks about her journey so far.
She said being the daughter of a mechanical engineering professor, she always gave importance to education and considered it to be the “ultimate benchmark”, but her view changed after she became an entrepreneur.
In a recent post on her Instagram handle, she shared a reel from the show and wrote in the caption: “When I was young, as the daughter of a professor, I viewed education as the ultimate benchmark. However, these last few years as an entrepreneur have challenged that mindset. At Atmosphere we have a lot of women on our team who didn’t have a chance to finish school or pursue education. Not because they were unintelligent but because zindagi didn’t give them that option.
“What these women lack in degrees, they make up for 100% in grit, experience and gumption and I have learned so much more from them and my time as entrepreneur than I did in school. While degrees are printed and handed out to those who can afford and earn them, the gyaan we get from #zindagikischool is something that no one gives us and no one can take away from us.”
On the show, initially, they started speaking in English, but later when Anupam Mittal insisted on it, they replied in Hindi and impressed the sharks.
Rebekah and Ariella discussed their business pitch, which involves rectifying health issues with their pan-India brand.
Anupam said: “You actually spoke in Hindi, I had just joked because after seeing you I didn’t think that you would be able to speak.”
Sharing her story on the show, Rebekah said: “My family came to India in 1992 from America. My father is a mechanical engineering professor and was working at IIT Kanpur. We loved India and Indians and we settled here. Both our parents are American.”
The sharks said that the price of the drink – Rs 220 – was rather high. Later, Aman, Peyush and Namita decided not to invest in the product.
Anupam said before they left the show: “I wish you all the best and let me tell you, you are more Indian than Indians.”
–IANS