Inspired by Minister’s Push at ‘Start-up Mahakumbh’, Shark Tank’s Aman Gupta Sets Sights Higher

boAt co-founder and Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta has entered the fray on the current debate regarding the quality of Indian start-up ideas, coming to the defense of Union Minister Piyush Goyal's recent appeal for more ambition and innovation in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the country.

In response to the debate sparked at the inaugural session of the Start-up Mahakumbh, Gupta turned to X (previously Twitter) to explain that the minister's words were not a denunciation of start-up founders but a call to break boundaries and raise the bar.

I was there. I heard the full speech. Union Minister isn't against the founders. He believes in us. His point was straightforward — India has come a long way, but to lead the world… we need to set our sights higher," Gupta said.

The debate was triggered after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal appealed to start-ups to work towards resolving actual, real-life issues and not going in for novelty offerings such as plant-based ice creams. While invoking a specific reference to Gupta, Goyal had stated, "Aman Gupta, change your mindset in the Shark Tank," appealing to judges and investors to encourage more effective innovations.

Gupta did appreciate the prod, however, and said India's achievement in being the world's third-largest start-up ecosystem is praiseworthy, but a comparison with world leaders like China and America is an indispensable and strategic option.

"Comparing ourselves to China, the US, or anyone else is not a sign of weakness. It's a wise move," he underscored.

He also emphasized the importance of India investing in areas like artificial intelligence, deep tech, mobility, infrastructure, and climate solutions — domains that need not only innovation but long-term thinking as well as coordination between the government and industry.

"If we have to be No.1, we have to also go deep into AI, deep tech, climate, mobility, infra. We have to have LLMs and innovation stacks that match global standards," Gupta said.

He urged greater scientific risk-taking, patient capital, and a collective national vision to drive next-generation innovation. Closing his post on a positive note, he added, "What we've built is incredible. But what we can build… is far greater."

The conversation reflects a growing-up phase in India's start-up ecosystem, where discussions are shifting from funding rounds and valuations to long-term impact, scalability, and global applicability.