When Abu Zoheib Jilani and Shrijal Dave stepped onto the Shark Tank stage with Women Like U, their Bengaluru-based startup wasn’t just pitching clothes — it was challenging a norm. Built around the idea that Indian women’s diverse body types deserve better representation in fashion, their brand promised more than just vacation wear that fits. But as their Rs 1 crore pitch for 2% equity unfolded, what started as admiration soon shifted into a heated debate — not about profits, but about purpose, language, and even the name itself.
Women Like U stood out with its promise: a tech-backed approach where customers could identify their body type through simple questions and find curated fits tailored just for them. The concept resonated with the sharks — Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, Peyush Bansal, and Varun Dua — who admired the product quality and business potential. But admiration didn’t mean an easy deal.
Vineeta Singh revealed she was already a customer, praising the brand’s design and material. Yet, she didn’t hold back when it came to feedback. “I hate the brand name and logo and the spelling,” she said bluntly, calling Women Like U “cheap-sounding” and unfit for an aspirational luxury brand.
Anupam Mittal steered the conversation deeper, questioning the very language the brand used to categorize body types. “Using the same lexicon like pear-shaped, oval, heart-shaped, etc… aren’t you still objectifying women? If you really want to be anti-discriminatory, you have to use different language,” he argued. Vineeta agreed, pointing out that while the brand aimed to break stereotypes, its terminology inadvertently reinforced them.
Despite these critiques, not all sharks shared the same view. Aman Gupta and Anupam Mittal defended the branding, arguing that names and logos are subjective. They appreciated the brand’s simplicity and believed it resonated with the target audience.
When it came to offers, Vineeta proposed Rs 1 crore for 3% equity with an additional 2% royalty until Rs 1.5 crore was recouped — on one condition: “Change the brand name and the logo.” Aman countered with a similar offer, though his royalty cap was Rs 1 crore and came without the rebranding demand.
Jilani and Dave stood firm. They declined Vineeta’s offer, unwilling to part with the name close to their hearts, and accepted Aman’s deal instead. As they walked away with their pride intact, Vineeta remarked, “For a lifestyle brand, the name is everything. SUGAR, bOAt… the names mean everything. The founders are so rigid.”
The founders, however, remained undeterred. “We received overwhelmingly positive responses. The name is close to our heart, and of course, we took a lot of data before arriving on this name. We do understand that there are people who might feel similar to Vineeta, but the branding has received mostly positive responses,” they said, confident in their choice and their brand’s future.
