BENGALURU: With the rising trend of vegan health consciousness, entrepreneur Vibha Harish, 28, a herbalist by profession took her four-year-old brand Cosmix, a plant-based nutrition brand to Shark Tank Season 3 and returned with an offer of Rs 1 crore for 1 per cent equity with the condition of 1 per cent royalty till the Rs 1 crore is recouped.
The winning offer came from Namita Thapar, CEO of a multinational pharmaceutical company after a battle with Peyush Bansal who wanted the D2C company to focus more on the technological aspects.
“We had an audition round in Bengaluru and then we travelled to Mumbai. We were a bit nervous pitching in front of the Sharks. They were very intimidating at first but we got to learn a lot in the process. Being South Indian, I’m not so comfortable with Hindi, but it was fun,” shares Harish, who was accompanied by her husband and co-founder Soorya Jagdish.
Harish’s journey started with a personal health challenge. Diagnosed with PCOS at 16, she delved into understanding the importance of good nutrition and exercise.
“As I started working on my own health, I saw these changes. I decided that I have to take action,” she recalls. It was this transformation that inspired her to share her discoveries with the world,” she recalls. She further emphasises the need to learn more about hormonal health and conditions like PCOS which is common in women these days.
"A lot of awareness needs to be around hormonal health. We’re not encouraged to speak up as women and share period issues openly. Once you have PCOS, there’s no quick fix. There’s no cure. It’s a lifetime of managing it. But it’s a blessing in disguise because it got me started on this journey. With a homoeopathic doctor as a mother, she learned the value of a holistic approach to health and embraced a combination of local medicines, herbs, good food, rest, and stress management. Her deepening interest in herbalism led her to pursue it further. “I’ve now been studying and practising for six years. There is much research that goes into formulating the products,” explains Harish.
Navigating the hurdles of COVID-19, building the right team, and learning the ropes of entrepreneurship were significant challenges for Harish. “As young entrepreneurs, we have to learn how to emotionally regulate ourselves. That has been quite interesting but it’s also been a rewarding journey,” she adds. Apart from formulating the products, Harish also enjoys cooking healthy recipes with her father, Harish Clospet who also went to Masterchef India for his lunchbox recipes.
“My dad started cooking a year back for us and making lunchboxes for my sister. We have all become health-conscious as a family. So today, my dad and me like to cook healthy recipes together. I come in from the nutrition point of view and he, from the cooking point of view, and we whip up some interesting recipes,” shares Harish.