Inside Bharat Ke Super Founders: Suniel Shetty Opens Up On Mentorship, Startups & What It Takes To Succeed (Exclusive)

Bharat Ke Super Founders is a new entrepreneurial reality series streaming on Amazon MX Player, Amazon’s free video streaming service. It offers an exciting glimpse into a high-stakes pitch room and is hosted and mentored by none other than Suniel Shetty, who brings along with him a panel of business tycoons to back India’s next wave of entrepreneurs.

The focus remains on entrepreneurs from across Bharat, including small towns and emerging markets, who are building businesses rooted in real needs and scalable intent.

Backed by a ₹100 crore investment pool (the largest-ever commitment for an Indian entrepreneurial reality series) and a contemporary mix of equity and debt financing supported by Recur Club, the series positions itself as a credible, high-stakes platform where ambition meets mentorship, and ideas shaping a new Bharat are met with real belief and real capital.

The platform brings together tycoons such as Dr A. VeluMani (Creator, Thyrocare and Director, AVMSmile), Nitish Mittersain (Founder & CEO, Nazara Technologies), Dr Aarti Gupta (Chief Investment Officer, Anikarth Ventures), Shanti Mohan (Founder & CEO, LetsVenture Trica), Aditya Singh (Co-Founder, All In Capital), and Ankur Mittal (Partner, Physis Capital and Co-Founder, Inflection Point Ventures). As the season unfolds, a rotating roster of eminent leaders joins the table, enriching the dialogue with diverse viewpoints and real-world experience.

In an exclusive with The Free Press Journal, they told us about various aspects of the show.

Suniel Shetty on backing Bharat’s next founders

Actor and entrepreneur Suniel Shetty mentors founders on Bharat Ke Super Founders, stressing people over presentation, value over valuation, discipline in business, and creating entrepreneurs rather than chasing billionaire dreams. Excerpts:

Do explain what sets this show apart from some of the other well-known shows about startups pitching to founders.

We consider that we are blessed that we have one more show on startups because India needs a lot. India has over 1.4 billion people, and there are 100 more shows that are required like this. We believe we are different because we are not just talking about investors and founders. We are talking about an ecosystem that is being created to make sure that these very founders who are backed reach their end goal. We are looking to create millionaires and not billionaires. And that’s why the show is different.

When you are investing in a business, what is the most essential quality you look out for?

The founder. The people, not the presentation. Value, not valuation. Impact, not idea.

What are the three lessons you have learned being an entrepreneur for all these years?

1. Your money and your investors’ money—remember, it’s Lakshmi. So take care of her because she’s the only one who can take care of you.

2. Make sure that you’re clear about your product and the problem that it can solve.

3. Discipline, discipline, discipline.

Inspired by Founders’ raw energy

The most exciting moment for me during the shoot was just feeling the raw energy of the founders. We were shooting for 15 hours, and that can get tiring. But then, at times, you had such amazing founders solving real problems, just jumping into the action, and they would pitch with so much energy. That was truly inspiring. I went back feeling happy, satisfied, and I would sleep so well every night. Often, we are overwhelmed with different things—there are so many problems in Bharat; how are we going to deal with them? Or, like, I have a 16-year-old daughter, so thinking about her future! But I also know that Bharat has such amazing founders who shall also come up with solutions for these problems.

— Dr Aarti Gupta (Chief Investment Officer, Anikarth Ventures)

Energy that sells ideas

So, for me, the one critical thing I look at is the unique insight of the founder. What does this founder know that the other 100 founders who have attempted to solve this problem don’t know? So, for me, that is one big part of it.

Does the founder have passion for this category?

Like, do they want to only and only solve for this category? How much do they love the problem they are solving? And lastly, thumping-the-table energy—which is, can you sell your product to your employees, to your customers, to your investors? So, the ability to storytell and sales ability—this is what I feel are the three things I look at.

— Aditya Singh (Co-Founder, All In Capital)

Blending wisdom with Gen Z

When I heard what is the configuration of the show, what is the goal, and what is the way in which it will be executed, I understood this can either be the best or it can become the best. So I am in it just to see if I can make it even better because I have seen it for the last 40 years, and today we are talking about business for Gen Z. We must blend wisdom with the aspirations of the newer generation. I don’t think what we do today will be what it will be even after two years. A lot of maturity will come for all the stakeholders.

—- Dr A. VeluMani (Creator, Thyrocare and Director, AVMSmile)

Published on: Monday, January 19, 2026, 08:00 AM IST