Shark Tank India 3’s Radhika Gupta recently shared insights into her first entrepreneurial project, which surprisingly had nothing to do with finance.
Known as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Radhika Gupta’s journey in the financial sector is widely celebrated. However, her entrepreneurial spirit transcends beyond the realm of finance.
During her college days, Radhika ventured into the culinary world, driven by her passion for cooking. This unexpected pursuit showcases her diverse interests and entrepreneurial drive beyond her finance career.
Radhika Gupta’s first entrepreneurial venture
In a recent conversation with Mashable India, Radhika Gupta revealed an intriguing facet of her entrepreneurial journey: her first venture was actually a restaurant during her college days. As a judge on Shark Tank India 3, Gupta shared this lesser-known tidbit, reminiscing about her early days in the US.
During her college stint, Gupta and her roommate faced the challenge of unsatisfactory dorm food. Armed with determination and resourcefulness, they transformed this inconvenience into an opportunity. Despite lacking culinary expertise, they improvised recipes with guidance from their mothers. When their homemade meals became a target for food theft, they decided to monetize their culinary skills.
Their restaurant, aptly named Mirch Madness, offered a variety of dishes, priced at USD 5 for vegetarian options and an extra dollar for non-vegetarian fare. Gupta humorously remarked, “I’m a baniya, and we make everything into business.”
Balancing academics and entrepreneurship, Gupta dedicated herself to preparing meals, even handcrafting rotis nightly after studying. Reflecting on her passion for cooking, she admitted that her current responsibilities leave little time for culinary pursuits, reserving her kitchen efforts for occasional cooking sessions with her son, Remy.
Gupta’s journey from selling rotis in college to her prominent role in financial services underscores her diverse entrepreneurial spirit and adaptability.