The latest episode of Shark Tank India season 5 featured an emotional story of the founders of Little Cherry Mom. They narrated the life’s struggles and the founders revealed that they had to sell their house to build their business.While they got appreciation from the Sharks Kunal Bahl, Vineeta Singh, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, and Varun Alagh for their product but failed to get an investment.Little Cherry Mom is a nutrition-based food brand made especially for children aged 6 months to 12 years. The brand was started by Gaurav Goel and Jyoti Srivastava from Meerut. Over time, they have built a strong community of around 2.5 lakh mothers.The founders appeared on Shark Tank India Season 5, where they asked for an investment of Rs 75 lakhs in exchange for 3% equity in their company, valuing the brand at Rs 25 crores.While talking about their journey, the founders got emotional. One of the founders, Jyoti spoke about her background and revealed that she had been a former rocket designer and Gaurav on the other hand played cricket professionally. Gaurav shared that he played cricket in the under-19 team from UP for 9 years. After hearing their story, Vineeta said, “Rocket Designer and cricketer got together and made a brand, wow.”During their pitch, when Jyoti explained that she carefully develops each recipe after thorough research and attention to detail, Anupam Mittal praised her efforts and said, “I like how you go deep in your work. I have seen some companies cater to kids’ food, so what does this brand stand for? Because everybody is trying to make a good product today.”However, the Sharks became slightly annoyed when Anupam Mittal noticed a printing mistake on the packaging. When the pitcher explained that they handle the manufacturing themselves and that the price on one of the products was printed incorrectly, Anupam Mittal said, “If you make a mistake despite having your own manufacturing, then it’s better to get it manufactured outside.”Vineeta also showed her objection about how the Ghee manufacturer’s name was not mentioned on the product.The founders next went on to explain their numbers and sales. When Vineeta Singh asked where their capex had come from, the founder became emotional and revealed that they had sold their house to support the business. Gaurav shared, “We had taken a loan against property. We repaid that loan, and I sold off my house to build a factory. We are now living in a rented house, but we will build a home soon. We used to live in a big house. My father passed away last year. He was battling cancer for the last 5 years, but he had asked me to sell the house if needed. My mother has also been very supportive.”While the Sharks applauded Gaurav and Jyoti’s efforts, they all opted out of the deal. Sharing his reason for not funding the business, Anupam said, “I like the business you’ll have built, I like your vision, especially your attention to detail. Plus, you don’t let go of your products soon, which may be good, but I found the taste of your product average. I don’t like your logo either; for that reason, I am out.”Namita Thapar said she would not invest because it could create a conflict of interest, and therefore she decided to step out of the deal. She said, “I have an investment in Gladful, so there is conflict for me; it’s the same type of business, so I am out.”Kunal explained his point of view for not offering a deal and said, “Jyoti, you seem very attached to this business, and I think that attachment is working against us. Sometimes when we get too attached, our clarity and objectivity get blurred, so we should be stubborn in our vision. This is not a brand, but a single hero product company. You need to focus more, and I didn’t see that ability to say no to things that are not working, hence I am out.”Varun also opted out and mentioned that he doesn’t agree with Kunal thoughts, he added, “I disagree with Kunal, I don’t think you’ll need a hero product when you have one. My fear is, when we were making Mamaearth, we had a community of mothers, we had an option to venture into food too, but we thought if any product got fungal or technical issues, which leads to the child falling sick, then we won’t be able to forgive ourselves. For the same reason, I am out.”Vineeta on her part stated that she is not getting confidence in the business and that’s her reason of not investing in the business. She said, “I am not getting confidence that even after due diligence, we will be able to verify the finances from last year. Secondly, as per legal methodology, you need to write certain details that are not mentioned. I think this business is not investible today. But I wish you guys all the very best.”