Started by Deepthi Nathala, Hecoll is a startup that makes clothes to protect customers from pollution. The founder pitched the company in the sixth episode of Season one of Shark Tank India. While the Sharks were impressed with Deepthi’s nanotechnology background, none of them invested in the company, citing various reasons of their own.
In this piece, I will walk you through what exactly is Hecoll, the Hecoll Shark Tank Pitch, and share updates on what happened with Hecoll after their Shark Tank Appearance.
Hecoll Shark Tank Pitch
Deepthi entered the Shark Tank room covering her face with a piece of cloth. She then began her pitch by saying that crores of Indian women cover this way to save themselves from pollution and the men do so by covering up handkerchiefs. However, this cloth only saves them from 15% of the pollution.
To solve this problem, Deepthi created Hecoll, a fabric manufacturing brand that saves people from 95% of pollution, and 99% of UV rays and also kills viruses and bacteria including coronavirus. The brand uses fabric to manufacture 20 multiple products like doctor clothing, army uniforms, etc. Towards the end of her pitch, Deepthi informed sharks she was seeking 1 crore in exchange for 1% equity.
On being asked by Anupam if they are a stitching brand or fabric brand, Deepthi informed that they operate on a mixel model — 75% B2B fabric and 25% stitch products. When Ashneer asked Deepthi about what makes her fabric unique, she highlighted that they have been lab tested with accredited labs in India, Germany & US. She also added that her fabric fixes three problems at once — pollution, UV rays, and germ-killing.
When Aman asked how she got the idea for the business, Deepthi informed she had worked in nanotechnology across the globe for the last couple of years and she got the inspiration for starting Hecoll from those experiences. Deepthi also informed the Sharks she made a revenue of Rs 1 crore 7 lakhs last year, of which 7 lakhs were from B2C and the remaining was from B2B.
After hearing everything, Ashneer said he would not invest in the company as he thinks Deepthi had no self-realization. He also said that he did not agree with Deepthi’s thinking that her brand had already been created. Ashneer also added that he thinks Deepthi needs a co-founder. Anupam also said he is out but he was impressed with Deepthi. Namita also said she was out as she didn’t think she would be able to help Deepthi much. Vineeta refused to invest stating the valuation was too high as one of the reasons but she wished Deepthi well. Aman also chose not to invest stating he thinks Deepthi was very confused.
What Happened to Hecoll after Shark Tank ( Hecoll Shark Tank Update )
As one can expect, Hecoll must have definitely seen an increase in interest and sales after its Shark Tank appearance. As of today, Hecoll is being sold on Amazon and Flipkart, but the product has a 2.5-star rating on Amazon and a 3.5-star rating on Flipkart.
It has been a while since Hecoll updates its social media pages, so I was not able to gather the latest updates from the brand. Plus, the brand also does not have a website as well. While Hecoll is selling products on e-commerce platforms, it is difficult to predict sales and the health of the business.
