Srikanth Bolla, the founder and chairman of Bollant Industries, has joined the esteemed panel of judges on Shark Tank India season 4.
The business reality show provides a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to a panel of investors—commonly referred to as ‘sharks’—for funding and mentorship.
Bolla, a visually impaired entrepreneur and philanthropist, is no stranger to breaking barriers.
Featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, he established Bollant Industries in 2012, a Hyderabad-based company that manufactures environmentally friendly disposable paper and packaging products. Today, the company boasts an annual revenue exceeding $150 million and employs over 500 people.
Born ib 1992 in Seetharamapuram, a village in Andhra Pradesh, Bolla defied societal expectations at every turn. An accomplished athlete, he has competed nationally and internationally in blind cricket, chess, baseball, and swimming.
Academically, he made history as the first visually impaired international student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after receiving offers from prestigious institutions like Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon.
His inspiring journey even captured Bollywood’s attention, leading to the biopic Srikanth, starring Rajkummar Rao, which was released in May 2024.
Expressing his excitement about joining Shark Tank India, Bolla shared pictures from the set with the caption: “To survive a pool of sharks, you need to become one yourself.”
He emphasized the show’s impact on Indian entrepreneurship, stating, “People at the show seemed poised to solve some age-old problems and some modern issues in society while being visionaries.”