Entrepreneurial dreams are now as common as cricket conversations. Every new platform promises to turn ideas into empires. Definitely grabs attention, right?
But attention alone doesn’t equal innovation.
In the middle of this, ZEE TV churns out Ideabaaz Dangal, the latest entrant in the startup reality space. Swears on big promises.
It calls itself India’s “top platform” for aspiring business minds, yet for those who’ve followed the rise of Shark Tank India, the resemblance feels more than coincidental. It feels calculated. Or maybe not.
While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it doesn’t always breed innovation. But when you are inspired, things take a different shape, as they did for Shark Tank India. Shark Tank India, itself an adaptation of an American original, managed to carve out a distinct identity.
Through its sharp panel of self-made entrepreneurs, authentic pitches, and raw entrepreneurial grit, it tapped into the Indian psyche. The show’s credibility stemmed from the foundation of its investors. And eventually reignited India’s startup spirit.
Ideabaaz, by contrast, feels more like a participant in a rat race than a revolution. The promise of getting “spotlighted” on ZeeTV and the celebrity addition of Pratik Gandhi may serve as glitter, but glitter alone cannot mask the fact that the idea is far from original. It mimics the framework Shark Tank perfected — submission, shortlisting, pitch, investment. There is no significant twist in the format, no disruptive approach to merit distinction.
Of course, there is merit in offering more avenues for entrepreneurs. India needs more platforms that nurture talent, especially from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. However, when a new entrant makes sweeping claims of being the “top platform” while walking in another’s footsteps, it undermines the very innovation it seeks to promote. At best, Ideabaaz feels like a hurried attempt to ride the entrepreneurial wave rather than strengthen it.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a piece of the pie. But when that pie is already being served with impact, taste, and sincerity, merely recreating the plate isn’t enough.
Ideabaaz may yet evolve, but for now, it stands not as a trailblazer, but as a pale echo in a space that demands boldness, not duplication.
