Built for Love, Scaled with Grit: Invogue Bags INR 2 Crore on Shark Tank India
Mumbai, Feb 6: What began as a deeply personal love story has today emerged as one of the most compelling founder journeys on Shark Tank India Season 5. Invogue, India’s pioneering shapewear brand, made its much-anticipated appearance on the show this year, signalling a turning point in a journey that started 2 years ago, not with a pitch deck or investor backing, but with a simple intent: to solve a real problem faced by someone the founder loved.
Founded by 25-year-old entrepreneur Maadhav Saxena, Invogue was born out of an ode to his girlfriend and a clear gap in the Indian market – shapewear that actually worked for Indian bodies. What began as Maadhav’s attempt to solve a deeply personal problem soon evolved into a shared entrepreneurial journey when Ragini joined as Co-founder, bringing first-hand perspective into the nuances of comfort, fit, and confidence that women seek from everyday essentials. Together, they shaped Invogue into a brand grounded in real consumer insight and performance innovation.
At a time when the category was virtually non-existent in India, Invogue quietly set out to build products with unmatched quality, industry-leading compression, and performance that spoke for itself. Entirely bootstrapped since inception, the brand chose a path few young founders dare to take prioritising product excellence and profitability over aggressive marketing spends. Today, Invogue serves 80,000+ customers, with a sharp focus on silhouettes that work seamlessly across ethnic and contemporary wear – earning a reputation for knowing the shapewear category better than anyone else.
Maadhav Saxena, the 25-year-old founder of Invogue and one of India’s youngest category-building entrepreneurs,
“This journey was never about chasing noise it was about building something that truly worked. Since our launch in 2023, we have focused on comfortable, high-performance shapewear in India, and even today we stay at least six months ahead of the market. Our vision is to build Invogue into a foundation fashion brand- the essential layer beneath every outfit. From sculpted bras and innerwear to tummy tuckers and swimwear, we’re building solutions so no one has to make the kind of compromises Ragini once did.”
This year marks Invogue’s strategic growth phase with the brand actively seeking funding to scale operations, expand categories, and build omnichannel presence. As part of this new chapter, Invogue recently collaborated with Malaika Arora, launching a fun, entertainment-first digital campaign that reintroduced Invogue to a wider, style-forward audience.
On Shark Tank India Season 5, the founders’ clarity, discipline, and ambition struck a chord with the Sharks. Their journey – built at just 25, with no external capital and a sharp eye on profitability – stood out as a rare example of resilience and long-term thinking.
Invogue won over Aman Gupta, Shark Tank India’s most instinctive and high-conviction Shark, celebrated for championing young, hungry founders, who was impressed by the founder’s grit and ambition, backing the brand with a ₹2 crore investment. Post the deal, Aman Gupta said, “I truly believe in founders, and these are the ones who- if guided well- can do the impossible. I see them as the underdogs of this industry, and that’s exactly why I made this offer. I want to help people who need help, and all they really need is the right guidance.”
Looking ahead, Invogue is expanding beyond core shapewear into sculpted bras and innerwear, tummy tuckers, swimwear, and other confidence-led categories, while building a strong omnichannel presence across both online and offline retail.
Invogue’s Shark Tank India Season 5 appearance is more than a television moment – it is the beginning of a long-overdue spotlight on a brand that chose substance over speed, and is now ready to scale with purpose.