The shark tank founder building a community first pet brand

On this episode of ChaiNet, we sit down with Darshankaur Khalsa, co-founder of Pets of Paradise.After pitching dog ice cream brand Waggy Zone on Shark Tank India and receiving five “nos,” Darshankaur didn’t quit. Instead, she transformed her vision, merged into Pets of Paradise, and shifted focus to serving India’s massive first-time pet parent market.We dive into:* What she learned from scaling Waggy Zone to 200+ stores before Shark Tank* How hearing “no” on national television fueled a bigger, more resilient business model* Why an authentic, human-driven community beats AI-generated content even in a tech-first world* Competing as a bootstrapped brand in a category crowded with funded rivals* Building trust as a certified pet wellness coach in an industry driven by transactions* Her advice to women founders on resilience, category creation, and community as a core strategyIf you’re building in D2C, pet care, community-led commerce, or navigating life after a “no,” this episode is packed with real, relatable founder wisdom.Tune in to hear Darshankaur’s unfiltered journey on ChaiNet. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chainet.substack.com