Meet the 33-year-old Indian who cracked a ₹33 crore deal on Shark Tank USA

The NID Ahmedabad alumnus spent three years refining the design, changing manufacturers seven times and making 16 trips to China before producing a single unit.

A spoon that looks like a flat, 0.1-inch bookmark can be folded into a teaspoon, tablespoon or precise measuring spoon. Who would’ve thought that this innovative design could win hearts and money, too! The origami-inspired invention, named Polygons, took Kolkata-born designer Rahul Agarwal to Shark Tank USA in June, where he secured a $3.5M (approx ₹33.03 crore) deal. When the episode aired last week, a clip of his pitch went viral, crossing 1.5 million views.

An origami-inspired invention of a spoon, named Polygons, took Kolkata-born designer Rahul Agarwal to Shark Tank USA in June,

Made from food-grade thermoplastic and hydrophobic silicone, with small magnets sealed inside, the spoon has brought attention to the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad alumnus and his invention. “In 2014, a senior at NID told me not to bother redesigning objects that had already reached perfection. He gave the example of a spoon,” recounts Agarwal, adding, “My immediate thought: challenge accepted. And I don’t even cook. Ego, it turns out, is the second mother of invention.”

While the initial paper-and-plastic origami prototype took just three days to make, developing a durable, washable and manufacturable version took three years. “It involved over 1,000 iterations, changing manufacturers seven times, and making 16 trips to China before a single unit could be produced,” adds Agarwal.

The 33-year-old says preparing for the pitch took considerable work. “I studied the great TV demos — Scrub Daddy, Slap Chop, and the like,” says Agarwal, adding, “When the call came to shoot the episode, I was on vacation with my family. I spent half the holiday in a hotel room writing and rewriting the script.”