Shark Tank Judge Beat Cancer, Now Funds Pain Relief Startup

When entrepreneur Shivraj Sharma pitched his pain relief company on Shark Tank India, he didn't expect one of the judges to share why his product mattered so deeply.

Kanika Tekriwal, now a successful aviation entrepreneur worth over Rs 420 crore, revealed she was 21 when doctors told her she had four days or four months to live. She had Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer affecting the lymphatic system.

"I used to get a round of chemo every two weeks and I used to be dying in pain," she told Sharma and fellow judges. Her doctor recommended CBD oil for pain management, but it wasn't available in India at the time.

Sharma's company, Wholeleaf, makes government-licensed pain relief products from the leaves of the Vijaya plant (cannabis). He started the business after watching his aunt suffer through cancer treatment and importing CBD from abroad to help her.

The product is fully legal in India. While cannabis buds are classified as narcotics, the leaves contain lower THC levels and are approved for medicinal use when properly licensed and sourced from state governments.

Sharma came seeking Rs 50 lakh for 2.1 percent of his company. He impressed the judges by showing 13 completed clinical trials, including two large studies with 50 to 75 patients each, proving his commitment to evidence-based medicine.

Why This Inspires

Tekriwal's journey from a terminal diagnosis to building a business empire shows what's possible when you refuse to accept limitations. She spent her eight months of treatment planning and structuring her vision for an aviation company.

"Cancer made me a strong person ready to face any challenge," she told Rediff in an earlier interview. "My brief yet very real brush with mortality led me to the idea that this life is to be used for dreaming bigger and achieving more."

Now she's ensuring other cancer patients get access to treatments she couldn't find. Along with fellow judges Aman Gupta and Namita Thapar, Tekriwal invested Rs 1.5 crore for 7.5 percent of Wholeleaf, valuing it at Rs 20 crore.

The deal means more Indian patients undergoing painful treatments will have ethical, licensed access to relief that could make their hardest days more bearable.