Dadasaheb Bhagat who once earned ₹4,000 per month, became the owner of the company worth ₹10 million crowns. His journey has earned praise from various quarters, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Education was never discussed in his family. Born in a drought-prone village in Maharashtra’s Beed district, Bhagat studied only up to the 10th standard and later completed an ITI course that prepared him for basic factory jobs.
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When he moved to Pune, he earned just enough ₹4,000 per month before taking up the post of office boy at Infosys ₹9000. His duties were menial like cleaning and delivering things. However, what he observed in the office left its mark.
Bhagat saw the employees working comfortably on the computers. He realized that knowledge could change his life. When he was advised to explore graphic design and animation, he remembered his childhood passion for art. He was inspired by a temple painter near his boarding school.
Dadasaheb started learning design. He spent his days learning design while doing night shifts as an office boy. Within a year, he became a professional designer, eventually making a living working on the computer.
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Instead of looking for a job in a big company like Infosys, he started his own design business. However, the journey was far from easy. When the COVID-19 lockdown began, he had to close his office in Pune and return to his village.
There, with limited electricity and internet, he and his team set up a workspace on a hill near the cowshed and got to work. His company Design Template began to take shape. It offers free professional video templates and effects. People can download unlimited After Effects and Premiere Pro templates for free.
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Dadasaheb Bhagat landed on Shark Tank India Season 3. He asked for it ₹1 crore for a 2.5% equity in his company, valuing his company at ₹40 million crowns.
Bhagat mentioned on the show that the company’s revenue was ₹1.6 million in the previous year. He was expected to earn ₹3 crore in FY 2024-25.
His story was covered by various media. Finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for embodying the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
“I believe that one should never leave one’s life to circumstances. That’s why I decided to design my own life,” he said on the show.
Radhika Gupta, CEO, Edelweiss Mutual Fund said, “Your story is inspiring. Life should be lived by design, not by standard. You have truly made design your life. You should feel proud.”
Then BoAt co-founder Aman Gupta pitched in ₹1 million for a 10% equity stake, matching Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal’s offer. While Bansal asked for 2% royalty ₹2 million was recovered, Gupta refused to take any fee.
Dadasaheb Bhagat accepted Aman Gupta’s offer and kept the company’s valuation the same ₹10 million crowns.
Reaction on social networks
Social networks celebrated his journey. Many users found Dadasaheb Bhagat’s story motivating.
“Unimaginable… so much clarity and vision from someone who comes from a place like Beed! Very motivating…” wrote a user.
“I contacted him during the lockdown when he started his journey in the cowshed. He’s such a visionary guy!” posted another.
“Maharashtra is a land of talent,” exclaimed another.
