From Bihar's Dusty Villages to Shark Tank India: The Journey of Dilkhush Kumar and RodBez Taxis

Some entrepreneurs have introduced many innovative pitches on the Shark Tank show. Dilkhush Kumar and Siddharth Shankar Jha's taxi service pitch from Bihar was one of them.  Dilkhush Kumar's journey from the dusty village land of Bihar to the platform of Shark Tank is nothing short of remarkable. His life is a testament to his resilience and unwavering determination.

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Early education and struggles 

He grew up in a small village in the Saharsa district of Bihar. His father was a bus driver. Dilkhush faced numerous challenges from a young age. In 2008, after completing his 10th-class examination at the tender age of 16, he got married. The weight of the family pushed him to find stable employment. He went for a guard job but could not secure it. Next, he went for a clerk job but failed due to not being able to recognize the Apple logo. Mostly he was rejected from job interviews due to his appearance and lack of formal education. 

So he chose not to look for work when he came back to the village. He felt discouraged, and burnt all his degrees and certificates. He asked his father to teach him driving so that he could earn for the family. At first, his father refused and asked him to find more options. But eventually, he agreed. Dilkhush did a job of 3,500 Rs. in his village as a taxi driver, but it was not enough to run a family. He had to look after his child and wife.

Dilkhush moved to Patna in search of stable work. He spent almost a year working as a driver. He also learnt new skills, worked in construction, electrical, firework etc. After earning some money, he decided to do his own work. He launched his first venture in 2016, "AryaGo". AryaGo was set up with just one car, a second-hand Nano, which Dilkhush bought by borrowing Rs 50,000. He set up his office in a shelter house for cows in his village Bangaon. 

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He then expanded by adding a Santro to his fleet. The business was performing well; in 2021, sales were between 70 and 80 lakhs. He decided to start something at a bigger level. In July 2022, he launched his Pan state startup Rodbez with his cousin and mentor. He raised 46 lakh funds for it in November at a valuation of 4 crore. Rodbez commission rate is 20% for every ride. The company is doing well in Bihar. According to Dilkhush, currently, they have an average demand of 100 taxis but due to less availability, they are only able to fulfil the demand of 35-36 taxis.

About RodBez 

The application solves the problem of unorganised taxi services in Bihar. The taxi driver is not able to get a return passenger at the time of return, due to which the passenger has to pay both-side taxi fares even for a one-way journey. RodBez has come up with a solution to this problem in the form of One Way Taxi. They connect 2 passengers travelling from opposite directions into a single taxi, reducing their travel cost by up to 40%. 

The company also commits that if their taxi does not reach at the selected pickup time, due to which the customer misses a flight or train, they would refund 100% of the ticket price. Dilkhush refused to compromise on his principles. He believed in fair wages for his drivers and prioritized customer satisfaction above all else. His relentless pursuit of excellence and his unwavering commitment to his vision set him apart from the crowd.

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In Shark Tank India

In front of the sharks, Dilkhush shared his journey. He spoke of the challenges he had overcome, the obstacles he had faced, and the dreams that had kept him going through it all. He asked for Rs 50 Lakhs for 5% equity.  Anupam, Aman, and Piyush were not interested in investing in Rodbez, while Vineeta and Ritesh offered Rodbez a proposal of 20 lakhs for 5% ownership plus 30 lakhs of loan at 12% interest for two years at a valuation of 4 crores. Their offer got accepted.

Dilkhush Kumar's ascent from a life of hardship to the heights of entrepreneurial success was no easy feat, especially given his lack of formal education. However, his determination to learn and succeed against all odds knew no bounds. He had nothing but ambition and a thirst for knowledge, he learnt application coding through YouTube tutorials. The sharks at Shark Tank were surprised to learn that the ingenious RodBez application was crafted by Dilkhush himself, solely through his self-taught expertise from online videos. 

He proved that sheer determination and hard work can conquer any obstacle. In an Instagram post-Dilkhush wrote, He did not go to the sharks for money. He said to change Bihar, he needed the love and blessings of experienced people. It is fortunate for him that in the field of entrepreneurship, he has people who are his ideals. He says “Nothing could be bigger than this for him”.

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