MAM
Droom to sponsor MTV Dropout reality show, founder to mentor entrepreneurs
MUMBAI: From Bill Gates to Sachin Tendulkar, people who have become some of the most iconic figures in our country have achieved what they have only because they had strong vision, resilience and courage to back their passion in achieving that vision. In keeping with the same spirit, Droom, India’s pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace has now become the title sponsor for MTV Dropout, India’s first start-up reality show that seeks to find out India’s next big entrepreneur. Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder – ShopClues & Droom is a Chief Mentor to the participants throughout the show, along with the founders of two other Internet startups.
Droom, the marketplace for buying and selling new and used automobiles, has four formats i.e. B2C, C2C, C2B and B2B, and three pricing formats – Fixed Price, Best Offer and Auction.
Aggarwal, who is known to be among the most prolific investors and entrepreneurs in the Indian e-commerce and entrepreneurial environment, is often considered a maverick when it comes to taking tough decisions, showing resilience and building scalable businesses. Once a globally top ranked Wall Street Internet analyst out of Silicon Valley, Aggarwal gave up his comfortable job and a luxurious lifestyle to give fire to his entrepreneurial dreams and create India’s first managed marketplace-ShopClues – in 2011. Since, in his various roles as an angel investor or mentor, he has always strived to extend a helping hand to entrepreneurs with great ideas, ‘grit in their teeth and fire in their belly.’ MTV Dropout is another such venture which aims to finds out India’s next prolific business ideas through the concept of a reality show.
Call for entries from applicants across the country has started. The auditions for the show will be held in Mumbai in the month of May to select the final candidates who will then be divided into teams and judged on the parameters of Drive, Strength of Idea, Planning and Attitude.
Aggarwal said, “During the show, I would try to pass on the trust and the good faith that was bestowed on me and provide whatever experience I have gained into enriching the decisions of the participants to fulfill their dreams. The show has been structured in such a way that it tests all the skills of the participants required to emerge as prospective entrepreneurs and business leaders. From food trucks to corporate events, the participants would need to show their all-round skills, resilience and tenacity apart from continuously working on their individual business ideas. I wish them all the best and look forward to see some great business ideas and interactions on the show soon!”
MTV Dropout will expand the narrow and negative connotation of the word ‘dropout’ to refer to people who have not accepted the pressures of the system but succeeded by pursuing an alternate, non-conventional idea with belief and pride. It invites entries from prospective entrepreneurs as well as ideas rejected in the VC stage to test their mettle in front of the experienced panel of mentors.
Droom MTV Dropout will consist a series of episodes and the teams in the final will present to globally-renowned industrialists, investors and iconic economic personalities such as Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Raghuram Rajan, Ronnie Screwala, Anil Ambani and Azim Premji. These stalwarts will select the one winning team that has the potential to revolutionize the business exosphere of India and further helm its start-up journey to a world of endless possibilities!
MAM
Sleepwell unveils nationwide sleep study on World Sleep Day
79 per cent use screens before bed, 36 per cent of 18–25-year-olds sleep ≤5 hours.
MUMBAI: Sleepwell just dropped the pillow truth bomb because when India’s sleeping less and scrolling more, even the mattress wants to stage an intervention. On World Sleep Day 2026, Sleepwell released its nationwide Sleep Study, painting a stark picture of India’s escalating sleep crisis. The findings show that 79% of Indians use screens right before bed, fuelling restless nights and drowsy days. Alarmingly, 36% of young adults aged 18–25 sleep five hours or less making them the country’s most sleep-deprived group.
The study also busts the myth of “catch-up sleep”, 65% of respondents actually sleep even later on weekends, pointing to increasingly irregular patterns that spill fatigue into the working week. Mattress discomfort emerged as a frequently overlooked culprit behind late-night wake-ups and constant leak-anxiety checks.
To drive the message home, Sleepwell’s CMO Puneet Gulati appeared on Zee Business, stressing that quality sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational health. He highlighted how the right mattress can transform restless nights into restorative ones.
The brand doubled down with clever late-night activations, partnering with a quick-commerce platform to serve contextual ads between 11 pm and 3 am, gently nudging bleary-eyed scrollers to consider mattress discomfort as the reason they’re still awake and pointing them to the nearest Sleepwell store. Digital influencers and creators also shared relatable stories of how poor sleep fuels impulsive late-night behaviour.
In a nation that celebrates hustle but quietly pays for it in lost rest, Sleepwell isn’t just selling mattresses, it’s selling the radical idea that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is close your eyes and actually sleep well.
