Virat Kohli’s decision to take one8 “home” to Agilitas is really about backing an Indian‑built sportswear platform end‑to‑end—from factories to global retail—alongside a leadership team he has already worked with for nearly a decade.
What the new partnership actually does
- Kohli has moved his lifestyle and athleisure brand one8 from Puma’s ecosystem into Agilitas Sports, the Bengaluru‑based sportswear company founded in 2023 by ex‑Puma India MD Abhishek Ganguly with Atul Bajaj and Amit Prabhu.
- Under the deal, Agilitas will now house, design, manufacture and scale one8, leading its offline and online expansion across India and eventually international markets.
- In his recent clip, Kohli says he had two choices: just stay associated with one8 as a brand, or also become part of Agilitas as an owner. He chose to invest after understanding the company’s manufacturing depth, technical expertise and “quality of people,” and because he felt it could become “something big.”
Agilitas cofounders describe one8 as a performance‑first Indian brand rooted in sport and functionality; Kohli adds that the ambition is to build strong pan‑India pride around a product “designed and made in India” before taking it global.
Agilitas: funding, scale and capabilities
Agilitas is positioning itself as a full‑lifecycle sportswear platform, not just a D2C label:
- Funding:
- ₹430 crore raised in early 2023 from Convergent Finance and individual investors when Ganguly launched the venture.
- ₹100 crore from Nexus Venture Partners in Dec 2023.
- Strategic funding from Spring Marketing Capital in 2024, with total capital from Convergent, Nexus and others crossing ₹530 crore by then.
- In 2025, It raised ₹40 crore from Virat Kohli for about 1.94% stake, and is now in advanced talks to secure an additional ₹450 crore from Nexus, valuing the company around $400 million (~₹3,500 crore).
- Overall, it has raised ₹650–700 crore (≈$75–80 million) in under two years.
- Manufacturing backbone:
- It acquired Mochiko Shoes, a major contract manufacturer for Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Skechers, Reebok, Asics, Crocs, Decathlon and others, giving it deep footwear manufacturing capacity in India.
- It also holds a 40‑year licence for Italian brand Lotto in India, South Africa and Australia, using that portfolio to build out multi‑category sportswear.
- Business scale:
- Ganguly has said we already have a ₹700–800‑crore revenue business, with a goal to reach $1‑billion turnover in the future.
- The company is pushing a mix of own brands (like future one8 ranges), licensed labels (Lotto) and manufacturing services, with aggressive offline expansion via exclusive stores, multi‑brand outlets and e‑commerce.
This is what convinced Kohli that he wasn’t just fronting a logo but plugging into a serious industrial platform that can design, make and distribute at scale.
Read this: Virat Kohli-Backed Startup Becomes Official Insurance Partner of Infosys.
Why Virat Kohli walked away from Puma and chose Agilitas
- Reports say Kohli declined a ₹300‑crore, eight‑year renewal from Puma, choosing instead to invest his own ₹40 crore into Agilitas and take equity.
- His existing relationship with Ganguly dates back to 2017, when they launched one8 with Puma; moving one8 to Agilitas allows that partnership to continue, but as a co‑ownership rather than just an endorsement.
- Insiders frame the shift as consistent with Kohli’s “purpose‑driven” choices—similar to his earlier exit from a soft‑drink endorsement. This time, the theme is backing Indian‑built sportswear and manufacturing jobs at home instead of simply licensing his name to a global brand.
Strategically, Kohli now becomes:
- A shareholder and co‑creator at Agilitas;
- The face and driving force behind one8’s design language and positioning;
- A long‑term partner with skin in the game as Agilitas eyes a $1‑billion revenue milestone.
For the startup, the upside is equally clear: access to one of India’s most powerful athlete brands, a ready‑made label in one8, and a credibility boost as it pitches itself as India’s answer to the global sportswear giants.
Read this: Sachin Tendulkar Launches His New Sports Brand ‘10XU’ — Offering Shoe Range Between Rs 5,000 – 6,000
