Sportswear label TENxYOU is preparing to raise external capital over the next six to eight months as it scales its India-focused product portfolio and accelerates both domestic and overseas expansion. According to chief executive and co-founder Karthik Gurumurthy, the funding will be directed towards opening exclusive brand outlets and supporting international growth, building on early traction from the company’s direct-to-consumer channel and rising demand from cricket-playing markets in the United States and the Middle East.
Founded with Sachin Tendulkar’s aspiration of encouraging India to become a more active, sports-playing nation, TENxYOU has spent the past 12 to 15 months engineering products tailored to Indian body types, climatic conditions and usage patterns. Gurumurthy noted that research incorporating roughly 100,000 foot scans demonstrated that Indian consumers generally have wider feet than those accounted for in standard UK sizing. This insight drove the brand to design footwear with a wider toe box and flared midsoles to improve stability on uneven surfaces.
Early market response suggests strong latent demand for such India-specific design. The company has fulfilled more than 4,000 orders through its D2C platform, with footwear tested by grassroots cricketers, Ranji Trophy players, and India U19 and A team athletes. TENxYOU aims to reach between 10,000 and 15,000 orders by March–April 2025 as it enters online marketplaces and gradually expands its offline footprint.
Footwear is positioned to be the company’s principal growth engine. Gurumurthy highlighted that India’s sports footwear category is growing at approximately 25 per cent year-on-year, while the premium segment priced above Rs 3,000–4,000 is expanding at 33–35 per cent. He added that Indian consumers are now more discerning regarding sizing, comfort and materials, aided by exposure to global brands.
Strategically, TENxYOU intends to remain a pure sportswear brand and will avoid lifestyle positioning in the near term. Cricket will serve as the company’s anchor category, with planned extensions into adjacent segments such as recovery trainers, travel slip-ons, strength training shoes and barefoot workout footwear.
International expansion has already begun through cricket academies in the US, where initial sales have been recorded. Growing interest from the Middle East and Singapore is prompting the company to adopt a D2C-first strategy in the Middle East before entering regional marketplaces.
