Cricket icon Virat Kohli has invested Rs. 40 crore (around US $ 4.67 million) in Bengaluru-based sportswear and athleisure startup Agilitas Sports, started by Abhishek Ganguly, ex-Managing Director of Puma India, as per reports.
The investment marks a new chapter in Kohli’s professional relationship with Ganguly, who played a pivotal role in bringing the cricketer on board as a Puma brand ambassador in 2017. However, unlike his past branding engagements, Kohli’s role at Agilitas goes far beyond a face of the company—he joins as a strategic investor with an equity stake and will contribute directly to the company’s expansion efforts.
Set up in 2023, Agilitas is a complete sporting goods ecosystem that covers the value chain from product development and manufacturing to retail. The firm has rapidly made inroads in the fiercely competitive sportswear sector.
Agilitas was in the news recently after it bought Mochiko Shoes, a main manufacturing partner of major global sporting brands like Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Skechers, and Decathlon. Agilitas also acquired licensing rights to the Italian sportswear brand Lotto, allowing it to distribute Lotto products in India and some global markets.
Backed by institutional investors like Nexus Venture Partners and Spring Capital, as well as former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Agilitas has raised almost Rs. 600 crore (around US $ 70.18 million) in two years since its launch—highlighting surging investor interest in India’s changing activewear space.
