RARA Barefoot Raises $500K to Redefine India’s Footwear Market Through D2C Innovation
India’s D2C ecosystem continues to surge — from footwear, athleisure, and jewelry brands redefining markets to food, agritech, and kidswear startups scaling rapidly with strong funding.
National Disruptors
1. RARA Barefoot Raises $500K to Redefine India’s Footwear Market Through D2C Innovation
RARA Barefoot, an Indian footwear brand, is making its entrance into the direct-to-consumer market in India with $500,000 raised in pre-seed funding.
The funding round had more interest than spots available and included people from Zomato, Urban Company, Tata 1mg, Shyft, and HexaHealth, plus Managing Directors and Partners from ChrysCapital and BCG. This shows investors are confident in the growing D2C market in India.
Varun Mimani and Manas Tripathi started RARA Barefoot in 2024, with the goal of being a performance-focused D2C footwear brand that mixes modern style with how feet are designed to work. They want to offer barefoot sneakers to Indian customers, based on natural movement and comfort. Their first collection is now for sale online, and they plan to build relationships with customers directly. By 2026, they expect to grow through retail partnerships and pop-up stores in big cities.
2. Sachin Tendulkar’s Ten X You Set to Go Global: A Power Play in India’s D2C Athleisure Revolution
Sachin Tendulkar’s brand, Ten X You (SRT10 Athleisure), is planning to grow internationally. Having become known in India’s D2C fashion and lifestyle market, the business now wants to create a ₹100–150 crore business within two to three years, with a focus on the Middle East and the UK.
Ten X You was co-founded by Sachin Tendulkar, Karthik Gurumurthy, and Karan Arora, and is supported by Peak XV Partners and Whiteboard Capital. It’s one of the more watched celebrity-backed D2C startups in India right now. Karthik Gurumurthy, the CEO and co-founder (previously head of Swiggy Instamart), said that the brand will be strategic in its approach. He mentioned that there’s global interest, especially where Sachin is well-known, but their main goal is to ensure the product and market are a good fit before they try to grow too quickly.
3. GIVA Launches 2-Hour Jewellery Delivery in Bengaluru, Redefining Speed for India’s D2C Luxury Market
GIVA, one of India’s fastest-growing online jewelry brands, now offers 2-hour delivery from its stores in Bangalore. It’s a first for Indian online jewelry companies, providing both luxury and speed. This service is designed for those last-minute gifts and holiday purchases, changing how people buy jewelry online in India.
GIVA’s tech team built this system to be fast. They use local distribution, watch inventory in real-time, and route orders smartly to get things to you quick. Bangalore stores are now small distribution centers, allowing GIVA to send out gold, silver, and lab-grown diamond jewelry in two hours. You don’t often see that kind of speed in online fashion.
Business Boost
1. Hunger Inc Raises ₹215 Cr from Lighthouse and DSG Consumer Partners: A D2C Growth Story in India’s Food and Beverage Space
Hunger Inc, the group behind Bombay Sweet Shop and The Bombay Canteen, just secured ₹215 crore (almost $25 million) in funding. Lighthouse and DSG Consumer Partners led the round, with current investors and some angel investors also participating. Some early investors, like CP Gurnani, got a chance to exit, which shows confidence in D2C brands.
Sameer Seth, Floyd Cardoz, and Yash Bhanage started Hunger Inc in 2014. They’ve become a leader in the premium food and beverage market. They focus on hospitality and innovation to create experiences beyond just restaurants, including retail and online sales. Bombay Sweet Shop, which is known for its modern take on Indian sweets, now makes up over half of the company’s earnings, indicating that consumers like these kinds of brands.
2. Two Brothers Organic Farms Raises ₹110 Crore in Series B, Eyes Major Scale-Up
Pune — D2C agritech brand Two Brothers Organic Farms has secured ₹110 crore (approx. USD 12.5 million) in a Series B funding round led by 360 One Asset, Rainmatter Investments, the Narotam Sekhsaria family office, and IGNITE Growth LLP. The startup had previously raised ₹58.2 crore in Series A backing led by Rainmatter (co-founded by Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath) in June 2024.
The fresh capital is earmarked to expand processing infrastructure, strengthen supply chain operations, optimize sourcing, and scale distribution across India and international markets. Two Brothers Organic Farms also intends to invest in technology to support operational scale and reach.
Founded by brothers Satyajit and Ajinkya Hange, the company operates a farm-to-consumer model focused on natural farming practices and traceability. Its product roster includes organic staples like ghee, rice, jaggery, wheat flour, spices, grains, and pulses. It currently sources from over 5,000 farmers and claims to serve more than 600,000 customers.
Founders Funded
1.Fragaria Fruits raises $2 Mn in seed round led by WEH Ventures
Fragaria Fruits, a D2C food and beverage startup in Chennai, just secured $2 million in seed funding. WEH Ventures led the round, with Rainmatter, Spiral Ventures, and angel investor Sashi Kumar also participating. This comes after a pre-seed round of ₹1.5 crore a few months ago. Fragaria Fruits is quickly becoming a key player in India’s agri-tech and premium produce sectors.
The new funds will support Fragaria’s growth plans, as they want to grow their fruit selection, increase production in Bengaluru, and add new products like blueberries and raspberries. The goal is to keep up with rising consumer demand for quality fruit while building a reliable, year-round supply chain.
Harish Varadharajan, Timothy Chad Van Niekerk, and Damian López-Salazar founded Fragaria Fruits in 2024, with the aim to transform how India enjoys fruit through D2C sales and modern farming methods.
2.Muttley Crew Raises $425K Seed Funding to Redefine Pet Nutrition Through India’s D2C Ecosystem
Muttley Crew, a pet food brand in Bengaluru, just got $425,000 in seed money from private investors. This shows that people are believing more and more in the D2C market in India, especially for pet care brands.
Smriti Thomas started Muttley Crew with the goal of changing pet food in India by focusing on natural, preservative-free, good food. The company wants to use this money to grow its stores, make more products, and be known all over the country. They now have 20 stores in Bengaluru, and they want to be in over 100 stores in India soon.
Smriti Thomas, the founder and CEO of Muttley Crew, said that they are ready to grow and change pet food in India with the help of their investors and team. The company wants to make good pet food available to Indian pet owners who care about quality, health, and where the ingredients come from.
3. Kidswear Startup Orange Sugar Raises ₹4 Crore in Pre-Seed Round to Fuel Expansion
New Delhi — Indian kidswear brand Orange Sugar has secured ₹4 crore in a pre-seed funding round, led by Consumer Collective by Atrium and investor Ramakant Sharma, with additional backing from angel investors including Saurabh Jain, Srivatsan Chari, Kunal Mahipal, Meghana Agarwal, and Sunil Khaitan.
The fresh capital will be deployed to broaden Orange Sugar’s product portfolio, push into premium kidswear categories, and scale its distribution network across e-commerce, quick commerce, and physical retail stores.
Founded in 2022 by Tarun Agrawal, Payal Agarwal, and Bharath Gupta, Orange Sugar is positioned to serve children up to 10 years old. The brand emphasizes 100 % cotton basics that combine safety, durability, and modern styling, catering to the rising expectations of Indian parents seeking premium everyday wear for kids.
Kiran Shah, Founder of Go Zero
“Launch, Listen, Iterate, Repeat — The Real Cheat Code to Building Anything”
When Kiran Shah started Go Zero, he made a mistake many first-time founders can relate to — waiting for perfection.
He spent months fine-tuning the first SKUs — perfecting macros, texture, and taste — only to realize something every founder learns the hard way: perfection doesn’t exist.
Once the products hit the market, customer feedback poured in:
“Texture thoda better ho sakta hai.”
“Thoda zyada sweet lag raha hai.”
“Family pack kab aa raha hai?”
That’s when the mindset shifted. Instead of chasing perfection, Go Zero began chasing progress. Every product went through 3–4 post-launch iterations shaped directly by customer feedback.
Kiran’s mantra today? Don’t wait for perfect — start, learn, and evolve.
Because if you keep waiting, 10 years might pass before you even launch.
💡 “If we had waited for perfection, we’d still be waiting. Instead, we chose consistency.” — Kiran Shah, Founder of Go Zero
🚀 D2C Insider Weekly Update | CXO Meet – South 2025
South India is gearing up for one of the most anticipated events in the consumer startup ecosystem. On 31st October 2025, Bangalore will host the CXO Meet – South, India’s flagship confluence for D2C founders, investors, and ecosystem enablers.
Positioned as a strategic platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, the meet will bring together leaders driving India’s next wave of consumer innovation.
Key Highlights:
150+ Founders from leading new-age consumer brands
100+ D2C Brands redefining customer engagement and category growth
25+ Investors & Enablers shaping India’s startup investment landscape
The event agenda focuses on actionable insights — covering fundraising strategies, omnichannel expansion, brand storytelling, and consumer intelligence. Designed to bridge ideas with execution, it aims to equip founders with practical frameworks for sustainable scale.
For India’s growing D2C community, the CXO Meet – South offers a unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and shape the future of the consumer economy.
📌 Event Details:
Date: 31st October 2025
Venue: Yutori Spaces, Safina Plaza, Infantry Road, Bangalore
Time: 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
🔗 Register Here: https://d2ci.co/cxo-meet-register
