🚀 Medial Secures Investment on Shark Tank India - Fueling the Future of Professional Social Networking. 🔥
Login

News on Medial

Tauseef Mirza acquires D2C footwear startup Solethreads

EntrackrEntrackr · 5d ago
Tauseef Mirza acquires D2C footwear startup Solethreads
Medial

Tauseef Mirza acquires D2C footwear startup Solethreads Tauseef Mirza, managing director of Mirza International, has acquired a 100% stake in casual footwear startup Solethreads. The deal reflects an expansion into the semi-premium footwear segment in India and integrates the company’s digital-first, youth-focused positioning with Mirza’s manufacturing and design capabilities. The company did not comment on transaction details. Founded in 2020 by Sumant Kakaria, Gaurav Chopra, Vikram Iyer, and Aprajit Kathuria, Solethreads operates in the open and casual footwear segment, offering sneakers, slides, and flip-flops across online and offline channels. The Gurugram-based company has raised over $7 million in funding to date. In July 2023, it secured $3.7 million in a Series A round led by Fireside Ventures, with participation from DSG Consumer Partners, Saama Capital, and angel investors including Nihir Nalin Parikh and Dhaval Nalin Parikh. Prior to this, the startup had raised around $3.5 million from DSG Consumer Partners and Saama Capital. Following the acquisition, the focus will be on enhancing domestic manufacturing, strengthening product development, and expanding the brand’s offline footprint, including exclusive brand outlets. “At scale, we needed a long-term solution for in-house design and domestic production capabilities. As the founding team moves on, I am confident Mr. Mirza and his team will take the brand to new heights,” said Sumant Kakaria, CEO of Solethreads. Solethreads said the brand reached a monthly run rate of Rs 6 crore within four years of inception. The company started as a digital-first brand but has also successfully expanded into offline retail. By 2025, it had a presence in 600 MBOs and had opened 8 EBOs. "Over the past couple of years, we've dabbled in building up few brands from scratch, like Thomas Crick and Off The Hook, and got reasonable success as well. But I want to build a large semi-premium brand in the casual footwear space, for which Solethreads is at the perfect stage," said Tauseef Mirza. The deal comes at a time when the Indian footwear sector is witnessing increased activity, supported by steady demand for design-led products. It follows earlier transactions such as Metro Brands’ acquisition of Fila in 2022 and Ananta Capital’s acquisition of Bacca Bucci in 2025.

Related News

Marico acquires 60% stake in D2C nutrition startup Cosmix

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Marico acquires 60% stake in D2C nutrition startup Cosmix
Medial

Marico acquires 60% stake in D2C nutrition startup Cosmix Mumbai-based multinational consumer goods company Marico has acquired a 60% majority stake in Cosmix, a startup that sells plant-based protein supplements, at an equity valuation of Rs 375 crore. With this deal, Marico expands its D2C presence by adding another brand. The acquisition brings a protein-focused brand into Marico’s D2C portfolio. Founded in 2019, Cosmix operates as a digital-first nutrition brand with a focus on plant-based protein and wellness products. The startup sells primarily through its own website and online marketplaces. Cosmix has remained profitable since inception and reported revenue of around Rs 50 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 24 crore in FY24. According to the company, it has scaled to an ARR of Rs 100 crore. Marico has been actively acquiring and scaling D2C brands over the past few years. In 2017, it acquired men’s grooming brand Beardo. As per TheKredible, Beardo’s revenue crossed Rs 200 crore in FY25, while its profit increased 3.6 times on a year-on-year basis. Apart from Beardo, Marico’s D2C portfolio includes brands such as Plix, True Elements, and Just Herbs. The development follows a similar move in the FMCG sector, where Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) acquired homegrown skincare brand Minimalist last year at a pre-money valuation of Rs 2,955 crore.

Footwear startup RARA Barefoot raises $500K in seed round

EntrackrEntrackr · 5m ago
Footwear startup RARA Barefoot raises $500K in seed round
Medial

Footwear startup RARA Barefoot has raised $500K in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round and announced the launch of its debut sneaker line. The round is led by founders and senior operators from Zomato, Urban Company, Tata 1mg, Shyft, and HexaHealth, along with Managing Directors and Partners from ChrysCapital and BCG. The proceeds will be used to support its national D2C rollout, the establishment of select offline retail partnerships, and local manufacturing scale-up as the brand prepares to bring barefoot sneakers to Indian consumers, RARA Barefoot said in a press release. Co-founded in 2024 by Varun Mimani and Manas Tripathi, RARA Barefoot is a performance footwear company pioneering barefoot sneakers. By combining evolutionary design with modern aesthetics, RARA aims to create footwear that lets the body move naturally the way nature intended. RARA launches as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, with its first collection available online at its website. The company plans to expand through select multi-brand stores and experience-driven offline pop-ups in major cities in 2026. According to RARA Barefoot, each sneaker offers three designs such as a flat sole with zero heel-toe drop, a wide toe box for natural toe spread, and a flexible sole that bends with the foot’s 33 joints. All sneakers are manufactured in India, combining global barefoot design with locally sourced, high-performance materials. As per market research, the India sneaker market is expected to reach $4,665.9 million by 2030, with a CAGR of 5.7%.

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.