Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has teamed up with Karthik Gurumurthy, former head of Swiggy Instamart, to launch a sports athleisure brand. Karan Arora, another former Swiggy executive, will be the third co-founder of the business, the Economic Times has said.
The venture, backed by early-stage venture fund Whiteboard Capital, will operate under the holding company SRT10 Athleisure Pvt Ltd, where both Tendulkar and Whiteboard Capital are board members.
The startup is advancing in securing additional funding from a leading venture capital firm. Unlike typical endorsement deals, Tendulkar's involvement signifies a direct role in shaping the brand, which aims to compete with major names like Nike while offering more affordable products through local manufacturing.
The brand is expected to launch products for sports such as cricket and badminton.
In addition to this venture, Tendulkar is also collaborating with Arvind Fashions on the menswear brand True Blue, which aims for global expansion.
The former Indian captain continues to endorse brands such as Spinny, Boost, and BMW.
The move underscores a growing trend among celebrities to enter the entrepreneurial space, joining the ranks of other notable figures like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt in launching their own businesses.
Tendulkar is not new to the startup space. As reported by Moneycontrol on August 12, his investment in FirstCry rose to Rs 13.82 crore following the listing, up from the initial investment of Rs9.99 crore.
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