Jennifer Lopez, Malaika Arora Invest In Fitness Startup SARVA

Mumbai-based fitness startup SARVA has raised about $6 Mn – $8 Mn from a group of national and international celebrities such as global icon Jennifer Lopez, American baseball player Alex Rodriguez, Indian Bollywood actress Malaika Arora, and a fitness brand Zumba.

Other investors in the startup include Pi Capital’s chairman David Giampaola, founder of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Mask Mastrov, and MTV Networks CEO Bill Roedy.

“Stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, depression and obesity have become a global epidemic for people of all ages and we are trying to curate physical and digital offerings and services for different needs, ages and geographies to help people empower themselves with the tools to lead better lives,” said Sarvesh Shashi, founder & CEO of SARVA.

Fitness startup SARVA was founded by Shashi in 2016 at the age of 23. It envisions to build a global community of physically, mentally and emotionally fit individuals, through yoga, mindfulness, movement and beyond. SARVA provide access to yoga, mindfulness and wellness to the world through two approaches – physical and digital.

Physical approach includes the company’s state-of-the-art brick and mortar studios and lifestyle products. While, the accessible and interactive digital platform constitutes the digital approach.

With a special focus on 600 Mn Indians under 35 yrs of age, SARVA currently has 91 studios across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. However, the company has expansion plans to setup 500 brick and mortar studios across India in about 15 cities by 2022. SARVA will also invest in building a digital platform with a global community of over 100 Mn in the next three years.

Once it has penetrated the Indian market, SARVA plans to evaluate market opportunities in USA, UK, and Middle East.

The company predicts that its growth in Q4 of 2019 will be largely driven by their digital offerings in the mindfulness music, guided meditation, and interactive fitness space, beyond the traditional brick and mortar studio space.

Commenting on her investment, Bollywood actress Malaika Arora said,“After SARVA and my joint initiative to start women focused brand Diva Yoga, now I look forward to  becoming a part of the overall company that comes with a vision of connecting seven Bn breaths globally, using finesse and a hi-tech approach.”

Other Startup Backed By Bollywood Stars

Other startups which have received investments from Bollywood stars include Aamir Khan-backed furniture startup Furlenco, Alia Bhatt-backed fashion platform Stylecracker and Jacqueline Fernandez-backed packaged juice brand Raw Pressery.

Another celebrity backed fitness startup in India is Cure.fit. Hritik Roshan-backed startup had raised $120 Mn in its latest Series C funding round led by IDG Ventures, Accel Partners, and Kalaari Capital in July 2018.

The global wellness market is estimated to be at $4.2 Tn. While the global yoga market is worth $80 Bn. Some major players in the health, fitness and wellness space are startups such as Stratfit, Growfitter, Fitnapp, and HealthifyMe.