Kohli bets big on Agilitas; invests Rs 40 crore in former Puma India MD’s sporting venture

Virat Kohli has invested Rs 40 crore in Agilitas Sports, a next-gen sporting goods company founded by former Puma India MD Abhishek Ganguly. The deal not only marks a significant business reunion but also repositions Kohli as a co-creator in a brand, rather than just a celebrity endorser.

Kohli’s investment is part of a larger funding round, with further capital infusions expected, Moneycontrol reported. The Bengaluru-based company has already raised Rs 600 crore in under two years from marquee investors like Nexus Venture Partners, Spring Capital, and former cricketer Yuvraj Singh.

The partnership is layered in history. As the man behind Puma India’s aggressive brand-building in the 2010s, Ganguly had onboarded Kohli in a headline-making Rs 110 crore endorsement deal in 2017, a contract that lasted eight years. Kohli was set to renew the deal in 2025 at an increased valuation of Rs 300 crore, but instead chose to exit and align with Agilitas, backing his former collaborator’s new venture with capital and conviction.

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Unlike previous brand roles, Kohli’s involvement in Agilitas goes deeper than image rights. He has been issued 3.6 lakh compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS), giving him equity upside and a real stake in the company’s future. According to media reports, he will also play an active role in brand positioning and product strategy, helping the company scale into a household name.

For Kohli, this adds to a diversified startup portfolio that includes investments in Digit Insurance, MPL, Blue Tribe, and his own brand Wrogn, positioning him as one of India’s most prolific athlete-entrepreneurs.

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