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“Taking India to the world”: Virat Kohli on reimagining one8 as a high-performance brand built on identity and purpose
With the deal, one8 shifts focus to high-performance footwear and training-led innovation as Agilitas expands its manufacturing and R&D capabilities, aiming to create a global sports powerhouse from India.
The collaboration between Virat and Abhishek grew organically over the years, driven by mutual respect, shared discipline, and a deep-rooted connection to sport. What began as informal conversations around building something original soon evolved into the creation of one8.
Agilitas Sports, the vertically integrated manufacturing-to-retail sports platform founded by Abhishek Ganguly, is acquiring one8, the sportswear brand co-created by Virat Kohli. As part of the agreement, Kohli will sell one8 to Agilitas and also invest Rs 40 crore in the company. The complete deal will make Virat a minority shareholder in Agilitas. It reinforces a long-standing personal and professional partnership and sets sights on building India’s first global high-performance sports brand.
Agilitas operates across manufacturing, R&D, brand-building, and retail distribution. In 2023, the company acquired Mochiko Shoes, India’s largest sports footwear manufacturer, significantly strengthening its domestic and export capabilities.
The collaboration between Virat and Abhishek grew organically over the years, driven by mutual respect, shared discipline, and a deep-rooted connection to sport. What began as informal conversations around building something original soon evolved into the creation of one8.
Virat Kohli’s decision to bring one8 home to Agilitas is rooted in strategic alignment and long-term brand vision. While Kohli had the option to invest only in one8, he chose to instead become a shareholder in Agilitas, the holding group company, after witnessing its vertically integrated capabilities across manufacturing, design, R&D and nationwide distribution.
Virat Kohli, Co-founder & Investor, one8, said, “My relationship with Abhishek grew very naturally, it was never forced. One day, while casually talking about my desire to build something of my own, he simply said, ‘Let’s go for it,’ and that’s how one8 began. Sport has shaped my entire life. Movement, comfort, and performance define everything for me, and that philosophy naturally translated into the brand. I always wanted a sports-first approach to style - where functionality, comfort and identity come together.
What inspired me to bring one8 to Agilitas was the depth of its manufacturing, the strength of the people, the structure they’ve built, and Abhishek’s expertise. I am deeply involved in the creative process of everything that comes out. Nothing excites me more than building something that represents quiet confidence, gives me my Indian identity, and takes it from India to the world.”
With this new phase, one8 will focus on high-performance footwear, training apparel and sports-led lifestyle products, rooted in functionality, innovation and athlete-first design.
Kohli’s agreement to sell One8, earlier a part of Puma, to Agilitas comes months after his seven-year-long contract with Puma ended. As the managing director of Puma India, Ganguly had played a key role in roping in Kohli as the company's brand ambassador of the German company back then. The Rs 110-crore contract, which began around 2017 was reportedly in place for eight years, until 2025.
Abhishek Ganguly, Founder, Agilitas Sports, said, “I first met Virat on the day he scored a double hundred in Mumbai and still went straight into training after a full day in the heat, that moment stayed with me. It defined his mindset. Our relationship has always been honest, open, and driven by a shared belief in pushing beyond limits.
The one8 mindset is about taking risks, trying the unknown and never settling. Agilitas is truly represented in one8, and Virat truly represents that mindset. Together, we are building a high-performance brand from India, rooted in sports functionality, best-in-class quality and a very clear reason to exist - with the ambition to be globally meaningful over the next decade.”
Backed by Convergent Finance and Nexus Venture Partners, Agilitas is building a next-generation sports ecosystem out of India.
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