RARA Barefoot, an Indian performance footwear startup, has raised $500K in a pre-seed funding round that was oversubscribed. The company also announced the launch of its first sneaker line.
The funding round included founders and senior leaders from Zomato, Urban Company, Tata 1mg, Shyft, and HexaHealth, as well as Managing Directors and Partners from ChrysCapital and BCG.
The new money will help RARA expand its direct-to-consumer (D2C) presence across India, form important offline retail partnerships, and scale local manufacturing for its barefoot sneakers.
“Our early backers have built unicorns and opened new categories,” said Varun Mimani, Co-founder, RARA Barefoot.
“Having that perspective at our table gives us the confidence to build RARA into a brand that redefines how India thinks about performance footwear,” added Manas Tripathi, Co-founder, RARA Barefoot.
Prashant Tandon, Co-founder & CEO of Tata 1mg said, “Varun and Manas bring together strong design thinking with operational excellence. Having worked with them closely at 1mg, I’m confident they have the mindset, skill, and drive to deeply understand customers and build a scalable organisation around that insight. Barefoot walking is an established global category, and they’ve infused smart design into functional performance at highly competitive price points. I wish them the very best as they unlock this market segment.”
Akshat Babbar, Managing Director at ChrysCapital, added, “Barefoot won’t stay niche. It’s too logical once people experience it. Once you feel the difference, adoption is only a matter of time. The repeat intent and advocacy in early adopters tell you where this is headed. The space that RARA intends to create holds a lot of promise, and I have a ton of confidence in the folks steering this ship.”
RARA Barefoot was founded in 2024 by Varun Mimani and Manas Tripathi. It is a performance footwear brand that is redefining sneakers using barefoot design.
By combining evolutionary science with modern aesthetics, RARA makes shoes that allow the body to move naturally, as intended by nature.
RARA launched as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand, with its first collection available only on its website. The company plans to expand in 2026 through select multi-brand retail stores and interactive offline pop-up stores in major cities.
RARA Barefoot says each sneaker has three main design features: a flat sole with zero heel-to-toe drop, a wide toe box for natural toe movement, and a flexible sole that moves with the foot’s 33 joints.
Made entirely in India, the sneakers combine global barefoot design principles with locally sourced, high-performance materials.
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