[Funding alert] Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, wife Mira invest in Indian yoga startup SARVA

Following in the footsteps of Malaika Arora, Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Kapoor have joined the bandwagon of celebrity investors to back SARVA.

The yoga and wellness startup, which was founded by yogi-turned-entrepreneur Sarvesh Shashi in 2016, already boasts and illustrious list of global investors including Hollywood icon Jennifer Lopez, American baseball shortstop Alex Rodriguez, and branded fitness platform Zumba.

David Giampaolo, Chief Executive of Pi Capital; Mark Mastrov, Founder of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide; Bill Roedy, Former Chairman & CEO of MTV Networks are among the other marquee investors to have backed the Indian startup.

With the onboarding of Shahid and Mira Kapoor, though, SARVA and its combined star power will be looking to combat global epidemics like stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity.

“My personal journey with fitness and wellness began over two decades ago when I was a fresh-faced teenager,” said actor and fitness icon Shahid Kapoor, commenting on the latest investment. “Over the years, I’ve witnessed the benefits of fitness and holistic living first-hand so when I met Sarvesh, we could instantly connect to his vision for SARVA.

“Through SARVA, Mira and I want to actively work towards improving the quality of life of people who need an intervention,” he added.

The amount invested by the power couple in SARVA remains undisclosed.

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SARVA currently has multiple studios across Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. By 2022, the startup aims to expand its base to have 500 brick-and-mortar studios. The yoga brand is also betting big on its soon-to-be-launched bouquet of digital offerings in the mindfulness music, guided meditation, and interactive fitness space – a plan that aligns with Mira Kapoor’s idea of conscious living through food, lifestyle and wellness.

“For the last few years, I’d been toying with the idea of backing ideas and ventures which I felt strongly passionate about,” she said. "With Sarvesh, what started as a casual meet-up, orchestrated through a dear friend, quickly turned into a conversation of how we could jointly spread the message of yoga-based wellness to everybody. Goes without saying, Sarvesh’s inherent passion for this movement and commitment to making a difference was responsible for getting Shahid and me on-board.”

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