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 transaction, Kohli will join Agilitas as an investor and co-founder of one8. Separately, Kohli will also invest ₹40 crore in Agilitas Sports, becoming a minority shareholder.
Virat Kohli launched one8 as an internet-first lifestyle brand offering sportswear with Puma, apparel, accessories, innerwear and fragrances, and later expanded it into the restaurant chain one8 Commune, focused on communal dining.
Now, one8 will focus on high-performance footwear, training apparel and sports-led lifestyle products, rooted in functionality, innovation and athlete-first design.
Founded in 2023 by Abhishek Ganguly, Agilitas Sports operates across sports footwear, apparel and accessories and has been expanding through acquisitions. In 2023, the company acquired Mochiko Shoes, a sports footwear manufacturer, significantly strengthening its domestic and export capabilities.
The company also obtained long-term licensing rights for Italian sports brand Lotto in India, Australia and South Africa from WHP Global.
Agilitas Sports has so far raised over ₹600 crore to date from investors, including Spring Marketing Capital, SMLINE Ventures and Infinity Direct Holding.
It raised ₹100 crore from Nexus Venture Partners in December 2023 and secured ₹400 crore earlier that year from funds managed by Convergent Finance.
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,” he adds.
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.”
