Mumbai : Bollywood actor and fitness icon Shahid Kapoor, and his wellness enthusiast wife, Mira Kapoor, are the latest megawatt names to invest in SARVA, the Indian yoga and wellness startup that’s making headlines for its hallowed list of backers. Shahid and Mira join Jennifer Lopezand Alex Rodriguez to make yoga-based wellness a part of the modern lifestyle, to combat global epidemics like stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity. The illustrious list of global investorsboasts of names like Malaika Arora, Zumba®,David Giampaolo (Chairman of the company and Chief Executive Pi Capital), Mark Mastrov (Founder, 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide, Inc.), Bill Roedy(Former Chairman & CEO, MTV Networks Int’l), amongst others.
One of the fittest celebrities in the world, Shahid’s personal fitness regimen has long been an inspiration to many while Mira is a proponent of mindful living and organic practices. Being passionate believers of holistic living, the couple’s personal philosophy of leading a healthy lifestyle resonatedwith SARVA’s vision of building a global community of physically, mentally and emotionally fitindividuals, resulting in this investment. The power couple’s backing of SARVA comes at a time when theglobal wellness market is pegged at $4.2 trillion, the fitness, mind, and body segment accounts for $595billion, and the global yoga market constitutes $80 billion, thus opening limitless possibilities for SARVAto organize the yoga and mindfulness space, both in India and the rest of the world.
The brainchild of yogi turned entrepreneur, Sarvesh Shashi, SARVA aims to have 500 state-of-the-artbrick and mortar studios by 2022. The brand’s recent announcement of a strategic partnership with OYOTownhouses is a step in this direction. The promising yoga and wellness startupis also betting big on itssoon to be launched bouquet of digital offerings in the mindfulness music, guided meditation, andinteractive fitness space. With this illustrious list of people having a collective reach of over 350 milliondigital followers globally in 177 countries,SARVA aims to build a community of over 100 million on its digital platform by 2022.
Talking about his investment in SARVA, Shahid Kapoor said, “My personal journey with fitness andwellness began over 2 decades ago when I was a fresh-faced teenager. Over the years, I’ve witnessed thebenefits of fitness and holistic living first-hand so when I met Sarvesh, we could instantly connect tohis vision for SARVA. Today, stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity are real challengesthat so many individuals are grappling with. Through SARVA, Mira and I want to actively work towardsimproving the quality of life of people who need an intervention.”
Talking about her foray into the world of investment, the beautiful and charming Mira Kapoor said, “I have always believed in conscious living through food, lifestyle and wellness. Whether it’s being mindful about what one eats, the kind of exercise the body needs through the different phases in one’s life, or the thoughts we manifest, the mind-body-soul connection is key.For the last few years, I’d been toying with the idea ofbacking ideas and ventures which I felt strongly passionate about. With Sarvesh, what started as acasual meet-up, orchestrated through a dear friend, quickly turned into a conversation of how we couldjointly spread the message of yoga-based wellness to everybody. Goes without saying, Sarvesh’s inherentpassion for this movement and commitment to making a difference was responsible for getting Shahidand me on-board. We believe SARVA will take yoga to the next level and this is our contribution to thedream of helping everybody lead a healthier life!”
Commenting on this crucial development, Sarvesh Shashi, CEO and Co-Founder, SARVA, said, “Wewelcome both Shahid and Mira to our extended SARVA family. A wellness ecosystem built on theauthentic foundations of Yoga, SARVA is uniquely placed to drive a cultural change in making yoga-basedwellness a part of modern lifestyle. At SARVA, each of us lives by the principle of ‘More life per breath’and we want to induct more individuals into our community of mindful and holistic wellness, especiallythe 600 million people in India living under the age group of 35. Shahid and Mira’s support is a testamentof their faith in our vision and this association will help us take SARVA to the next phase of growth.”
