D2C footwear startup BUILT has raised $2 Mn (about ₹17 Cr) in a pre-seed funding round from Singapore-based Tanglin Venture Partners, with participation from Lifelong Group founder Bharat Kalia.
Launched earlier this year by Vedant Lamba and Vijayant Dhaka, BUILT is targeting what it calls India's "natural movement" footwear category — shoes designed with wider toe boxes, minimal heel drop, and greater flexibility to let the foot move more naturally.
The company argues most mainstream sneakers prioritise cushioning and aesthetics over foot health, and it aims to bring barefoot-inspired design to fitness consumers who have never considered the category before. It currently sells two silhouettes — a natural movement training shoe and a court shoe for sports including pickleball, tennis, badminton, and squash — through its own website, with no plans to list on marketplaces in the near term.
The round matters because it signals investor appetite for technical differentiation in a D2C market that has largely competed on branding and distribution. BUILT claims to have invested in proprietary moulds rather than relying on standard factory tooling — a higher upfront cost that gives it control over performance and durability.
For Gulf-based investors and retail partners watching India's premium consumer segment, the bet is whether a functional, foot-health-first position can pull a category that remains niche globally into the Indian mainstream.
"We don't want to become the number one preference of barefoot enthusiasts, we want to become the number one preference of fitness enthusiasts," Lamba said.
The startup will use the fresh capital for R&D, custom tooling, product design, manufacturing, and inventory as it scales production. It has launched nine footwear SKUs and plans to roll out roughly 20 apparel and accessories SKUs as part of an activewear portfolio. BUILT is also evaluating an experience store in Mumbai and pop-ups across metros before expanding to Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. International markets are on the longer-term roadmap.
Lamba's previous venture, sneaker and streetwear reseller Mainstreet Marketplace, faced significant cashflow and customer trust issues and eventually shut its Delhi warehouse, as Inc42 reported last year.
Global barefoot-incumbents like Vivobarefoot, Xero Shoes, and Lems have built steady followings, and a handful of Indian startups — State of Joy, Rara Barefoot, Zen Barefoot — are now taking early positions. BUILT's outcome will test whether a D2C brand built on a functional product thesis, rather than a lifestyle aesthetic, can command mainstream pricing and repeat purchases in India.
