Yoga and wellness startup Sarva has raised funding from cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, the company said in a statement.
"His involvement will help us rebrand yoga as authentic yet modern and inclusive yet transformative -- a positioning that yoga has never had in India," said Sarvesh Shashi, founder of Sarva.
With the latest transaction, the company, operated by Zorba Renaissance Pvt. Ltd, will have raised $8 million (about $60 crore at current exchange rate) in funding so far.
However, the amount involved in the latest funding deal was not disclosed.
"For me yoga is a holistic workout that helps me achieve a perfect blend of physical fitness, mental strength, agility, and peace of mind. This is why when I met Sarvesh, I connected to his vision for Sarva instantly," said Dhawan.
The company earlier this year raised capital from US- and India-based venture capital firm Mantra Capital.
Sarva had raised Rs 20 crore ($2.8 million then) in its first institutional round of funding in December last year. The round was led by consumer-focused venture capital firm Fireside Ventures.
Prior to that, Sarva raised an undisclosed amount in funding from a clutch of investors including global pop artist Jennifer Lopez and Mark Mastrov, the founder of fitness firm 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Inc.
Sarva was founded in March 2016. The company’s offerings include guided meditation and interactive fitness.
At the time of Fireside’s investment, the company said it was aiming to have 100 million customers on its platform by 2022.
Sarva and its women-centric brand Diva Yoga have an integrated offline and online offering.
Sarva competes with the likes of Cure Fit Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, one of the most heavily-funded startups in the country. Cure Fit was started by Myntra co-founder Mukesh Bansal and former Flipkart executive Ankit Nagori in 2017.
Other startups in the segment include Squats Fitness Pvt. Ltd-operated Fittr, which earlier this week raised $2 million in its pre-Series A funding round from Surge, the accelerator programme operated by Sequoia Capital India. Squats Fitness has in the past also raised funding from Bollywood actor and producer Suniel Shetty.
