Indian Sneaker Brand Comet Raises $10.5 Million to Expand Retail Network

Indian footwear brand Comet raised 10.5 million dollars in Series B funding led by global investment firm Verlinvest. The capital injection follows a ninefold revenue increase since the company’s prior round and will fund physical store rollout across India.

Existing backers Elevation Capital and Nexus Venture Partners joined the round. Angel investors including Urban Company chief executive Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Snap Inc. Global chief business officer Ajit Mohan, and VegNonVeg co-founder Anand Ahuja also participated.

Tooling and Product Development

Comet allocates the fresh capital toward retail expansion, technology infrastructure, and in-house research and development. The shoemaker designs proprietary sole moulds and tooling internally rather than relying on off-the-shelf white-label outsoles, a choice that drives higher upfront capital expenditure per silhouette.

“We want to continue pushing the boundaries of what an Indian footwear brand can build, which means investing deeply in sole technology, R&D and engineering,” co-founder Utkarsh Gupta said. The company spent twelve months engineering a women-specific model with bespoke sole tooling ahead of an upcoming market release.

Footwear startups across South Asia face steep unit economics when trying to compete directly with global sportswear incumbents. Developing custom moulds costs tens of thousands of dollars per silhouette before a single production run ships, leaving little margin for inventory errors if consumer uptake falters.

Retail Footprint and Expansion

Physical stores provide direct access to street-level shoppers who still demand tactile trial for sizing and cushioning. Direct-to-consumer digital channels in India grapple with high return rates and customer acquisition costs, forcing domestic lifestyle labels into brick-and-mortar storefronts to secure stable cash flow.

Landlords in top tier metros now allocate dedicated lifestyle wings to local challenger labels that pull younger foot traffic into shopping centres. Comet faces competition for prime high-street square footage against well-funded apparel and footwear peers rapidly securing leases in the same commercial corridors.

Fundraising Track Record

Founded in 2023, Comet previously raised 42.3 crore rupees in a Series A financing round led by Elevation Capital in 2024. The brand built its early presence around limited-run design drops and four core footwear models.

The company reaches 10 operational stores this month. Management targets a portfolio of eight distinct footwear models by late next year while expanding the retail fleet to 20 stores across India by the close of fiscal 2027.