Shikhar Dhawan Invests in Leading Indian Yoga Brand - SARVA

This is the first-of-its-kind investment by a sportsperson into the brand that has earlier received funding from prominent names including Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez

SARVA, India’s fastest growing yoga based wellness ecosystem has raised funding from ace cricketer and entrepreneur Shikhar Dhawan. Being a sportsman and fitness enthusiast himself, Shikhar has been practicing yoga for a long time and it also aided his recuperation from a recent injury. His investment into the venture aligns with his belief that yoga can help achieve emotional, spiritual and physical fitness. He also believes that Yoga is India's gift to the world.

SARVA till date has raised over $8 million in funding from an illustrious list of global investors including David Giampaolo, noted entrepreneur in the global health and fitness sector; Mark Mastrov, an entrepreneur hailed as the ‘Steve jobs of Fitness’; Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Zumba, Fireside Ventures & Mantra Capital. Bollywood celebrities Malaika Arora, Aishwaryaa R Dhanush, Shahid and Mira Kapoor also back the venture. The brand aims to connect 7 billion breaths through yoga and mindfulness, showcasing it as a seamless part of various lifestyles, individuals, and professionals and how it has changed them.

Speaking about the investment, Sarvesh Shashi, Founder SARVA, and Co-founder DIVA Yoga, said, “We are very happy to have Shikhar Dhawan on board as an investor and partner. Sports and fitness go hand in hand and Shikhar aligned completely with SARVA’s philosophy of holistic health and well-being, which is a must for a fast-paced game like cricket. His involvement will help us rebrand yoga as authentic yet modern and inclusive yet transformative-- a positioning that yoga has never had in India”.

Shikhar Dhawan and Sarvesh Shashi

Speaking about this, Shikhar Dhawan, said, “SARVA is doing great work towards empowering people with tools to lead better lives and I am thrilled to join their mission of connecting seven billion breaths. My personal journey with fitness and wellness began when I entered the world of cricket. I have first-hand benefited from yoga, be it while recovering from an injury, getting back into shape, building stamina or staying focused before a game. 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.”

SARVA and its women-centric brand DIVA Yoga have grown aggressively since its inception in 2016 and now have an integrated offline and online offering. The newly launched SARVA Yoga App is currently divided into 2 categories: Body, that hosts video on demand, LIVE and an interactive offering which is currently under progress; Mind - a collection of authentic Indian stories for Sleep, Meditation and Mindfulness. The 3rd category to be launched soon is called Nourish, which will host healthy recipes, skin-care tips and more.

“Today Yoga has become ubiquitous in the world of sports with many players having discovered the benefits of this practice in combination with their regular workouts. We at SARVA have been working closely with many athletes including those from the fields of cricket, badminton, Golf, boxing, swimming and tennis over the last few years”, added Sarvesh Shashi.

One of the finest players in the Indian cricket team and a trendsetter, Shikhar Dhawan’s yoga routine starts with a Surya Namaskar, followed by Sarvangasana and Halasana to activate his back and core and ends his practice with pranayama. This regime opens up his body and relaxes him mentally as well. It also lets him balance out other aspects of life including his recent stint as an entrepreneur – something that requires a lot of focus.

SARVA and DIVA Yoga have a global digital reach of over 200 million. The brands have set out to help people across different countries connect with this holistic practice and achieve the associated benefits. For more information or to join the live classes, people can log on to live.sarva.com or Download the Sarva app on Appstore and iOS. You can also access live yoga sessions at @thedivayoga.

Bollywood Actor Shahid Kapoor, his Wife Invest in Yoga Startup SARVA

Bollywood actor and fitness icon Shahid Kapoor, and his wife, Mira Rajput Kapoor, have joined the league of celebrities who have backed the Yoga welness startup, SARVA, which in last month had raised $6 Mn from Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez and her husband and sports star Alex Rodriguez among others.

Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput Kapoor join SARVA's list of celebrities who have invested in the startup which aims to combat global epidemics like stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity. As its investors, SRAVA counts celebrities 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, Shahid Kapoor’s personal fitness regimen has long been an inspiration to many while Mira Rajput Kapoor 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 resonated with SARVA’s vision of building a global community of physically, mentally and emotionally fit individuals, resulting in this investment. The power couple’s backing of SARVA comes at a time when the global wellness market is pegged at $4.2 trillion, the fitness, mind, and body segment accounts for $595 billion, and the global yoga market constitutes $80 billion, thus opening limitless possibilities for SARVA to 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-art brick and mortar studios by 2022. The brand’s recent announcement of a strategic partnership with OYO Townhouses is a step in this direction.

SARVA is also betting big on its soon to be launched bouquet of digital offerings in the mindfulness music, guided meditation, and interactive fitness space. With this illustrious list of people having a collective reach of over 350 million digital followers globally in 177 countries, SARVA aims to build a community of over 100 million on its digital platform by 2022.

In the most promising advent it partnered with OYO Hotels & Homes, the world's 6th largest chain of hotels, homes, and living spaces, to set-up 500 wellness studios across select OYO Townhouses in India. Through the partnership with Oyo, Sarva will set up wellness studios at select OYO Townhouses. The state of the art studios will become wellness destination for entire neighbourhood and locality. Sarva along with its partnership with OYO aims to make holistic experience at townhouse affordable and easy.

Source - GlamSham

Mumbai-based Yoga Startup SARVA Raises $6 Mn from Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Others

Mumbai-based yoga and wellness startup, SARVA has raised a $6-million seed funding round from celebrities from fitness and music industry including superstar Jennifer Lopez and her fiance, baseball legend Alex Rodriguez, marking the duo's very first investment in an Indian venture.

SARVA, which has some 55,000 members across 70 yoga studios in 35 cities, offer a varied range of engaging and customized yoga services drawn from the best of ancient and modern techniques.

The startup has so far raised a total of $8 million in two rounds including this one. SARVA also counts Bollywood entertainer Malaika Arora and India's largest chain of health clubs, Talwalkars, as its investors.



The Yoga Startup, which has also roped in a stellar supporting cast of US corporate executives as backers, plans to raise $15-20 million in institutional funding over the course of the current calendar year.

Lopez, who is widely perceived as one of the world's top ranking entertainers across movie and music industries, and Rodriguez, commonly acknowledged to be one of the greatest short stops ever to step onto a baseball diamond, were introduced to SARVA by Mark Mastrov, who is Rodriguez's partner in other ventures.

Rodriguez primarily invests through his firm A-Rod Corp, which he founded in 2003 to invest across a broad array of industries, including real estate, sports and wellness, media, entertainment and social responsibility.

SARVA has also raised money from Bill Roedy, former chairman and chief executive of MTV Networks International, Mark Mastrov, founder of 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide, David Giampaolo, CEO of Pi Capital, and Zumba Fitness, the largest branded fitness programme in the world.

Founded by Sarvesh Shashi, 27, a former aspiring cricketer, SARVA has developed 25 unique and comprehensive forms of Yoga, which it teach to its students in its diligently designed studios to maximise the effectiveness of Yoga routine.

The startup, which counts Google, Yahoo, Amazon and Tata as its clients, has also curated a set of 12 workshops for corporates, each of either 45 minutes or a 75 minutes duration, that deals with day-to-day challenges of an employee.

In addition to corporate employees, SARVA also has easy-to-practice 15-20-minute workstation modules -- Desktop yoga, Chair Yoga, Partner Yoga, Dance Yoga, Brain Engagement Yoga and so on, that do not require the employee from moving away from their workstation.

Via ~ Economic Times