Global footwear brands dominate Indian sneaker shelves, but a Bengaluru upstart is convincing investors otherwise. Comet has closed a Rs 100 crore (about $12M) Series B led by Verlinvest, with Elevation Capital and Nexus Venture Partners returning and angels such as Urban Company CEO Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Snap chief business officer Ajit Mohan and Bhaane founder Anand Ahuja taking part.
Comet designs every model in-house and manufactures in India, a point of pride for founders Utkarsh Gupta and Dishant Daryani, who started the brand in 2023. Each of the four current sneakers carries its own sole tooling developed through R&D, and the portfolio is set to double to eight models by the end of 2027, including a women’s silhouette a year in the making.
The retail story is the growth engine. Comet hits 10 stores in September and plans 20 by the close of FY27, betting its locations outperform the broader athleisure category. Online, more than 500,000 Instagram followers feed a limited-drop strategy that has sold out collections in minutes.
The round follows a Rs 42.3 crore Series A led by Elevation in 2024. Verlinvest’s Amit Aggarwal says his firm backs founders at the inflection point of scale, adding that Comet proved a homegrown label can take on global players with sharp product fundamentals and community pull.
