India’s performance footwear market is seeing a new trend as startups focus on shoes that support natural foot movement. Instead of making heavily cushioned sneakers, these companies are designing footwear that allows the feet to move more freely and naturally. Two startups leading this space are RARA Barefoot and BUILT. Both have attracted investor interest and are working to make barefoot-style shoes more popular in India. At the same time, recent government policy changes are expected to help footwear companies develop new products faster.
RARA Barefoot to expand across India after raising fresh funding
RARA Barefoot, founded in 2024 by Varun Mimani and Manas Tripathi, has raised $500,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round. The startup received backing from founders and senior executives from companies such as Zomato, Urban Company, Tata 1mg, Shyft, and HexaHealth. The funding round also included Managing Directors and Partners from ChrysCapital and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), along with angel investors like Prashant Tandon, Co-founder and CEO of Tata 1mg, and Akshat Babbar, Managing Director at ChrysCapital.
The company will use the new funding to grow its direct-to-consumer (D2C) business, increase manufacturing in India, and partner with offline retail stores. By 2026, it plans to sell its products through multi-brand stores and open experience-based pop-up stores in major cities.
RARA Barefoot believes shoe design is more about engineering than fashion. The founders say the human foot is naturally built to move well, so their shoes are designed to support that movement instead of restricting it. They spent nearly two years developing the right balance of flexibility, grip, and durability before launching the brand.
All RARA Barefoot shoes are made in India. They follow three main design features: a flat sole with zero heel-to-toe drop, a wide toe box that gives the toes more space, and a flexible sole that bends naturally with the foot.
Co-founder Manas Tripathi said the startup first raised a small friends-and-family funding round to test its business idea before raising larger investments. The company received strong customer response after launch, with several shoe sizes selling out within the first two months. It also tests its shoes using pressure-distribution machines and collects customer feedback at events like the Goa Marathon to improve future products and designs.
According to Grand View Research, India’s sneaker market is expected to reach $4.67 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.7%.
BUILT enters the market with a unique launch campaign
Another Indian startup, BUILT, introduced itself with a marketing campaign that quickly grabbed attention.
In late June 2026, the company placed a giant human foot inside a steel cage on Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai, for three days. The display showed only the social media handle “@built”. The campaign was meant to show that modern shoes have trapped the natural movement of the human foot.
BUILT was founded by Vedant Lamba and Vijayant Dhaka. The startup is incubated by Bharat Kalia, founder of Lifelong. Its pre-seed funding round was led by Tanglin Venture Partners, with Bharat Kalia also investing in the company.
The company launched two shoe models. The Natural Movement Shoe (V1 Edition) follows the barefoot concept with a zero-drop sole, engineered mesh upper, pressure-mapped outsole, and heat-mapped traction for better grip and stability. Instead of traditional stitching, the shoes use bonded construction, making them lighter and reducing weak points.
BUILT also introduced a Court Shoe for sports that require quick side-to-side movement. Unlike the barefoot model, this shoe has a 7mm heel drop, EVA cushioning, lateral crash pads, and an external TPU cage to provide extra support and stability.
The company has said that it sees Nike as its long-term competition instead of focusing only on Indian D2C brands. It believes natural movement footwear can become a popular category in India’s growing sports shoe market.
New BIS rules could support footwear innovation
The Indian footwear industry has also received support through new changes in Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) rules.
Footwear manufacturers can now import up to 4,500 pairs of shoe samples every year for research, testing, and product development. These samples cannot be sold. They must carry a “Not for Sale” label and be disposed of after testing.
The change is expected to help Indian companies study global designs, test new materials, and build better products.
At the same time, BIS Standard IS 15844 (Part 2): 2023 continues to set quality standards for sports footwear. The rules classify shoes based on heel drop, from zero-drop to high-drop designs, and require strict testing for durability, flexibility, tear strength, and the strength of different shoe parts.
With companies like RARA Barefoot and BUILT attracting funding and gaining customer interest, India’s footwear industry is moving towards innovation and natural movement. As awareness about barefoot-style shoes grows, this category could become an important part of the country’s sports and lifestyle footwear market in the coming years.