RARA Barefoot raises $500K in seed funding round

RARA Barefoot, a home-grown performance footwear startup has raised $500K in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round and announced the launch of its debut sneaker line. 

Founders and senior operators from Zomato, Urban Company, Tata 1mg, Shyft and HexaHealth, along with Managing Directors and Partners from ChrysCapital and BCG, also participated in this round.

The new funding will help RARA expand its D2C presence nationwide, form key offline retail partnerships, and scale local manufacturing as it launches barefoot sneakers for Indian consumers.

Read also: Consuma secures $1.3 Mn in seed round led by Equirus InnovateX Fund

“Our early backers have built unicorns and opened new categories,” said Varun Mimani, Co-founder, RARA Barefoot.

“Having that perspective at our table gives us the confidence to build RARA into a brand that redefines how India thinks about performance footwear,” added Manas Tripathi, Co-founder, RARA Barefoot.

Prashant Tandon, Co-founder & CEO of Tata 1mg said, “Varun and Manas bring together strong design thinking with operational excellence. Having worked with them closely at 1mg, I’m confident they have the mindset, skill, and drive to deeply understand customers and build a scalable organisation around that insight. Barefoot walking is an established global category, and they’ve infused smart design into functional performance at highly competitive price points. I wish them the very best as they unlock this market segment.”

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Akshat Babbar, Managing Director at ChrysCapital, added, “Barefoot won’t stay niche. It’s too logical once people experience it. Once you feel the difference, adoption is only a matter of time. The repeat intent and advocacy in early adopters tell you where this is headed. The space that RARA intends to create holds a lot of promise, and I have a ton of confidence in the folks steering this ship.”

About RARA Barefoot

Founded in 2024 by Varun Mimani and Manas Tripathi, RARA Barefoot is a performance footwear brand redefining sneakers through barefoot design. Blending evolutionary science with modern aesthetics, RARA creates shoes that let the body move as nature intended.

Launched as a D2C brand, RARA’s first collection is available exclusively on its website. The company plans to expand in 2026 through select multi-brand retail stores and immersive offline pop-ups across major cities.

RARA Barefoot says each sneaker features three core design elements — a flat sole with zero heel-toe drop, a wide toe box for natural toe movement, and a flexible sole that adapts to the foot’s 33 joints. Made entirely in India, the sneakers merge global barefoot design principles with locally sourced, high-performance materials.

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