Virat Kohli has never been one to settle, and that obsessive refusal to accept "good enough" is exactly what's powering his latest business venture. As One8 transitions from a Puma-backed athleisure line into an independent, India-built global sportswear brand, Kohli's relentless mindset is shaping everything from product design to long-term strategy.
From Brand Ambassador to Co-Founder
One8's journey reflects a deliberate shift in how Kohli positions himself within the brand. Kohli's agreement to bring One8 — earlier a part of Puma — to Agilitas came months after his seven-year-long, Rs 110-crore contract with Puma ended in 2025. Rather than simply investing in the One8 label alone, Kohli chose to become a shareholder in Agilitas itself, the holding group company, after witnessing its vertically integrated capabilities across manufacturing, design, R&D, and nationwide distribution.
Agilitas founder Abhishek Ganguly, who previously led Puma India and originally signed Kohli as brand ambassador, described the partnership's foundation in striking terms. "I first met Virat on the day he scored a double hundred in Mumbai and still went straight into training after a full day in the heat, that moment stayed with me. It defined his mindset," Ganguly said, adding that "the one8 mindset is about taking risks, trying the unknown and never settling".
Seventeen Rejections Before Perfection
Nowhere is Kohli's "never done" approach more visible than in the development of his first signature cricket shoe. Kohli reportedly rejected 17 different versions of his own cricket shoe before finally approving one, taking direct creative control as co-founder of Agilitas Sports and shaping the design according to the demands of modern cricket and his own famously exacting standards.
The final product, fittingly named "18" after his jersey number, was engineered for the brutal realities of elite-level cricket. The shoe features a lightweight spike plate designed for rapid acceleration and aggressive traction, giving players stability whether sprinting for a second run or pivoting sharply in the outfield. The number 18 also carries personal significance beyond his jersey — it marked the IPL edition in which Kohli finally lifted the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Building India's First Global High-Performance Sports Brand
The stakes here go beyond a single product line. With this launch, Kohli is attempting to build India's first truly global high-performance sports brand, flipping the traditional script where Indian athletes simply endorsed international sportswear giants. Today, One8 spans sportswear, footwear, fragrances, fitness products, and hospitality through the One8 Commune restaurants, backed by Agilitas Sports under Ganguly's leadership, with Kohli aboard as an investor and co-founder for the footwear vertical.
The footwear lineup itself reflects that ambition. The collection includes two cricket-inspired franchises, Seam and Cover Drive, along with Boom Rush, a multi-activity training shoe designed for running and workouts. Demand has already proven strong — the one8 footwear pre-bookings on District by Zomato sold out within minutes of going live on June 6, 2026.
The Global Premiere: A New Chapter
Kohli marked the brand's next phase with a personal, high-profile announcement. "Come and see me debut as a Co-founder as I unveil one8 on 21st June at Yashobhoomi in Delhi," Kohli wrote, inviting fans to pre-book their One8 drop through the District app and collect it at the Global Premiere. He added in an accompanying video, "Building a high-performance brand takes a lot of passion, dedication and hard work. Our team and I have put in tremendous effort, and I hope all of you can feel the same connection and wear it with pride because we have worked really hard for it".
The event itself broke from the typical brand-launch format. The One8 Global Premiere combined a brand launch with a live entertainment event at Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, featuring Punjabi pop star Karan Aujla alongside Kohli, blending sport, fashion, music, and product innovation into a single experience. The premiere followed the conclusion of One8's long-standing association with PUMA, with the brand now repositioned as a homegrown global sportswear company under Agilitas.
Backing the venture financially is a notable startup ecosystem. Agilitas is backed by Convergent Finance and Nexus Venture Partners, building what the company describes as a next-generation sports ecosystem out of India. For readers interested in how India's startup and venture capital landscape is evolving around homegrown consumer brands, the Forbes India business desk offers ongoing coverage of these developments.
What Lies Ahead
Kohli's ambition for One8 extends well beyond footwear and apparel. Ganguly summed up the long-term vision plainly: "Together, we are building a high-performance brand from India, rooted in sports functionality, best-in-class quality and a very clear reason to exist — with the ambition to be globally meaningful over the next decade". With the brand's independent identity now formally unveiled and demand already outpacing supply at launch, the real test for One8 will be whether it can translate Kohli's perfectionist, "never settle" ethos into sustained global relevance over the years ahead.