BUILT, a recently founded Indian direct-to-consumer footwear brand focused on natural movement shoes, has raised $2 million from Singapore’s Tanglin Venture Partners to fuel product development, manufacturing scale-up, and category growth.
- Raised $2M pre-seed round from Singapore VC Tanglin Venture Partners
- Focus on wider toe boxes, minimal heel drop, and flexible design
- Plans to expand product portfolio and explore retail experiences
What happened
BUILT, an Indian D2C footwear startup founded in early 2026, has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding from Singapore-based venture capital firm Tanglin Venture Partners. The capital will be used to develop proprietary shoe molds, enhance R&D, and scale up manufacturing capabilities with a focus on producing natural movement footwear that supports more natural foot motion through design features like wider toe boxes and flexible soles.
Currently offering two shoe types—their flagship natural movement shoe and a court shoe for sports such as tennis and badminton—BUILT has launched nine SKUs and plans to introduce activewear products soon. The company sources technical materials from China but manufactures its products domestically in India. Their D2C model relies on selling directly through their website, with upcoming plans for pop-up stores and an experiential store to deepen consumer engagement.
Why it matters
The natural movement footwear segment remains niche in India despite growing global interest fueled by health-conscious consumers seeking alternatives to traditional cushioned sneakers. BUILT’s emphasis on functional performance combined with premium design aims to attract mainstream fitness enthusiasts rather than just barefoot niche followers, which could broaden adoption of this category in India’s premium footwear market.
By investing in proprietary tooling instead of standard factory molds, BUILT is positioning itself for greater control over product quality and innovation, an uncommon strategy for early-stage footwear brands in India. This approach might help raise consumer expectations and industry standards around natural foot health in a market dominated by large athletic brands like Adidas and Nike.
What to watch next
BUILT’s immediate focus will be on expanding its footwear and activewear product lines while optimizing customer feedback to refine future iterations. The company is also testing physical retail via pop-up locations in Mumbai and intends to launch an experience store once inventory and SKU offerings grow, signaling potential shifts in India's D2C brand retail strategies.
Longer term, BUILT aims to scale beyond Indian metros into new cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad and eventually enter international markets. Monitoring how BUILT competes against both established global performance footwear giants and emerging Indian niche brands will provide insights into evolving consumer preferences and category growth in India’s competitive footwear industry.