Gully Labs on Shark Tank India – Luring Indian Sneakerheads With Desi Designs

The Indian footwear company Gully Labs, which made an appearance on Shark Tank India Season 5, skillfully blends sustainability with street culture. The brand focuses heavily on youth-focused design and only sells sneakers.

The fundamental tenet of Gully Labs is that shoes are an integral aspect of identity and self-expression, not merely fashion. Indian streets, local tales, and urban living provide as inspiration for the brand.The website states that Gully Labs aims to strike a balance between comfort, quality, and ethical fashion. For this reason, the brand is gradually becoming more well-known among specialized consumers.

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Gully Labs is a Delhi NCR-based firm that was established in August 2023 and offers sneakers with Indian designs. The shoe company currently has 50 SKUs and is supported by companies including Atrium Ventures, Saama Capital, and Zeropearl VC.

However, Gully Labs’ founder’s journey—for whom entrepreneurship was never part of the plan—is more fascinating. However, he went on to become a founder twice before to Gully Labs’ debut.

Website url – Gully Labs

By producing high-quality, sustainable shoes that are influenced by Indian street culture, Gully Labs aims to give young people a forum for genuine self-expression with footwear that meets international standards.

Gully Labs’ product philosophy is straightforward but effective: long-lasting comfort, high-quality materials, and simple design. The brand creates footwear that are ideal for informal get-togethers, the workplace, and college.

Functional features like breathable cloth, sole grip, and cushioning are also taken into consideration. Gully Labs prioritizes curated collections and limited drops over bulk manufacture. This preserves street reputation as well as brand exclusivity. This strategy distinguishes it from fast-fashion companies.

A key component of Gully Labs’ brand narrative is sustainability. The business supports ethical production methods, ethical sourcing, and environmentally favorable products. On its website and social media accounts, the company freely shares sustainability narratives.

The message of Gully Labs is very clear: fashion can be both fashionable and responsible. Customers who are conscious of their impact on the environment are drawn to this strategy. Here, sustainability is a component of the brand’s ethos rather than only a marketing term.

Gully Labs Founder – Gully Labs (Arjun Singh) and Animesh Mishra

Growing up in a middle-class home, Singh’s rules were very straightforward: education came first, followed by a steady career. Thus, he joined JP Morgan after finishing his engineering degree. Later on, he relocated to Sydney, Australia.

For the first few years, corporate life was all sunshine and rainbows, but by the sixth year, the thrill had subsided. However, he would find comfort in discussing their path, mentality, and goal with CEOs and founders of international startups. Their tales offered him the excitement he didn’t get from his corporate work.

“Starting a business began to feel more and more intellectually stimulating than anything corporate life could offer,” Singh remarked.

In order to join Antler’s founder-venture program, which assists entrepreneurs in finding cofounders, funding, and strategic direction, he ultimately announced his resignation in the middle of 2020.

He founded m8buy, a community buying platform, at Antler with two other members. He closed the business a year later since it was not gaining traction. He later launched Slow Dating, a voice-based dating service, but quickly came to the conclusion that it was not for him.

Singh chose to take a hiatus in 2023 before accepting a position with the US startup accelerator On Deck. To spend time with his folks, he made the decision to go back to India.

He had no idea that his life was about to take a drastic swing. Singh observed a rapidly developing sneaker culture in India that was comparable to that of Australia. As a sneakerhead, he quickly saw that although the Indian market for sneakers was expanding, the nation lacked new, creative designs.

He had an epiphany. He reasoned that “there is enough whitespace for building a ‘desi’ sneaker brand.” However, he never imagined that he would be the one to construct one.

Singh had an interview for a US visa around this time, but it was unintentionally postponed. Singh has three months to consider his idea before the next date.

He also happened to meet Animesh Mishra, a junior in college who was employed at Bain in the United States. Singh talked candidly about his concept and what he thought the Indian market lacked.

It turns out that Mishra shared his opinions about the Indian sneaker market and was a larger sneakerhead than he was. It was a perfect match. Mishra discovered his passion, while Singh found a cofounder.

In order to co-found Gully Labs with Singh in 2023, Mishra left his job in the US.

Gully Labs has a simple yet striking design language. Neutral hues, earthy tones, and delicate branding are characteristics of sneakers. Instead of using large branding, the brand concentrates on simple silhouettes and detailing.

The designs merge Indian street culture, skate culture, and international shoe trends. Young people who appreciate uniqueness and genuineness are drawn to Gully Labs. The brand has a powerful visual identity thanks to this design philosophy.

A crucial component of Gully Labs’ expansion plan is a web presence. On social media sites like Instagram, the brand posts community-driven content, product images, and narratives.

Gully Labs sells culture and lifestyle on social media rather than just goods. The brand’s emphasis on long-term vision and planned expansion is evident in its LinkedIn page.

Direct communication between brands and consumers is made possible by the direct-to-consumer (D2C) paradigm. This improves brand loyalty and fortifies the feedback loop.

Gully Labs’ target market consists of urban adolescents and sneakerheads. Its main customers are young professionals, college students, and the creative community.
The brand’s pricing strategy is appropriate for the premium-mass market, where design and quality are valued. In addition to shoes, Gully Labs aims to foster a sense of community. Consumers are more engaged when they feel included in the brand’s narrative. Long-term success is fueled by this emotional bond.

Although there is a lot of competition in the Indian footwear business, Gully Labs distinguishes out due to its own niche. Big corporations prioritize volume and pricing, but Gully Labs prioritizes authenticity and culture.

Instead of building buzz, this firm believes in gradual and sustainable growth. Gully Labs is attempting to close the gap in the Indian shoe market. Additionally, streetwear driven by young people is becoming more popular. One could argue that this timing is advantageous for the brand.

Sales

• FY 23-24 = Rs 20 Lakhs
• Fy 24-25 = Rs 2.9 Crores
• YTD = Rs 9 Crores
• Nov’25 = Rs 1.85 Crores

Original Ask from the founders – Rs 1 Crore for 0.5 % Equity

Valuation – Rs 200 Crores

• Shark Anupam gave an offer = Rs 1 Crore for 0.67% Equity
• Shark Aman’s offer – Rs 1.5 crores for 1% Equity
• Shark Kanika’s offer – Rs 1.5 crore for 1 % equity
• Shark Mohit’s offer – Rs 1 crore for 1 % equity
• Shark Kunal’s offer – 1 Crore for 0.67% Equity

After all the sharks made revised offeRs & a lot of discussion the foundeRs finally wanted to make a deal with Shark Aman = Rs 1 Crore for 0.57% equity , Valuation – Rs 175 Crores

On Shark Tank India Season 5, Gully Labs showcased a contemporary Indian firm that combines street culture, fashion, and sustainability. The brand’s goal is to expand the Indian sneaker movement rather than just sell shoes.

It is future-ready because to a digital-fiRst approach, a uniform design language, and clear principles. In the future, Gully Labs plans to increase its visibility through partneRships and new collections.

Its merits are relevant storytelling and simple Hindi communication. Gully Labs is a potential brand in the Indian footwear industry because of these qualities.