Agilitas Sports, the vertically integrated manufacturing-to-retail sports platform founded by Abhishek Ganguly, is acquiring one8, the sportswear brand co-created by Virat Kohli. As part of the transaction, Virat joins Agilitas as an investor and co-founder of one8. The move reinforces a long-standing personal and professional partnership and sets sights on building India’s first global high-performance sports brand.
Agilitas operates across manufacturing, R&D, brand-building, and retail distribution. In 2023, the company acquired Mochiko Shoes, India’s largest sports footwear manufacturer, strengthening its domestic and export capabilities.
The collaboration between Virat and Abhishek grew organically over the years, driven by mutual respect, shared discipline, and a connection to sport. What began as informal conversations around building something original evolved into the creation of one8.
Virat Kohli’s decision to bring one8 to Agilitas is rooted in strategic alignment and long-term brand vision. While Virat could have invested only in one8, he chose to become a shareholder in Agilitas, the holding group company, after witnessing its vertically integrated capabilities across manufacturing, design, R&D, and nationwide distribution.
With this new phase, one8 will focus on high-performance footwear, training apparel, and sports-led lifestyle products, rooted in functionality, innovation, and athlete-first design.
At the core of the brand lies the one8 mindset, a belief that true potential is only unlocked by taking risks, stepping into the unknown, and challenging convention. Rooted in high performance, the mindset celebrates those who push past comfort zones—whether in sport, entrepreneurship, or life. Built on intent, discipline, and courage, one8 stands for doing justice to one’s potential, striving for excellence, and wearing one’s identity with pride.
Virat Kohli, Co-founder & Investor, one8, said, “My relationship with Abhishek grew very naturally, it was never forced. One day, while casually talking about my desire to build something of my own, he simply said, ‘Let’s go for it,’ and that’s how one8 began. Sport has shaped my entire life. Movement, comfort, and performance define everything for me, and that philosophy naturally translated into the brand. I always wanted a sports-first approach to style – where functionality, comfort and identity come together.
What inspired me to bring one8 to Agilitas was the depth of its manufacturing, the strength of the people, the structure they’ve built, and Abhishek’s expertise. I am deeply involved in the creative process of everything that comes out. Nothing excites me more than building something that represents quiet confidence, gives me my Indian identity, and takes it from India to the world.”
Abhishek Ganguly, Founder, Agilitas Sports, said, “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. Our relationship has always been honest, open, and driven by a shared belief in pushing beyond limits.
The one8 mindset is about taking risks, trying the unknown and never settling. Agilitas is truly represented in one8, and Virat truly represents that mindset. 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.”
