Brands
Chupps brings Ajinkya Rahane on board as investor, advisor
KKR captain joins pre Series B round to drive product innovation, growth.
MUMBAI: From the crease to comfort Ajinkya Rahane is now putting his weight behind a different kind of footwork. Chupps has brought Rahane on board as an equity investor and strategic advisor as part of its pre-Series B fundraise, marking a shift from celebrity endorsement to product-led belief. The investment amount remains undisclosed, but existing investors have also participated, signalling continued confidence in the brand’s trajectory.
Founded in 2020 by Yashesh Mukhi, Chupps has built its playbook around rethinking everyday open footwear with a design-first, comfort-driven approach. That strategy appears to be paying off, with strong repeat purchases and retention helping the brand carve out space in an increasingly crowded D2C market. The next phase, however, is about scale across product, distribution and brand recall.
Rahane’s entry is less a marketing move and more a case of user-turned-investor. Having discovered the brand through personal use, his association has evolved into a deeper role that goes beyond capital. He is expected to actively contribute to product development, particularly in the emerging recovery and post-performance category, an area where athlete insight could prove commercially valuable.
The collaboration will also feed into advancements in Chupps’ ERGO-Charge technology, alongside a new recovery-focused product currently in the works. The broader ambition is to position the brand not just as casual wear, but as part of a wider conversation around comfort, recovery and everyday performance.
Chupps is no stranger to the cricket ecosystem, having previously partnered with IPL teams such as Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. Rahane’s involvement, however, tightens that link moving from sideline visibility to athlete adoption.
As it scales, the brand is doubling down on omnichannel expansion, with presence across its D2C platform, marketplaces like Myntra and Amazon, and a growing offline footprint in key urban markets. It is also building early traction in the UAE, signalling international ambitions.
For Chupps, this isn’t just a funding milestone, it’s a step towards building a category that sits somewhere between lifestyle and performance, where comfort is no longer an afterthought but the main event.
Brands
AI becomes key tool for Indian travellers, Agoda report finds
68 per cent plan to use AI for trips as 33 per cent already rely on it.
MUMBAI: Holiday planning is getting a software upgrade less “Where should we go?” and more “What does the algorithm say?” Indian travellers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to map their journeys, with new data from Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook Report suggesting that AI is fast becoming central to how trips are imagined, planned and booked.
While 33 per cent of respondents said they already use AI tools for travel planning, a far larger 68 per cent indicated they are likely to rely on it for their next trip pointing to a sharp acceleration in adoption in a market already comfortable with digital-first travel.
What travellers want from AI, however, goes well beyond basic search. The report shows 38 per cent are looking for recommendations on local attractions and activities, while 37 per cent expect personalised itineraries. Destination discovery remains a key use case at 29 per cent, with dining suggestions (23 per cent) and budget management (22 per cent) also emerging as practical applications.
The shift reflects a broader change in expectations AI is no longer a novelty but a planning companion expected to work across every stage of the journey, from inspiration to execution.
Trust levels appear to be keeping pace. Nearly 88 per cent of respondents said they either trust or feel neutral about AI-generated recommendations, including 53 per cent who expressed clear confidence. This builds on earlier trends, with Agoda’s 2025 survey showing nine in ten Indian travellers already using apps to book travel suggesting AI adoption is more evolution than disruption.
The company has been testing this appetite through initiatives such as its 2025 AI-powered Vacation Planner campaign, which generated customised itineraries and visuals based on user inputs, delivered with a layer of celebrity-led engagement.
For platforms like Agoda, which aggregates more than 6 million properties, over 130,000 flight routes and 300,000 travel activities, AI offers a way to navigate scale without overwhelming users turning abundance into relevance.
As AI continues to embed itself into everyday decision-making, India is emerging as a market where travel planning is not just going digital, but decisively intelligent.
