MUMBAI:
In a first-of-its-kind move, global pop icon Jennifer Lopez, American baseball legend Alex Rodriguez, Bollywood diva Malaika Arora, and Zumba®, the largest branded fitness program in the world, have come together to invest in an Indian yoga and wellness start-up, SARVA.
They join an illustrious list of global investors in a recently concluded Friends & family round to make SARVA one of the most promising endeavours in the world. The curated list of people who make up this stellar roster are personalities like David Giampaolo (Chairman of the company and Chief Executive Pi Capital), Mark Mastrov (Founder, 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide, Inc.), Bill Roedy (Former Chairman & CEO, MTV Networks Int’l), among many others.
SARVA was born as a brainchild of a yogi turned entrepreneur, Sarvesh Shashi, when he was just 23. SARVA’s mission is to build a global community of physically, mentally and emotionally fit individuals, achieved through yoga, mindfulness, movement and beyond, and to provide for the same through state-of-the-art brick and mortar studios, accessible and interactive technology, and lifestyle products. Started in March 2016, SARVA was built on the pillars of authenticity, accessibility and modernity, focusing on the 600 million people in India living under the age group of 35. SARVA wants to drive a cultural change in the society, making yoga-based wellness a part of the modern lifestyle, to combat global epidemics like stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity.
SARVA currently has 91 studios across India, clustering Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Its next cluster will include the other metros of the country. In a bid to create its international footprint, over the next few years, it will continue to evaluate market opportunities in USA, UK, and Middle East once it has penetrated the already existing very large Indian market.
In Q4 this calendar year, beyond brick and mortar studios, the company’s growth will be largely driven by way of their digital offerings in the mindfulness music, guided meditation, and interactive fitness space. By 2022, SARVA aims to have 500 brick and mortar studios across the country in about 15 cities and simultaneously build a global community of over 100 million on their digital platform.
SARVA’s inception comes at a time when the global wellness market is pegged at $4.2 trillion, the fitness, mind, and body segment accounts for $595 billion, and the global yoga market constitutes $80 billion, thus opening limitless possibilities for the brand by displaying authenticity to organise the yoga and mindfulness space, both in India and rest of the world.
Commenting on her investment in SARVA, Jennifer Lopez, singer, dancer, actor, and global icon shared, “I have personally benefited from my regular practice of yoga and believe that it has made a difference to my life both physically and mindfully. The enthusiasm that Sarvesh brings to SARVA is promising and infectious. I believe in the vision of SARVA and view it as a great common ground for a brilliant investment opportunity along with co-creating and serving a global community.”
Bollywood diva Malaika Arora said “I have for long been zealously practicing yoga and experienced the dynamics of its inner energy and mental equipoise. Six months ago, SARVA and I partnered to start Diva Yoga, a unique studio concept for women only and we are overwhelmed with the way it has evolved. I am happy to look beyond and invest in SARVA, becoming a part of the overall company that comes with a vision of connecting seven billion breaths globally, using finesse and a hi-tech approach. In particular I look forward to working more closely with Sarvesh Shashi, the charismatic founder of SARVA whose ability to curate content and present it with special inspiration urges me to be more closely associated with this project. Besides its bright financial prospects, SARVA will quite
significantly change the lives of those drawn to it.”
Alberto Perlman, CEO, Zumba® Fitness LLC said, “Zumba has, through dance and music, reached millions of people all over the world. It has made dance into a movement while people enjoy themselves with an activity that helps in physical and mental wellness. We invested in SARVA because we believe that yoga and mindfulness can offer similar benefits to people. We also believe that India, being the birthplace of yoga, is the logical place from which a global yoga powerhouse could emerge. Most importantly we believe in Sarvesh and his ability to create just such a company.”.
Baseball legend, Shark Tanker and well-known investor Alex Rodriguez shared, “I have made several investments in highly successful companies over the years. My investment in SARVA is for 3 basic factors- Yoga with its high level of global acceptance and demand, the increasing need for tools for people to combat stress, anxiety, depression etc and Sarvesh the founder who is charismatic and has a great sense of how to curate content to make it accessible to a wide range of people.”
Speaking on this development, Sarvesh Shashi, Founder & CEO of SARVA said, "We are really excited by the faith shown in us and our mission by some of the brightest and most successful people in the world. We welcome them all to the SARVA family. Stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, depression and obesity have become a global epidemic for people of all ages and we are trying to curate physical and digital offerings and services for different needs, ages and geographies to help people empower themselves with the tools to lead better lives”.
