'India Needs to Play Sports, Not Just Watch it'

Cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar and Karthik Gurumurthy, co-founders of athleisure brand Ten x You, on venturing into the segment and the thought behind the products

- By KUNAL PURANDARE

Sachin Tendulkar is a man of precision.

The evening before the launch of Ten x You, an athleisure brand that he has co-founded with Karthik Gurumurthy and Karan Arora, the cricketing legend walked into the experiential makeshift nets at the venue in Mumbai and, at one glance, pointed out that those were not 22 yards. The team got a measuring tape and found that it was indeed short by six inches.

Gurumurthy, who previously built both Swiggy Instamart and Swiggy Mall, got a glimpse of how meticulous the former India captain is with details while developing products for the brand over the past year and a half. The Bharat Ratna brought in all his experience, and using the feedback from coaches and experts, suggested changes he felt would be beneficial to people using the gear to play sport.

Over a decade after his retirement from international cricket, Tendulkar continues to bat for Indian sports. He wants the country to be a sports-playing nation instead of a sports-loving one. Ten x You is a step in that direction. The Bengaluru-headquartered company is backed by Peak XV and Whiteboard Capital. The brand has launched a range of products—shoes, apparel and accessories—with the aim of providing premium quality sports and athleisure wear to players.

In a conversation with Forbes India on the sidelines of the launch on October 10, Tendulkar, who is the chief inspiration officer, and Gurumurthy, the CEO, speak about the philosophy of the brand, their vision, and plans to scale up. Edited excerpts:

Q What is the reason behind launching Ten x You and getting into the athleisure segment?