Sahil Jain, a University of Manchester Business Studies graduate, and Arunima Singhal Jain, a NIFT Delhi graduate, co-founded Sneakinn in Gurugram in 2020 after Sahil's expensive sneakers and Arunima's premium bag were ruined by ordinary cleaners. Starting from a terrace room with YouTube tutorials, Sneakinn grew from ₹19.8 lakh in FY21 to ₹5.9 crore in FY24, restored 75,000-plus articles for 20,000-plus customers, and secured ₹90 lakh from Anupam Mittal on Shark Tank India Season 4 at a ₹13.85 crore valuation.
Manchester, NIFT Delhi, a Ruined Pair of Sneakers, a Damaged Bag, and a Terrace Room That Changed Everything
Sahil Jain returned to India after studying Business Studies at The University of Manchester, where he had built a collection of premium sneakers. Back in India, he discovered the situation was far worse than he had expected: there was no dedicated, specialised service for caring for luxury footwear. A trip to a local dry cleaner that resulted in his prized sneakers being damaged confirmed the gap was not just real but urgent.
Arunima faced the same problem from a different angle. Her premium bag could not be effectively cleaned or restored by any standard laundromat in the country. The gap that Sahil had identified from his sneaker experience was the same one she had personally encountered with her accessories.
Arunima brought a complementary skill set to the partnership. She had studied at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi and had built her early career as a designer for premium home furnishing brands including Address Home and Sarita Handa. Her background in aesthetics, materials, and craftsmanship gave Sneakinn its design-first approach to restoration.
The two had known each other since school, dated for years, and officially married in 2023, making Sneakinn one of India's most genuinely personal entrepreneurial stories.
"Wait, now you'll clean shoes?" many people told them when they launched in 2020.
They started in an empty room on the terrace of their Gurugram home. No fancy office. No professional equipment. They researched restoration techniques through YouTube videos, trained their staff, and learned the craft from the ground up. That hands-on beginning built the quality standards that would later power Sneakinn's reputation across India.
₹19.8 Lakh to ₹5.9 Crore in Four Years, 75,000 Articles Restored, 43% Gross Margin, and a Revenue Mix That Tells the Real Story
The boldest product and business decision Sneakinn made was to build a service model that treated premium sneakers, shoes, and luxury handbags with the same level of care that a jewellery craftsman would bring to a diamond ring.
The revenue growth confirms the strategy's power. Sneakinn went from ₹19.8 lakh in FY21 to ₹1.5 crore in FY22, to ₹3.8 crore in FY23, and to ₹5.9 crore in FY24, a genuine growth trajectory built entirely on product quality and repeat customer trust. The FY25 projection stands at ₹7.3 crore with a 15.5% EBITDA. The company maintains a gross margin of 43%, a strong metric for a service business.
The revenue stream breakdown reveals a business built on convenience and trust:
Cleaning: 40%
Repair: 20%
Coloring: 20%
Shipping: 7%
Product Sales: 4%
Retail: 3%
Of total sales, 80% comes from pickups, 15% from walk-in customers, and 5% from courier services, confirming that the doorstep pickup model is the dominant driver of growth.
Since inception, Sneakinn has restored more than 75,000 articles for 20,000-plus customers across India. The brand operates three retail stores across Delhi and Mumbai with a centralised workshop, and the Mumbai store is particularly significant: 50% of its revenue comes from walk-in customers, increasing the brand's visibility and credibility in India's most premium consumer market.
In March 2025, Sneakinn announced the opening of its first Gurugram store on Golf Course Road on March 9, expanding to a third city and bringing the brand's premium restoration service to its home market.
1.Terrace Room Launch (2020):Founded in Gurugram by Sahil Jain and Arunima Singhal Jain; perfected restoration techniques via hands-on R&D and YouTube research after experiencing ruined luxury items.
2.Rapid Revenue Scaling (FY21–FY24):Scaled revenues from ₹19.8 lakh in FY21 to ₹5.9 crore in FY24 by leveraging an 80% doorstep pickup model, centralised workshops, and pan-India courier logistics.
3.Shark Tank India Season 4 Appearance (January 2025):Appeared on Episode 12 (aired January 21, 2025) and closed a ₹90 lakh deal for 6.5% equity with Anupam Mittal at a ₹13.85 crore valuation.
4.Retail Footprint Expansion & Tech Integration (2025 Onward):Opened Golf Course Road store in Gurugram (March 2025), expanding toward new markets (Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Ludhiana) alongside tech-led real-time tracking and luxury B2B partnerships.
A Dramatic Negotiation, Namita's Warning, Anupam Wins, and a Technology-First Growth Plan
Sahil and Arunima appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4 Episode 12, which aired on January 21, 2025, seeking ₹90 lakh for 3% equity at a ₹30 crore valuation. The negotiation was one of the most dramatic of the season.
Namita Thapar intervened with a significant advisory: she warned the founders against accepting a royalty structure, calling it bad for their business. Vineeta Singh, who supported the royalty model, faced pushback from Anupam Mittal. Anupam offered to remove the royalty condition but only if Vineeta was no longer part of the deal. Ritesh Agarwal's offer was lost when he sensed the founders leaning toward Anupam. Anupam played hardball, stating he would withdraw unless they agreed to 6.5% equity.
The final deal closed at ₹90 lakh for 6.5% equity, valuing the company at ₹13.85 crore, with Anupam Mittal as investor. Total funding stands at $104,000.
Post-Shark Tank, Sahil outlined the growth plan precisely:
"A significant portion of the funding will be allocated to integrating technology to enhance customer experience with features like real-time tracking and automated processes while improving operational efficiency to scale our premium services," he says.
The brand is also growing B2B partnerships with luxury brands for after-sales care, actively working on a franchise model for national expansion, and targeting Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Ludhiana as the next key markets.
Scale and Real-World Impact
| Parameter | Profile Details |
| Co-Founders | Sahil Jain (University of Manchester) & Arunima Singhal Jain (NIFT Delhi; ex-Address Home, Sarita Handa) |
| Founding Year & Location | 2020 in Gurugram (Started in a terrace room; married in 2023) |
| Financial Growth | FY21: ₹19.8 lakh | FY22: ₹1.5 crore | FY23: ₹3.8 crore | FY24: ₹5.9 crore | FY25 (Proj.): ₹7.3 crore |
| Unit Economics | Gross Margin: 43% | Projected EBITDA Margin: 15.5% |
| Volume Metrics | 75,000+ luxury articles restored for 20,000+ customers across India |
| Sales Channel Mix | Doorstep Pickup: 80% | Walk-in Stores: 15% | Pan-India Courier: 5% |
| Revenue Stream Breakdown | Cleaning (40%), Repair (20%), Coloring (20%), Shipping (7%), Product Sales (4%), Retail (3%) |
| Retail & Operational Infrastructure | Stores in Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurugram (Golf Course Road opened March 9, 2025) + Centralised Workshop |
| Shark Tank Investment | ₹90 lakh for 6.5% equity from Anupam Mittal (Valuation: ₹13.85 crore; Aired Jan 21, 2025) |
| Team Size & Funding | 88 employees | Total funding: $104,000 |
| Competitors | Restoree, Kula Studio |
| Future Strategic Roadmap | Tech integration (real-time tracking), B2B luxury after-care, franchise expansion, subscription model (2027), Dubai & Singapore (2028) |
The Most Powerful Service Brands Are the Ones That Treat What Others Take for Granted With the Respect It Deserves
The sharpest lesson from Sneakinn's journey is this: the most defensible and most emotionally resonant service brands are the ones that treat a beloved possession with the same care that the owner does, in a category where everyone else is treating it as just another item to be processed.
Sahil Jain had expensive sneakers ruined. Arunima had a premium bag left uncared for. Together they built the brand that treats every premium item like a work of art in need of restoration rather than just a shoe in need of a wash.
From ₹19.8 lakh to ₹5.9 crore. From a terrace room to three stores and a fourth city. From YouTube tutorials to 75,000 articles restored. From a personal frustration to a ₹13.85 crore Shark Tank deal with Anupam Mittal.
The shoes are in better hands now.
Sources
Shark Tank India Club
Indian Retailer
Startup Pedia
Startup Article
Business Success Elites
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