Venturi Partners invests $25 million in Indian footwear brand JQR

Venturi Partners, a consumer fund in India and Southeast Asia, has invested $25 million in JQR (Just Quick Run), a rapidly emerging brand in the affordable footwear segment.

This marks the first venture capital funding for JQR, with Venturi acquiring an undisclosed minority stake. 

Expanding offline presence

Founded in 2014, JQR operates in India's $12 billion mid and economy-priced footwear segment. The company claims to have vertically integrated manufacturing, in-house design capabilities and strong offline distribution. 

This funding will allow JQR to further expand its offline presence to new markets as well as launch its online channel, and further enhance its product offerings to meet India's rising demand for affordable, high-quality sneakers, the release notes.

Leadership comments

The promoter brothers of JQR, Rinku, Sunil and Manish Garg, said, "The partnership with Venturi Partners marks an exciting milestone in JQR’s journey. The investment will not only allow us to accelerate our growth and deliver value to our consumers, but, with their support and expertise, we are also confident that JQR will emerge as the leading brand in its category and deliver strong value to all stakeholders."

Rishika Chandan, Managing Director of Venturi Partners, said, "We are very excited to partner with JQR. The footwear industry is seeing strong support from government policies, and we believe there is a significant gap in the price segment that JQR operates in. India’s consumer market continues to have a dearth of high-quality, affordable brands, and our mission at Venturi is to identify and scale such businesses across categories. JQR has impressed us with its product quality, design aesthetic, in-house manufacturing, and well-established distribution network. We look forward to working closely with the founders to accelerate their growth trajectory."

This investment is part of Venturi Partners’ broader strategy to empower audacious brands across sectors such as retail, education, healthcare, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), amongst others.

Venturi’s existing portfolio includes Livspace, Country Delight, Believe, Pickup Coffee, DALI, and K-12 Techno.