Indian footwear startup Nuvah has raised ₹4 crore in a pre-seed angel funding round from investors including Amit Jain, Shantanu Deshpande and Ishendra Agarwal, among others.
Founded in October 2025 by Avni Jain, Nuvah is building a technology-led footwear brand focused on comfort-engineered heels designed specifically for Indian women. The company plans to use the fresh capital for research and development, further development of its proprietary comfort technology, and go-to-market experimentation.
Engineering Comfort Into Heels
Nuvah was founded around the premise that women should not have to choose between the aesthetics of heels and everyday comfort. The company is developing footwear based on how women move and use heels across different environments and working conditions.
At the centre of its product development is SteadyForm, Nuvah’s proprietary footbed technology designed to respond to changing pressure across the foot.
According to the company, SteadyForm was developed through 24 footbed prototypes and more than 900 hours of real-world wear testing. The development process considered differences in body profiles and everyday usage conditions as part of the product engineering process.
The company is initially targeting modern working women in India’s major urban centres, with its products available through its direct-to-consumer platform across India. Its footwear starts at approximately ₹4,000.
Founder Brings Experience Across VC and Finance
Before founding Nuvah, Avni Jain worked across venture capital, McKinsey & Company and Goldman Sachs. She is also an alumna of IIM Ahmedabad.
Commenting on the fundraise, Jain said the company was founded to challenge the perception that discomfort is an inherent part of wearing heels. She added that Nuvah’s focus is on engineering footwear around the way Indian women move, work and live, while using the funding to strengthen product innovation and its proprietary technology.
Premium Women’s Footwear Market
Nuvah’s fundraise comes as India’s branded and premium footwear market continues to develop.
An IIFL Securities report from October 2024 estimated India’s per-capita footwear consumption at around 1.9 pairs, compared with a global average of approximately three pairs and more than six pairs in developed markets.
The report also projected branded women’s footwear to grow at an estimated 15% CAGR over the following decade, according to the figures cited by Nuvah.
The company believes changing lifestyles among working women are also creating demand for footwear that combines design with functionality and extended wearability.
Nuvah Plans Festive Collection Launch
With the newly raised capital, Nuvah plans to continue investing in product development while experimenting with its go-to-market strategy.
The company is set to introduce a new festive collection at the beginning of Navratri 2026, expanding its product portfolio.
Over the next three to five years, Nuvah aims to build a lifestyle footwear brand focused on working women in India. Its broader product strategy centres on combining contemporary design with engineering-led development across comfort, stability and wearability.
As the Indian premium footwear segment expands, Nuvah is positioning its technology-led approach around a specific consumer problem: developing heels that can accommodate the demands of everyday professional and urban life without compromising on design.
By: Arushi Agarwal
