Meet man, who built India’s largest shoe company without funding, endorsed by Sachin Tendulkar, Varun Dhawan, competes with Nike, Puma, Adidas, it’s named…
GH News March 17, 2025 07:06 PM

Hari Krishna Agarwal comes from a middle-class family and is a first-generation entrepreneur. Without the support of an inherited business he started from scratch. Financial struggles during his childhood forced him to work from a young age where he learned the intricacies of running a business. By the age of 18 he had already started trying his hand at small ventures.
Campus Compete With Nike Adidas and Puma
In 1983 Agarwal began his entrepreneurial journey by selling sports shoes under the brand ‘Action’. He didn’t have any funding so he borrowed money from friends and family to start his business.
When India’s markets opened to foreign companies in 1991 global brands like Nike Adidas and Puma entered the Indian market. However their products were expensive and inaccessible to the average Indian consumer. Recognizing this gap Agarwal launched Campus Shoes in 2005 focusing on affordable high-quality sports shoes.
Campus Shoes quickly gained popularity offering the same quality as global brands at a fraction of the price. In its very first year the company earned crores in profit. Today it dominates the affordable sports shoe market holding 48% market share in the Rs 1000 price category.
Campus Activewear has surpassed global giants like Nike Adidas and Puma to become the leading shoe brand in India. With over 20000 retail outlets and more than 35 exclusive stores the company operates five manufacturing plants across India and exports its products to several countries.
Annually Campus Activewear sells 1.5 crore pairs of shoes. The brand has been endorsed by icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Varun Dhawan further solidifying its presence in the Indian market.
Campus Activewear Goes Public
In May 2022 Campus Activewear Limited made its stock market debut listing at over a 23% premium to its IPO price. The IPO’s success boosted Hari Krishna Agarwal’s net worth. According to Forbes his current net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion.
Global Expansion And Leadership
In 2023 Campus Activewear ventured into international markets starting with Indonesia and Malaysia. The company’s global ambitions continue to grow under the leadership of Nikhil Agarwal Hari Krishna Agarwal’s son who is an industrial engineer and now serves as the company’s CEO.