Fundraise

Neeman's raises $4M to scale recycled-plastic sneakers

What's the deal? Hyderabad-based footwear brand Neeman’s has raised 355 million INR ($4 million) in a Series B extension to accelerate growth. The round drew backing from Anicut CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Enam Investments, Sharrp VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and SNAM Solutions.

What's the endgame? Founded in 2017 by Taranjeet Singh Chhabra and Amar Preet Singh, Neeman’s makes sneakers from recycled materials, including PET bottles, discarded tyres, merino wool, and recycled cotton. It sells direct-to-consumer, mostly online, and has been expanding into physical stores.

By the numbers: Each pair in the brand’s flagship ReLive Knits line, whose upper is 100% recycled PET, uses 8 bottles. Neeman’s says it has recycled over 1 million bottles for the collection.

The process turns bottles into plastic threads, which are woven into the fabric that forms the shoe’s upper — converting waste into wearable material.

The bigger picture: The raise builds on roughly $3.7 million Neeman’s had previously secured in seed and Series A funding from Anicut Capital and Sixth Sense VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, earmarked for product development and international expansion.

The signal: Neeman’s sits in a fast-developing niche of sustainable Indian footwear, where brands use recycled plastics to differentiate and attract capital. Rival ThaelyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which makes sneakers from plastic bags, bottles, and discarded rubber, has signed distribution deals across Australia, Europe, the Americas, and Asia and drawn interest from investors such as Anand Mahindra. Fresh capital and a million-bottle milestone suggest circular-economy sneakers have matured from niche experiments into a funded, export-oriented segment of India’s D2C market.

Read more: Entrackr

Image credit: EU-Ukraine cooperation

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