Meet the Co-founder Duo with CA Backgrounds Who Built Bacca Bucci - An Indian Footwear & Accessories Brand Worth Rs. 130 Crore

In India’s crowded footwear market, where international brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma dominate urban high streets and digital storefronts, carving out space for a homegrown label is no easy feat. 

But Bacca Bucci, the Delhi-based sneaker and lifestyle brand, is trying to do just that—with a blend of gritty ambition, affordable style, and street-smart storytelling.

Meet the Founders: Anuj Nevatia and Natwar Agrawal

Before Bacca Bucci became a brand seen on college campuses and Instagram feeds, it was just a name scribbled in a notebook.

Anuj Nevatia and Natwar Agrawal, childhood friends from Sikar, Rajasthan, had business on their minds and limited means. 

Both enrolled in the Chartered Accountancy (CA) program—Natwar completed his, while Anuj eventually dropped out to pursue business full-time. They had no formal background in fashion or retail, but they shared the passion it takes to make something from scratch.

Natwar, born in 1988, completed his Class 12 in 2008 and moved to Delhi for further studies. He passed his CA entrance (CPT) and graduated via correspondence from Bharathiar University in 2013. While working at a loan consultancy firm in Noida, earning ₹50,000 a month, he started Bacca Bucci as a side hustle in December 2013 with just ₹50,000 in savings.

“I used to work during the day for the company and kept my evenings for the business. I used to sleep at 2:00 a.m. after finishing all the business work and then woke up early for the office, barely getting any rest,” Natwar recalled.

Initially operating out of a single PG room, he sold just two designs. A newspaper hawker helped him pack and deliver shoes—Natwar paid him ₹5 per parcel. 

By March 2014, the business was growing, and Natwar decided to quit his job to focus on Bacca Bucci full-time. Anuj joined shortly after, bringing his own energy and expertise, particularly in marketing and content.

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Spotting the Gap

The duo saw a clear gap: Indian youth wanted stylish, durable, and affordable footwear that wasn’t just another knockoff.

Natwar noted, “We weren’t trying to reinvent sneakers. We were just trying to give people something stylish and durable without the insane price tag.”

Despite industry skepticism - some even asked why CAs were “wasting” their degrees but they stuck to their vision.

“Over time, they saw we had a solid business plan and believed in us,” said Natwar. “Their trust grew when they saw we were capable of succeeding.”

Building Bacca Bucci

In its early days, Bacca Bucci sold about 250 shoes per day. Today, they ship over 4,000 orders daily. Products now include sneakers, boots, belts, sports shoes, sneaker laces, and apparel.

Natwar and Anuj’s operation scaled from a two-person hustle to a 95-member team, including designers, developers, marketers, and social media managers.

They initially sold exclusively through marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon. In 2019, they launched their own website to build direct customer relationships and gain access to user data.

“We wanted our own website because platforms like Amazon and Flipkart didn’t share customer data with us,” said Natwar. “So, we decided to develop our own website.”

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The Brand Philosophy: Not Just Another Shoe

Bacca Bucci positions itself as a youth-first lifestyle brand. The Italian-sounding name belies a desi streetwear ethos. Their product line features bold sneakers, chunky soles, athleisure, and accessories designed for Gen Z and young millennials.

“Bacca Bucci is for the guy who wants to stand out without spending 10 grand on a pair of shoes,” said Anuj.

They’ve leaned into Indian street culture, hip-hop, gaming, and meme-friendly content to connect with their target audience.

Business Model and Growth

Bacca Bucci’s product development process is structured and quality-focused:

• R&D and design finalization by the in-house team

• Prototyping and testing for comfort, durability, and aesthetics

• Outsourced bulk production to partners in Agra, Kanpur, and Noida

Sales breakdown:

• 90% online: 60% via marketplaces (Amazon, Myntra, Nykaa, etc.), 30% via their website/app

• 10% offline through limited store presence

Product-wise:

• 55% of sales from sneakers

• 30% from athleisure

• 15% from boots and accessories

Their warehousing and logistics span the country with fulfilment centers in Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.

They even tested physical retail with a multi-brand store in Rohini, Delhi, and recently expanded to Dubai.

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Shark Tank India 

Their appearance on Shark Tank India marked a pivotal moment in Bacca Bucci’s journey.

The co-founders asked for ₹2.5 crore in exchange for 1% equity, valuing their brand at ₹250 crore. While the sharks appreciated their hustle and scale, they felt the designs lacked uniqueness, and the product quality wasn’t up to the mark and accordingly the valuation was too high.

"I don't see a USP or Branding. It's important to create a culture. It can't be created on just pricing. I think you should focus on it. But without a clear vision, I'm not excited about this. So I'm out,” added Shark Namita Thappar as her reason to not invest. 

Shark Anupam Mittal mentioned that, “I think it's not a bad product. It's nice, aspirational, and has a funky design. We might not get such products at this price point. However, if we observe it closely, it lacks quality. The finishing of the stitching isn't up to the mark."

And Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal had very visible issues with the branding.

"There's no consistency in the branding. Just look at the logo — there's less space in the center of the circle and more space between 'Bacca' and 'Bucci.' The design language is 2 out of 10," he said.

The co-founders accepted these remarks as constructive criticism & said that they’d definitely work on the branding. 

Even though they never secured funding, the episode gave the brand not just visibility but also a major spike in online engagement.

“After our appearance, we saw a 50x increase in traffic to our website,” Natwar said. “We made valuable connections, and many service providers reached out to us.”

Challenges and Hard Lessons

Like many bootstrapped startups, Bacca Bucci’s journey was far from smooth. 

In the early days, the founders made several rookie mistakes — from overstocking popular-looking designs that didn’t sell, to discovering the hard way that even shoes have a shelf life.

“We didn’t realise shoes even had an expiry date,” Natwar shared in an interview. “One batch just sat in storage too long. We had to scrap the entire stock and sold the shoes to a scrap dealer for ₹10 per kg. That one hurt.”

The brand also faced serious cash flow issues.

To keep things afloat, Natwar borrowed from family — including his sister who worked in Boston. 

“It’s not easy to ask your family for money when you don’t even know if the business will survive,” he said.

There were moments when customer calls rang unanswered because there was no dedicated team. Returns piled up, logistics partners underperformed, and their lack of experience in footwear design often backfired.

But each setback became a lesson. 

They started designing in smaller batches, introduced better inventory management systems, and slowly built a team to plug operational gaps. Over time, those hard lessons laid the foundation for a more sustainable business model.

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Revenue & Investment

In FY24, Bacca Bucci clocked ₹66 crore in revenue and has served over 8 million customers since inception. The brand aims to scale this to ₹200 crore by FY25—marking a bold but structured growth trajectory.

In 2024, Bacca Bucci raised its maiden funding round, securing ₹21.87 crore (approximately $2.5 million) from Ananta Capital, a fund backed by the Taparia family. The investment not only injected fresh capital into the business but also boosted their brand credibility and operational muscle.

The brand is currently valued at around ₹130 crore. Remarkably, Bacca Bucci had remained bootstrapped and profitable for most of its journey—proving that consistent execution, customer focus, and lean operations can go a long way before seeking external capital.

What’s Next?

Bacca Bucci is setting its sights on deeper penetration into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

The company also plans to expand its product portfolio beyond footwear. More lifestyle offerings including apparel and accessories are on the horizon.

Collaborations are another key area of focus.

The founders are looking at teaming up with local artists and launching regional influencer campaigns to stay culturally relevant and resonate more with younger audiences.

Bacca Bucci will also strengthen its offline presence through experience zones—dedicated physical spaces where customers can interact with the brand in immersive ways.

“We’re not trying to become a fashion brand overnight,” says Natwar. “We’re building one brick at a time.”

For many young Indians, wearing a pair of Bacca Bucci sneakers is simply about getting style and value from an Indian brand that understands their preferences.

Authors Note: All quotes and factual information in this article have been sourced from publicly available interviews, media features, and press coverage of Bacca Bucci and its founders. Key references include features from Inc42, The Economic Times, Shark Tank India, and Mad Over Growth Podcast.