When Andrew Leo flew down from Ahmedabad to play pickleball with a potential investor, he didn’t just bring a paddle, he got a pitch. Between rallies, sets, and sideline banter, he told the story of Athflex, a brand that might just become India’s Gymshark or something bigger, something uniquely Bharatiya. This story emerged through Arjun Vaidya’s linkedin post on the Pickle and Pitch series.
At 24, Leo isn’t just a founder. He’s a builder. A college dropout who started Athflex six years ago with co-founder Allan Jeo, he’s bootstrapped the business to ₹4.5 crore in annual revenue, without a single rupee of external funding. All organic. All in-house.
The brand’s mission? To create performance-first, comfort-driven gymwear that understands India, its bodies, its weather, and its wallets.
Born in Bharat, Built for Bharat
Founded in 2018, Athflex is headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a city better known for textiles and pharma than for fitness apparel. But Leo, an amateur bodybuilder himself, noticed a glaring gap in India’s ₹12,000 crore activewear market: most gear was imported, ill-fitting, and overpriced.
“We were wearing stuff built for Western climates and Western bodies,” Leo said during the pitch. “It didn’t make sense for Indian conditions.”
This wasn’t just a founder spotting a trend, it was a user solving his own pain point. From ill-fitting compression tees to heat-trapping joggers, the Indian consumer had few homegrown options that actually performed in desi conditions. Athflex was Leo’s answer.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
In a landscape crowded by international giants like Nike, Adidas, and Puma, and homegrown mass-market players like HRX and Cultsport, Athflex is carving its own niche. Here’s what stands out:
- ₹4.5 crore annual revenue – all bootstrapped, no VC.
- Best-sellers: Compression Tees at ₹1,599, Joggers at ₹1,499, Hoodies at ₹1,699.
- Team size: Fewer than 10 people.
- Founded: 2018.
- Built from: Ahmedabad.
- Customer base: Community-driven, fitness enthusiasts, gym rats, athletes, and everyday movers.
But beyond the numbers, what’s remarkable is how Athflex is growing organically, with a deep sense of product-market and founder-market fit.
Leo doesn’t just lead the brand, he lives it. He’s part of the exact community he serves, and that gives him an edge many founders dream of: proximity to the customer.
Understanding the Indian Fitness Wave
India’s fitness industry is booming. As more Indians embrace fitness from CrossFit to yoga to bodybuilding, the demand for athleisure and activewear is rising. But most of what’s available is:
- Designed abroad.
- Priced premium.
- Built for different climates and physiques.
Athflex flips that script. With fabrics tailored to India’s tropical heat, fits that suit desi body types, and pricing that respects the Indian middle-class wallet, it’s no surprise the brand is resonating.
Their oversized t-shirts a fan favorite, reflect this comfort-first, all-day-wear mindset. Leo calls it “performance wear that doesn’t pretend.”
A Brand with Community, Not Just Customers
Scroll through Athflex’s Instagram and you’ll find a mix of athletes, bodybuilders, college kids, and everyday gym-goers all part of the “FlexFam.” That’s intentional. Athflex isn’t just trying to sell gymwear. It’s trying to build a movement.
This isn’t just branding fluff. In the crowded Indian D2C space, community is the new moat. Gymshark, which started in the UK with a similar community-first model, is now a billion-dollar brand. Athflex wants to replicate that but on Indian soil, with Indian DNA.
And it’s off to a strong start. Even with less than 10 employees, the brand is shipping nationally, receiving organic shoutouts, and growing by word-of-mouth. That kind of growth isn’t easy, especially without funding.
Should You Bet on Athflex?
In Episode 2 of Pickle and Pitch, the new unscripted founder series by Arjun Vaidya of V3 Ventures, Andrew Leo didn’t win the pickleball match, but he might just win over investors.
Because here’s what Athflex has going for it:
- A huge and growing TAM (Total Addressable Market) in Indian activewear.
- Product-market fit validated by revenue, not just vibes.
- Deep founder-market fit, Andrew is both builder and user.
- Community-led brand positioning.
- Bootstrapped efficiency in a sector often bloated by CAC-heavy growth.
Sure, challenges remain, scaling logistics, expanding SKUs, marketing at scale. But if early signals matter, Athflex is one of those rare Indian D2C brands that feels inevitable. Not because it’s copying a Western success story, but because it’s translating the insight for India.
As Leo summed up between serves:
“We’re not just retrofitting Western gear. We’re building Indian gymwear, ground up.”
What’s Next?
Athflex is currently focused on scaling operations, expanding its core line-up, and doubling down on community. With over ₹4.5 Cr ARR and a growing presence online, the brand’s next step might involve funding, but only from believers, not just bankers.
If you’re a founder in the fitness space, a consumer tired of overpriced foreign gear, or an investor watching India’s D2C landscape, Athflex is one to watch.
And if you’ve got a pitch of your own? Grab a paddle, apply on Instagram, and be ready to pitch between points. Because the startup world, like pickleball, rewards agility and bold serves.
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