From Jennifer Lopez to Shahid Kapoor to now, Aishwaryaa Dhanush – this Chennai Yoga startup has a long list of celebrities from both Bollywood and Hollywood backing it

• Aishwaryaa R. Dhanush, director and producer and the daughter of superstar Rajinikanth, has invested an undisclosed amount in Sarva.
• Aishwaryaa joins Malaika Arora, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Shahid and Mira Kapoor as an investors in the startup.
• The chain of yoga and fitness studios now aims to have over 100 million consumers in the next five years.

Indian yoga startup Sarva has got the who’s who of not just Indian but also international celebrities. In its latest round of funding, Aishwaryaa R. Dhanush, director and producer and the daughter of superstar Rajinikanth. Aishwaryaa has invested an undisclosed amount into the startup.

With this, Aishwaryaa joins Malaika Arora, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Shahid and Mira Kapoor to invest in the startup. The director, producer is now a part of the core team of Divya Yoga, the brand of studios established by Sarvesh Shashi, founder of Sarva, and Bollywood star Malaika Arora.

The startup Sarva has a chain of yoga and fitness studios, along with a digital community. It now aims to have over 100 million consumers in the next five years.

“Our modern lifestyle is a cesspool of illnesses. Today, stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and obesity are the real monsters we fight daily. The world needs to be reminded of the importance of mindfulness and holistic wellness and this is my way of contributing to that larger goal,” said Aishwaryaa R. Dhanush.

By the next month, the startup aims to have 100 studios across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Sarva currently organizes over 3,500 classes every week, with a capacity of over 18,000 members a day.

“The partnership with OYO Townhouses has taken off on a high note, ensuring the initial target of 500 studios in the top 15 Indian cities by 2022 is on track as well,” said the company’s official statement.

Chennai-based Sarva has over 55,000 customers and 220 employees. It’s funding will also help the startup expand its footprint as it is also evaluating a global entry into the UK, US and the Middle East.

Sarvesh points out that mindfulness is a big trend globally, and is an $80 billion industry. “There is a very large opportunity here. India itself is a very large consumption story. Yoga has a global play but is still fairly an unorganised sector. We are happy to initiate the process of organising it,” he had told Business Insider in an earlier interview.