ZenZebra, a new-age retail startup transforming everyday physical spaces into curated shopping destinations, has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-seed funding round led by Rukam Capital. With this backing, the company aims to scale across urban India by embedding shopping experiences into high-footfall environments such as co-working hubs, fitness centres, hotels, and educational campuses – where people already spend a large part of their day.
So far, ZenZebra has worked with over 150+ Indian startups in the lifestyle and consumer brands category, offering them a new offline channel for customer discovery at curated offline touchpoints. With the raised funds, the company plans to expand its touchpoints across Indian cities, and enhance its technology capabilities to enable real-time consumer engagement, while also strengthening partnerships with emerging, high-growth Indian brands.
Tanmay Jain, Co-founder of ZenZebra, said, “Where you go says who you are — your gym, your campus, your workspace. At ZenZebra, we believe those choices should unlock value. The world should reward presence, not just clicks.”
“ZenZebra is tapping into a massive opportunity at the intersection of physical retail and digital engagement. As consumers seek richer, more interactive shopping experiences, their model is perfectly positioned to scale across India’s rapidly evolving retail landscape. We see tremendous potential in their vision and are confident they can set new benchmarks for how brands connect with customers,” asserted Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner, Rukam Capital.
Founded in 2024 by Tanmay Jain and Gurpreet Juneja, ZenZebra takes a different approach to redefining the retail experience by moving beyond online shopping and into the real world. In India, where over 90% of purchases still involve some form of offline interaction in the decision-making process, physical retail continues to play a crucial role in how people shop. Instead of relying on digital ads or screens, ZenZebra brings curated brand setups into high-traffic spaces like Awfis, Smartworks, and The Lodhi by DLF, enabling people to discover useful, exciting products organically as part of their daily routines.
India has over 1 billion square feet of commercial real estate and millions of people moving daily through lifestyle spaces like gyms, offices, hotels, hostels, and campuses. Yet, these high-traffic environments remain largely untapped by modern retail innovation. As hybrid work, wellness trends, and shifting consumer habits reshape how we spend our time, the need to reimagine retail for the touchpoints we interact with most has never been greater. ZenZebra’s model taps into this opportunity, delivering curated brand experiences where people already are creating a scalable approach that blends seamlessly with urban infrastructure and evolving lifestyles.
ZenZebra was built on the belief that the places people frequent daily from workspaces to wellness centers hold untapped potential for brand discovery. By embedding “discovery moments” in these environments, the company makes real-world locations more purposeful, layering them with products that seamlessly fit the lifestyle of the people who use those spaces. This approach bridges the gap between physical presence and consumer intent without asking anyone to search or scroll.
About Rukam Capital:
Rukam Capital is a leading Indian early-stage venture capital firm specializing in investing in consumer products and services companies. We invest in purpose-led founders who are solving hard problems at scale by creating products and companies that people love. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand the challenges of building a successful business and actively partner with our portfolio companies to drive innovation and growth.
