Athletic footwear seller Built raises $2-M led by Tanglin Venture Partners

Bengaluru-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) footwear company Built has raised USD 2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Singapore-based VC firm Tanglin Venture Partners.Founded in 2026 by Vedant Lamba and Vijayant Dhaka, Built specializes in "natural movement" footwear, which features wider toe boxes, minimal heel drop, and high flexibility to support natural foot movement.The company plans to use the new funds to invest in research and development, proprietary tooling, product design, and manufacturing capabilities, including the creation of custom footwear moulds. It would also deploy the capital towards inventory expansion to scale its production. The company plans to expand its portfolio to include apparel and accessories.