Virat Kohli has made his debut on LinkedIn, and the former India captain needed less than 24 hours to gather more than 240,000 followers on the professional networking platform.
Kohli joined LinkedIn on October 13 with a first post outlining his vision for Indian sport and his ambition to build homegrown brands for a global audience. The move drew an instant response from the very top of the corporate world, with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella personally welcoming him to the platform.
Virat Kohli’s debut post lays out the vision
In his first LinkedIn post, Virat Kohli wrote that he had always wanted to see an India where every sport is followed, celebrated and played, adding that a new generation is proving the country can produce world-class athletes and build brands for the global stage.
Kohli laid out his aim to build an end-to-end sports business from India, spanning manufacturing, consumer brands and sports distribution. “The vision is clear. It’s time to build something that will outlive all of us. That’s the journey we’re on,” he wrote.
His profile lists him as an investor in Agilitas, a sports goods manufacturing company, and as co-founder and co-creator of one8world, signalling a decisive shift from endorsing brands to building them.
In his post, Kohli struck a deliberately long-term note. The language was that of a founder rather than a cricketer, and it set the tone for how he intends to use the platform: less about match highlights, more about building.
Nadella welcomes Virat Kohli to LinkedIn
Nadella responded directly to Kohli’s post, welcoming him to the platform and congratulating him on his next chapter with one8world. Microsoft India head Puneet Chandok also welcomed the cricketer, saying he was keen to follow Kohli’s journey beyond the field and praising his ambition to create a global sports brand from India.
The exchange quickly went viral, underlining the unusual crossover between India’s biggest sporting icon and the professional networking world. According to Gulf News, Virat Kohli’s profile had just 1,501 followers on the afternoon of October 13; by the same time the next day, that number had surged past 242,000.
Why Virat Kohli chose LinkedIn now
At 37, Virat Kohli is in the twilight of a playing career that has made him one of India’s most recognisable faces, and the timing of his LinkedIn arrival is no accident. With his on-field future increasingly centred on ODIs and questions swirling around the 2027 World Cup, the cricketer is visibly laying the groundwork for his second act.
Marketing Mind estimates his celebrity brand value at $158.4 million, ranking him among India’s most valuable celebrity brands. The shift from endorsement income to equity and ownership, through Agilitas and one8world, follows a playbook increasingly common among elite athletes worldwide: convert fame into assets that outlast the playing days.
Virat Kohli: from endorsements to ownership
Kohli’s LinkedIn arrival is the latest step in his evolution from brand ambassador to business builder. Reports suggest he turned down a Rs 300 crore extension with Puma to invest around Rs 40 crore in Agilitas for a 1.94 percent stake, choosing ownership over endorsement.
For Kohli, the economics are straightforward. Rather than renewing a Rs 300 crore endorsement extension, he put roughly Rs 40 crore into Agilitas for a 1.94 percent stake — trading a fee for equity. It is the same logic behind one8world: manufacturing, consumer brands and distribution under one roof, built from India for a global audience. Whether the venture can convert a $158.4 million personal brand valuation into enterprise value is unknowable today, but the direction of travel — from endorser to owner — is unmistakable.
Whether one8world can become the global high-performance sports brand Kohli envisions remains to be seen. But with a quarter of a million LinkedIn followers in a single day and the Microsoft CEO in his corner, Virat Kohli has made quite an entrance into the business world.