A new travel gear brand from India has secured significant financial backing to challenge the traditional luggage market. Nori, founded in 2025 by Meenakshi Vyas and Rashika Nayak, has raised $350,000 in its pre-seed round. The funding was led by Rebalance, with participation from VSS Investco and several high-profile angel investors from the international e-commerce sector.
The startup is the first in India to design travel gear exclusively for women. Current products include organisers, bags, luggage and accessories. The founders argue that while air traffic is reaching record highs and the global luggage market is worth over $15 billion, existing products are built around generic use cases. Nori aims to change this by focusing on better organisation and ergonomics tailored to female travellers.
Meenakshi Vyas, Co-founder of Nori, said: “Women don’t just travel differently, they prepare differently, they carry more SKUs, and they prioritise differently. We’re not just resizing or offering new colors within existing products. We’re rethinking them from the ground up, because that’s how we would want it!”
Since its launch, the brand has served over 4,000 customers and is moving toward a ₹2 crore (approx. $209,014) annual run-rate. Its latest product, the Carry On Wheelie, includes features like built-in digital scales and Japanese wheels. Co-founder Rashika Nayak, a design expert, noted: “For me, design was never only about appearance, it was about how it works, how it feels, and how it fits into a life that’s already full. I wanted to create bags that move the way modern women do, with ease, with intention, and with room for everything that matters, so travel feels more thoughtful, functional, and effortless.”
Rebalance co-founders Aishwarya Malhi and Vikas Kumar added: “As more women step into independence and mobility, entirely new categories will be defined by those who design specifically for them. NORI is building that future. Despite its scale, luggage remains a legacy category with incremental additions over the years, but not fundamentally reimagined. It is still designed around generic use cases, overlooking the specific ways women pack, organise, and navigate travel in real life. We’re proud to partner with such an incredible team.”
