It Started with a Passion for Movement
Long before Mumbai Movement Academy existed, Dr. Rishi Prasad and Cyrus Khan were simply Parkour practitioners who loved training.
They had full-time careers outside of Parkour—Rishi was practising medicine, while Cyrus was working in research physics—but every evening they found themselves returning to movement.
As more people began asking if they could learn, informal training sessions slowly became regular classes. What started as sharing a passion gradually grew into something much bigger.
Building the Space We Wanted
Travelling abroad and visiting Parkour facilities in other countries left one thought: "Why don't we have spaces like this in Mumbai?"
The answer wasn't to wait for someone else to build one—it was to create it. The original goal wasn't to build a large academy or a growing company. It was surprisingly simple: a place where people who loved movement could train together.
If the student fees covered the rent, that was enough. Everything else came later.
Three Different Backgrounds, One Shared Vision
Krishna Mehta, with a background in dance and movement, joined the journey and brought a new perspective to the academy. Without consciously dividing responsibilities, each founder naturally gravitated towards different strengths.
- Krishna focused on students, families, communication and marketing.
- Rishi combined coaching with movement science, curriculum development and equipment design.
- Cyrus led coaching, systems, technology and facility development.
What began as a shared passion slowly became a team with complementary skills.
Learning Business by Doing
None of the founders came from a business background. There were no manuals, no formal training, and many systems that seem obvious today didn't exist in the beginning.
Attendance was tracked manually. Memberships were simple notebooks. Every challenge became an opportunity to learn, and the academy grew one improvement at a time.
Growing Through Challenges
Only eleven months after opening, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the academy to close its doors. Like many businesses, the future suddenly became uncertain.
Instead of stopping, the team adapted. Classes moved online, students stayed connected, and the academy continued growing despite spending much of its early years operating under restrictions.
More Than Just an Academy
The vision gradually expanded beyond creating a place to train. It became about creating opportunities—for children to discover movement, for adults to challenge themselves, and for Parkour coaches to build meaningful careers.
One of the most rewarding parts of the journey has been watching young coaches grow into confident professionals who now inspire the next generation of students.
Milestones Along the Way
Every milestone represented another step forward.
- Expanding into a larger flagship academy.
- Opening multiple centres across Mumbai.
- Partnering with leading schools.
- Being approached by the Indian Army for specialised movement training.
- Designing custom Parkour equipment.
- Developing India's first structured Parkour Level System.
Each achievement reinforced the belief that movement education has an important place in India.
Looking Ahead
Although the academy has grown significantly since its early days, the vision remains remarkably similar: to help more people discover movement, create spaces that inspire exploration, and build a stronger Parkour community.
And to continue proving that movement has the power to change lives.
