Sports have always enjoyed a central front position in India for decades. While cricket is considered a religion in India, there are other sports that are gaining importance recently after our champions have graced the Olympics and other sporting leagues with credible performances. The industry continued to operate and generate revenue throughout the pandemic, bringing in about 5894 crores in 2020 and recovering to 9530 crores in 2021.
Today, people have started appreciating other forms of sports like wrestling, kickboxing, javelin, and archery as well. Striking the iron when it is red hot, some companies have opened up businesses catering to sports. Below, we have listed 8 top sports startups in India catering to different segments of the sporting world.
Sports App
Shashank Mishra and Himanshu Nain decided to make money from their interest in sports! In 2018, they came up with Sports App – a leading sports startup launched with an aim to connect all sports fans. They created an aggregated platform where one can follow another, share their opinions, get updates about upcoming sports events, enquire about sport job positions, and even apply for sponsorships.
The entire team comprises of sports crazy people who have played some form of sport at different levels. They have all endured great passion and sportsmanship at some point in time. The main idea behind this app is to connect everyone together so that they can make sports more organized in our country.
JSW Sports
The JSW is a multinational steel producer conglomerate in India that branched out its sports wing in 2012 to enhance the sporting culture in India. The main aim of this sports startup was to pick the right talents and give them opportunities to boost their potential in different sports. JSW is the brand owner of Haryana Steelers in Pro Kabaddi, Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, and also the Delhi Capitals of the Indian Premier League in partnership with GMR Sports Pvt. Ltd.
They support athletes across four sports disciplines by providing them with financial aid and various opportunities to get trained under experts. They have 49 athletes under their wing currently and the startup is only growing.
Protégé Sports
Pranesh Krishnamurthy merged his love for sports and technology and created a sports-tech startup called Protégé Sports in 2014, along with his partners Rohit Narayan and Rahul Rane. Their mission is to make sports technology accessible to everyone. This startup is into supplying wearable technology for team sports like football and hockey that can help track the players’ performances.
This app has brought great convenience to coaches and players to manage their training schedules and announce training sessions. Protégé Sports provides its SaaS services such as software licenses to sports clubs and academies to manage their training modules and make communication efficient between coaches and players. This startup also offers tournament management services such as merchandising and ticketing services.
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive is the first and biggest sports digital solutions company in India. This startup focuses on sports-related content and technology solutions for handling sports. Founded in 2002, this company has grown considerably in size today with over 400 employees under its umbrella. It covers more than 40 sports. They majorly focus on data analytics, web design & mobile products, data visualization, content management, video solutions, and innovative social media sectors, all in the realm of sports.
Data Analytics is their core business where they are involved in gathering data points, keeping track of real-time scores, and deciphering trivia. They are detailed, offering these data points before, during, and after games in a variety of sports like cricket, hockey, badminton, table tennis, and more!
Live Your Sport
Live Your Sport is a Bangalore-based startup that sells sports goods and fitness equipment online. Founded in 2012 by Siddhart Suchde, this online portal is an excellent platform for sports enthusiasts to find good-quality accessories and equipment. The startup functions using 13 technology products and services such as G Guite, Google Analytics, and others. Their website also offers useful information related to sports and fitness such as diet, health, recovery, and more.
This platform provides fitness-oriented services to make users’ sports and fitness journeys easier. Users can browse through 20,000 sports equipment for over 30 sports and fitness equipment for different workout modules. One can find informative blogs on diets, training, and workouts on their website.
Rooter
Rooter is a social network for sports enthusiasts that connects different sports fans based on similar interests and passions. This Delhi-based social network platform was founded by Piyush Kumar in 2016. Users have fun predicting scores and events with friends during a live game using this app.
The app is built on an unusual passion score format where it assigns a unique passion score to each user generated through an algorithm. This algorithm crawls through the user’s social media profiles and tracks their activity and engagement with the app to generate a passion score. The users can then connect with each other based on their passion score and distance. The app is available on Android and iOS platforms.
Sports365
This Bangalore-based startup was founded in 2011 by Chandra Sekhar Reddy and Aashutosh Chaudhari. It is one of the first professional sports companies in India that offers a one-stop solution for the sporting requirements of institutions and individuals.
One can find a wide array of sports and fitness equipment and accessories from leading sports brands. This startup also provides services for sports infrastructure development, events, and merchandising to schools and academies.
Investors like Zolon Ventures and Powerhouse Ventures funded $1 million for this startup. Sports365 has backed Yuvraj Singh and Lara Dutta as their sports ambassadors. Sports365 also has other online portals like tennishub.in and bandmintornhub.in under its wing.
BookMySports
A unique digital sports platform, BookMySports was founded by Sanjeev Sinha. It proves to be a handy interface between the public and their access to sports facilities in their region. One can book major sports like football, cricket, basketball, tennis, and more using this app. This startup allows users to book sports facilities or even create their own online tournaments instantly.
The main aim of this startup is to increase the utilization of sports facilities across cities by connecting sports fans and encouraging them to play. Users can manage the demand and supply of sports ecosystems better using this app. Transparency in pricing and service is established as well. This app is currently functional across 6 cities in India.
These are among the 8 best sports startups in India that cater to different requirements such as equipment, booking, connecting, information, and more.
