Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas

Content
Preface ..................................................................3 Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1) Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2) Overview - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 a) Choosing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 i) Business Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ii) Focus Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 b) Facts and Figures - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 i) Ownership Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ii) Years in Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3) Initial Journey - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 a) Background of Founding Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 b) Reason to enter in Sports Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 c) Initial Investment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4) Growth Story - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 a) Challenges and Obstacles - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 i) Assessment of Business Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

ii) Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 iii) Dispersion of Company operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 b) Financials - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 i) Break Even Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ii) Annual Turnovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5) Back to the Future - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 a) Challenges in Indian Sports Sector for New Businesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 b) Feedback for Specific Key Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 6) New Sports businesses Companies profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
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Preface
The business of Sports worldwide has not just been restricted to the playing of sports. It now encompasses a variety of firms covering a wide spectrum of domains. Although it is still in a nascent stage in India, its potential has truly been unleashed by the growing number of innovative start-ups in this field. The Sports industry can be divided into four parts
l Services - Media, Event management, Education, Medicine and Fitness l Infrastructure - Stadiums, Clubs, Academies l Manufacturing/retailing - Equipment, Apparel, E-commerce, Sports stores l Ancillary activities - Technology, Law, Advertising, Tourism

The private sector is offering its expertise in various ways and is also keen to invest in various sports infrastructure and events. New private initiatives in Sports are present in all of the above domains New sectors are coming up every year and it is because of young entrepreneurs identifying and building business propositions. We need to facilitate the development of the entire ecosystem so that the environment is more conducive to such entrepreneurs in this fast growing industry. The need of the hour is to increase private investments in this industry, more than just mere token handouts. We do need to mainstream corporate giving to Sports as a corporate social responsibility (CSR)and the new Companies Bill with its guidelines on CSR should be tapped for Sports too However it does not take away from the importance of building an eco system to encourage business and entrepreneurship in this area. Granting industry status to Sports related industries and investments would help. The benefits would drill down even to the lowest paid workers, such as groundsmen or janitors. We have managed to cover just the tip of the iceberg in this report and multiple start-ups are cropping up every day. The aggregate picture looks very promising and, we believe that this will be a key motivator for other entrepreneurs and young people who look towards Sports as a career option.

Naina Lal Kidwai President, FICCI

Foreword
This compendium of start-ups in sports sector presents analysis of fledgling sports industry in India. It is by no means an exhaustive list of every sports start-up in India, as the number of such firms are already large and still increasing. It is an attempt to showcase some exceptional start-ups who have made a mark in this field. However, the best take-away from this report is that the size of the sports industry is increasing, employment avenues are opening and money is coming in from all quarters. We are hopeful that this will go a long way in changing the attitude of society towards sports as a full time career, promote entrepreneurship in the sector by encouraging youth for aspiration led career in sports. After all our aspirations are our possibilities! Sanjiv Paul Chairman, FICCI Sports Committee Managing Director-Tata Metaliks

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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

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Acknowledgement
If you take out the federations, historically the sports industry in India has been dominated mostly by sports goods manufacturing. Initiatives in sports have been taken only at the government level and private participation in sports initiatives had been mostly as a CSR activity. But, in the past few years, there has been a wave of firms who have started working on some innovative products and services. New domains in the sports industry have come up as well. Who would have thought of private rifle ranges and outsourced structured physical educational programs in schools ten years back? All these start-ups have added significant value in creating a sports culture across the country. They are the next generation of big corporations, who are supporting the growth of the sports industry in their own unique way. They are not only creating a brilliant ecosystem for budding talent to hone their talent and showcase their skills but are also creating employment opportunities for many others who want to develop career in sports. We thank all the organizations covered through this report for spending some of their precious time with us. We are hopeful that this report will serve as role models for other entrepreneurs and stimulate sports sector development in India.

Abhijit Sarkar Co-chairman, FICCI Sports Committee Head-Corporate Communications, Sahara India Pariwar

Introduction
"Tell me what you play, and I'll tell you who you are. Roger Caillois, French sociologist (1961)

FICCI is proud to present this primary research based report on Best 25 Ideas Sports Start-ups Businesses in India. During the course of research, we unearthed a lot of inspirational stories behind successful sports ventures and interesting revelations about their journeys to success. Following are the highlights - Even though Professional Sports is something which India is not known for being good at, Youth Coaching is among top 3 business areas where new ventures are working on. A number of ventures focussing on variety of sports have grown rapidly is a testimony to the fact that there is high acceptance of professional coaching across a number of sports across the country.
l Another important highlight is the popularity of football as it is the DNA of a

lot of new ventures. Certainly as the fastest growing sport and sports business in India.
l It is most

important to mention that entrepreneurs running sports related

businesses are highly motivated individuals whose heart and mind lie in sports. As more than 70% of founders confessed that the main reasons for entering sports business was their "Passion for sports besides vaccum, and the opportunity to create an impact. We hope that these success stories on start-ups around sports act as great learning experience and inspire a new generation of sports enthusiasts who will contribute to the growth, development and professionalization of Indian Sports sector. Sports is calling!

Method
This study is based on responses collected through primary survey (directly contacting the firms). FICCI reached out to over 600 firms out of which 25 were selected in report to do detailed analysis with the relevant information.
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Therefore, rest companies who have taken part in this study are indicative, and not representative of overall business scenario in Indian sports sector. However, this report still provides a good snapshot of small, medium and emerging businesses in Indian sports sector. All the data collected in this study is confidential (only for use by FICCI), and cannot be shared with other firms (as agreed with respondents). Key areas, that are elaborated on, in this report are: Overall scenario: l - Financial performance of new sports businesses in India - Functions wise and focus sports wise split - Revenue and years of operation summary - Distribution of breakeven period
l Feedback for starting sports business

- Factors motivating successful businesses - Their assessment of challenges in Indian sports sector - India as a sporting nation - Opinion on timing of entry
l Role of government in Sports

- Support from government and federations - Opinion on role of ministries and other bodies - Key challenges in the environment
l About every firm

- Detailed story for every firm describing its products/services, how it was formed, to the current state and future plans. Also the facts regarding financial performance shall come out like annual turnover, break even period, etc. This shall give a very good idea of how many successful business plans in Indian sports were translated to reality, including details like initial investment, background of partners, profitable revenue streams etc.
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Overview
"You can't put a limit on anything, the more you dream, the farther you get" ~ Michael Phelps

Choosing the game

Business opportunity
Naturally, the first and foremost thing to know while understanding a sector is the types of products and services that are being offered by various firms. In the context of sports businesses, analysis of the entire ecosystem not only denotes the size of market but also points towards the quality of market. Case in point, the fact that there are not many sports nutrition companies in India underscores the fact the nutrition is given very less importance in general (more so as we go closer to grassroots). Study of the business opportunities taken up by respondents led to the understanding that: Events, Sports education, and Coaching are three most popular areas being worked on by new sports businesses in India. Considering the fact that some opportunities like sports betting are illegal in India, it takes out the possibilities of related opportunities like data generation and analytics for betting sites to a great extent. However, the reason that not many new businesses are looking at professional sports, clubs, leagues etc. might also have to do with the extent of regulations and the functioning of federations.
Marketing , sponsorship and player management Research, Consulting and Data Media and news Infrastructure Coaching and grassroots Equipment and merchandise Sports Education Sports tourism and hospitality Sports Events 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Figure 1: Business areas

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Focus sport
Another approach to understand the ecosystem and sports sector is to study the focus sport of new sports businesses. Naturally the sports which attract money in professional setup or are popular among youth/kids are more likely to be picked up by new businesses. The numbers that came out in our study were:

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

p ll s

ort

ic Cr

ke

t F

tb oo

all A

e thl

tic

n Te

nis

Go

lf Mo t

p ors

ort

s S o ho

tin

g Ba

i dm

nto

Ch

es

s b Ta l

en eT

nis

Figure 2: Focus sport

It is clear from the graph that the majority of new businesses are not sports focussed. This makes a lot of businesses sense in areas like sports events, sports education, and media. However, it can also be attributed to the dominance of cricket, which has left behind all other sports in India in a massive way (which came out as a feedback from a lot of business owners). However, there are exceptions, especially in the Coaching and Player management areas where in companies like Libero sports and MBTA have come out with single sport focussed plans and have executed them successfully. Further, it is not a good indicator for the future of a sport like Hockey which did not feature in the list of any new sports business.

Facts and figures

Ownership structure
Just to give you a perspective of the nature of businesses that we are studying, we have recorded their legal ownership structure. Summary of it can be seen
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below:

8% 8% 8% 76%
Private ltd Partnership Proprietorship Not for profit

Figure 3: Type of ownership

Evidently 76% firms are private limited whereas rest of them are equally divided in partnership, proprietorship, and in not for profit structures.

Years in operation
Another characteristic of sample which is interesting to note is the age of businesses who are a part of this study. We have an extremely diverse group of respondents, ranging from 6 months old businesses to 10+ year old firms!!!Even though there is a huge difference in the years for which they are operating, all of them can be treated as growing businesses. They have small (and rapidly growing) shares in the market which itself is growing at a huge rate. Some of the businesses are subsidiary or investments of large businesses houses or international firms, but due to their new and evolving nature, they have been made a part of this study. See the graph below to understand the dispersion:

0 - 1 year

1 - 3 years

3 - 5 years

5 - 10 years

10+ years

8% 20% 20% 32% 20%

Figure 4: Years in operation

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Initial Journey
"One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team" Kareem Abdul Jabbar (Retired American professional basketball player)

Background of founding team

We wanted to understand the profile of people who are entering the Indian sports sector as owners/founders/leaders of new businesses. Instead of categorizing the founders and leaders by their education (which came out to be management in most cases) and years of experience (which was not very indicative in itself), we decided to depict a summary of the industry/functions where the founders and leaders of these businesses have worked before setting up their current business (see graph below).
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

l& ve a Tr

Ho

y li t ita p s

or Sp

rti ve d A ia/ ed M

ts

s in

g tin ke r a M

e ar tw f o /S IT

lti su n Co

ng F in

l ga Le / ce an

Figure 5: Background of leadership team

Contrary to what we hypothesised, that there is a significant inflow of professionals from other industries, it came out that majority ofbusiness
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managers have had a direct experience of working in sports sector. Still, there are

a good number of managers coming in from other industries like IT, Marketing, and Finance. However, above analysis led us to conclude that managers who have worked in the sports industry are far more likely to enter and do well in sports business.

Reason to enter sports sector

A key imperative of this study was to understand the motivations of those who are working hard to shape the future of Indian sports. For past decade or so, India has consistently been recognized as a growing market. There are a number of sectors in India that provide higher chances of success (IT Services, FMCG, and Real estate to name a few). Moreover, in international context there are a huge number of new businesses that are working on internet based products and services as they are easy to build, test, and scale. What motivates then, the businessmen who are choosing sports as their battlefield, that too in a country where sports lacks focus even in our day to day lives. Summary of the responses we received is indicated in the graph. The results show that 'Passion for sports' and 'Opportunity to create impact' are top 2 reasons that motivate people to enter sport sector. Relevant background was also pointed out as one of the factors but it did not receive the same importance as top 2.
Passion (emotional attachment to sports)

Opportunity to create impact (blue ocean/lots of space)

Rank1 Rank2 Rank3

Monetary (Financial attractiveness)

Rank4

Background (education and experience) 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Figure 6:

Initial investment
The investment a business owner makes into a new venture is indicative of their assessment of market potential and the length of commitment they are willing to make. Our focus while recording this data point was to make our readers (specially the investors and budding entrepreneurs), more aware of the
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investment requirements of sports businesses in general. As you can see, the respondents are almost equally split among all the bands (except 5-10 lakhs group). It shows that market is witnessing the entry of all types of investors ranging from small exploratory investments (like 5 lakhs and below) to a large scale long term investment size (50+ lakhs).

18%

23% 6% 24%

29%

Upto 5 INR

5 - 10 INR

10 - 20 INR

20 - 50 INR

50+ INR

Figure 7: Level of initial investment

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Growth Story
"The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning" - Pele

Challenges and obstacles

Though each founder and business leader has their own story to share, we wanted to understand their overall perspective on the difficulties they have faced. We asked them to rate their understanding of challenges in the Indian sports sector for new businesses. Their responses are shown in the graph below. As you can clearly see, over 70% of respondents continue to believe that doing business in sports sector is tougher than working in any other sector. Half of them rated sports sector as very tough which went up by 10% points after they spent some time working in this sector. Now, the reasons for this feedback were primarily structural, which is not a good thing for Indian sports business in general as it can discourage new talent from choosing sports sector as a business/career option.

Initial assessment

Revised Assessment 43%

38% 33% 29% 29% 29%

Like any other business

Though than any other

Very though

Figure 8: Assessment of business challenges

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Human Resoruces
To understand the growth of new businesses, we have looked at the increase in their employee strength and the increase in the span of their geographical operations. Honestly, the results are inspirational. You can clearly see the huge increase in team strength and number of offices achieved in a short span of time.

40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Initial Now <5 5 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 50 10% 19% 50 +

38% 10%

38% 19%

10% 29%

5% 24%

Figure 9: Team Size

30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

De lh i

Lo nd on

Ba ng al or e

Hy de ra ba d

M um

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Figure 10: Dispersion of company operations (initial)

Gu

M ee ru t

rg ao n

Pu ne

ba i

Uttarakhand

Hyderabad

Delhi

TN

Mumbai

Chennai

London

Gurgaon

Kolkata

Assam

Rajasthan

Kerala

Bangalore

Meerut

Gujarat

Figure 11: Dispersion of company operations (current)

Financials
To understand the financial performances, we have looked at the break even period and annual turnover figures of businesses. Though there are businesses (10%) who did break even in first year itself, majority of them have taken close to 3 years to do so. This will give a good idea to the investors, who are looking at Indian sports market, about usual investment horizon. Also, the business sizes achieved by lot of new businesses are very impressive. About 20% of businesses have even crosses the 10 Crore mark which is fairly impressive thing to do in any market across the world.

10% 21% 53% 16%

< 1 yr

1 to 2 yrs

2 to 3 yrs

3 yrs and above

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Figure 12: Break even period

Nagpur

Dubai

Goa

20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0%

Up

Pune

MP

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30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Upto 50 Lakhs 0.5 to 1 Cr 1 to 5 Cr 5 to 10 Cr 10 Cr +

Figure 13: Annual turnovers (in INR)

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Back to the future

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."- Muhammad Ali

Interestingly, even after their assessment of Indian sports sector has become 'more challenging', over 90% of respondents indicated that their future strategy in India is to invest and grow. About 25% of them also indicated that they plan to focus on international markets too. Moreover, while 75% of respondents asserted that 'Now' is the time to enter the sports market in India, 84% of them rated India as a tough market for sports start-ups and highlighted that markets such as USA and Europe are friendlier for sports businesses. In line with FICCI's core endeavour of being the industry's voice of policy change, we asked the respondents to share the key challenges that they see in Indian sports sector and the feedback that they have for government and regulatory bodies. Below is the summary of the information we collected:

21% 38% 23%

Lack of sports focus in general Over domination of Cricket Absence of Industry ecosystem

18%

Lack of access to funds

Figure 14: Challenges in Indian sports sector for new businesses

Clearly 'lack of sports focus in general' came out as the top reason, in the eye of respondents, for the suffering of Indian sports sector. Further, lack of access to funds, Absence of industry ecosystem, and over domination of cricket were also mentioned by a lot of respondents. It is quite astonishing to realize how connected the above four reasons are. Few respondents suggested that our policy making should incentivize new sports businesses and gives access to funds to sports entrepreneurs (through dedicated sports incubators), so that the ecosystem which gets developed will support the sports focus sustainably.
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Feedback for specific departments is written below: 1. Commerce and Industry As mentioned earlier, feedback from lot of respondents was to create ecosystems that encourage investments in sports infrastructure. One way to start this can be to give Sports an Industry status, and help Indian Sports and Fitness Industry to bring in Foreign Direct Investment or Foreign Institutional Investments. International exposure to sports across all levels can be a quick way to make corrections at lot of levels. Further, to incentivize entrepreneurship, it was suggested that C&I ministry should provide tax benefits and train local experts. 2. Sports ministry Respondents requested sports ministry to allocate grants for multi-sport facilities in every state. Also, they suggested that we should have adequate representation of players in decision making bodies. This will help us in putting right systems in places to develop adequate reach to the grassroots to identify and nurture talent. Also it was suggested that sports ministry should work closely with leading and emerging players in building the Sports Infrastructure across the country. Moreover, to develop grassroots sports, sports ministry should undertake: Revamping of PE curriculum, Training of existing man-power in School, and Building a level of competitiveness at school, state and national levels to identify, nurture and sustain sports talent. We can also generate momentum by recognizing Industry Players who contribute to the overall Sports Improvement in the Country. Respondents also requested for increased transparency in tendering and bidding so that there are more world class players who get motivated to take part in the process. Improving federations, is another concern (which lot of respondents mentioned) which should be addressed by sports ministry. 3. Finance ministry Finance ministry is expected to create focus and allocate funds for nurturing the start-up eco-system in the country, and to invite companies, organizations to ideate and execute new/fresh ideas, and scale up businesses. As lack of access to funds, is one of the key challenges being faced by new sports businesses in India, allocating additional budget for sports loans and providing tax exemption for

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investment in sports can lead to more funds flowing into this sector.

4. Health ministry All the respondents felt that there is great need to focus on areas like Sports Nutrition and health. Health ministry can aim to build an enabling environment for start-ups in the areas of Health and Nutrition, Fitness, Sports Performance and Bio-mechanics. A strong physical foundation is a precursor to being a healthy and active individual. If a child has inculcated the habit of keeping themselves physically fit in their formative years, they would be more likely to carry this into their adulthood. Here ministry can also promote sport as a way to health by making health & fitness assessment of school-going children mandatory - and then tracking each child's progress over years 5. Education ministry Education ministry should incentivize school teachers and kids to focus more on sports through mandatory sports subjects; and additional marks for sports achievers. Sports/Fitness/Health should be part of the curriculum with contribution to overall rating. If we successfully make Sports and Fitness a "focus" area in schools which is treated as a subject at par with regular courses, we'll automatically develop into a health and sporting nation. Few respondents suggested that one way to achieve this is to make an Independent body for Physical Education & sports, to support the entire ecosystem of coaches, an institute for specialized sporting careers can be started which will support the supply of talent to match the demand which is being generated in grassroots. 6. Information and broadcasting I&B ministry can contribute by broad basing the sports audience. This can be done in both ways: by increasing the penetration of sports broadcast and by increasing the sports that are broadcasted. Ministry should look to create engaging content in sports beyond cricket to develop a broader interest in sports. By encouraging more sports on prime time, apart from cricket, we can slowly build fan following for other sports which will then attract sponsors and eventually better talent. 7. Tourism Ministry Tourism ministry can contribute to the state of sports in India by destination branding (internal as well as external) especially during sporting events (which will generate more sponsor confidence). Also, we can look to lobby with other
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countries and use their expertise in improving our sports infrastructure or giving access of better facilities to our players. 8. FICCI FICCI is expected to create global platforms for Indian and developed ecosystems to interact and associate. Also, FICCI must play a pivotal role in binding all the stakeholders together - Businesses in Sports, various nodal ministries, National and State Federations, Councils and Associations and Media to interact, interface and collaborate on Sports related initiatives and giving them the scale that it deserves. With all the corporate contacts, FICCI can develop an incubation cell for sports startups. Also, FICCI should play a key role in lobbying with the government to get Industry status to sports in India.

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New Sports businesses Companies profile

"No one who ever gave his best regretted it." - George Stanley Halas (player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football)

KOOH sports
KOOH Sports was set up in June 2010 by a group of successful corporate professionals with over 100 years of combines experience in international service and consumer industry space. With a passion for making a difference to sports in India, KOOH aims towards contributing to grassroots development in Indian sports. KOOH's vision is driven by two trends that mark the present and future of Indian sports: 1. Technology taking over sports in the lives of Children and, 2. consistently weak performances (relative to other top nations) by India in International competition across most sports. The mission of the company is to rekindle children's love for physical sports and deliver this through a multitude of sports and physical education programmes that will cut across grass root level initiation to identify and nurture talent. Sharing the same vision, the country's biggest corporate houses Tata Consulting Services (a Tata group company) & HDFC have invested in KOOH Sports. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To make a difference to sports in India by focusing on grassroots

level development" Key l products/services: "Sports Education, Sports Development Centres,

and Sports Talent Platforms" Unique proposition : Sports Development Centres and Technical Directors l Focus sports: Athletics, Cricket, and Football l Competition: Edusport, Leapstart l
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Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Financially attractive l Key Challenges for company: Lack of- Industry Ecosystem l Challenges for sports start-ups in general: Lack of sports focus l Feedback l govt.) Key details: Years in operation: 3 l Number of employees: 200+ l Geographical spread: Mumbai, Delhi l on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution from

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Gameon sports
Game On (formerly Roots Sports), is involved in the organization and promotion of sports events for amateurs sports enthusiasts. Their team includes professionals from diverse fields (sports management, entertainment, marketing and media) with expertise in handling events like football, golf, marathon, cricket etc. To profitably address the lack of sports culture in the country, Gameon team wants to create long term sports properties that help companies reach across to their target audience, as well as encourage more people to take up sports. Gameon has also extended their services to grassroots coaching and training services. Business fundamentals: Vision: l Key l "To focus on unearthing and shaping talent through grassroots football development and partner with corporates in organizing events

products/services: "Multiple sports events, After school football academies, Sports curriculum development, and Football consulting Football grassroots development

Most profitable function: l Unique l Focus l

proposition: Value for money events (for players and sponsors) & technical capabilities for training

sports: Football in particular (though other sports events are also organized)

Competition: BBFS, Coerver, and Conscient (in Football coaching services) & l local events Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Passion for sports l Key Challenges for company: Monetary, Operational (Manpower for scaling l up), and Lack of industry ecosystem Challenges for sports start-ups in general: Lack of sports focus l Feedback l govt.) Key details: Years in operation: 4 l Number of employees: 30+ l Geographical spread: Bangalore l
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on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution form

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Sports and Education Promotion Trust (SEPT)
Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT) was established to promote sports development in India with focus on football. SEPT identifies talented children from rural, tribal and coastal areas in difficult living conditions with targeted sport initiatives. SEPT believes that sporting initiatives are an effective method to overcome differences between societies, people, ethnicities, religions and cultures. Sport also fosters personal development, encourages self-confidence and conveys values like team spirit, fair play and responsibility. Using these concepts of Sport as a tool for development and peace, SEPT applies this positive energy of sport for sustainable and social intentions. Started in 2004 and based in Calicut, SEPT has evolved into one of India's largest grassroots football training organisation with 55 centres across the state of Kerala training around 1900 students. The students from SEPT have performed well in international tournaments such as Dalecarlia Cup (Sweden), Kokkola Cup (Finland) and Dubai Super Cup (UAE) and some of the students have been selected to leading academies such as IMG Academy, Florida and Tata Football Academy. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To become a premier breeding ground for football in India by

imparting training of international standards and providing necessary amenities to talented children from impoverished, rural and tribal areas of the country and thereby provide opportunities for these children in the mainstream sporting arena." Key products/services: l from backward areas" Competition: l Sportsmechanics, SPT Sports, Edusports, Leapstart, "Providing football training to talented youngsters

Sportzconsult, Sportsnest, KOOH, Sports Gurukul Unique proposition: "International recognition to SEPT students in the Past." l
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Focus sports: Football l

Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Opportunity to create impact. l Key Challenges l scaling up) Challenges l for sports start-ups in general: Lack of sports focus and for company: Monetary and Operational (Manpower for

Absence of industry ecosystem Feedback l govt.) Key details: Years in operation: 10 l Number of employees: 6 trustees + 100 Coaches (across centres) l Geographical l spread: Spread across 55 centers in the state of Kerala (covers on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution form

13 out of the 14 districts)

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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Mahesh Bhupati Tennis Academies (MBTA)
Started in 2006 by Mahesh Bhupathi, 12-time Grand Slam winner, with the objective of imparting professional, world-class training (both practical and theoretical) and highly specialised coaching to youngsters of all age-groups. Another objective of the MBTA was to increase the accessibility of tennis by ensuring that people across all socio-economic groups have the opportunity to experience the joy of tennis. MBTA is currently driven by Mr. Gaurav Natekar, former India No. 1, Arjuna awardee and double Asian Games gold medallist, who is currently the CEO of MBTA. In a very short time, MBTA has established itself as India's premier tennis academy with over 35 centres spread across the country, imparting international quality coaching to over 8000 children across various levels. Besides that, they have a team of over 90 professionally trained coaches complemented by a fully integrated backend team that works tirelessly on conceiving, developing and reinventing coaching programs, planning events for the children and putting into place systems to standardise the tennis coaching program. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "Imparting professional, world-class training (both practical and

theoretical) and highly specialised coaching to youngsters" Key l products/services: "After School programs, Training Camps, and

Events" Competition: Team tennis, Peninsula tennis academy l Unique l proposition: "Programmes run by MBTA specialise only in Tennis,

unlike others generic programmes. Uniform structured programme with holistic motives including fitness and well-being." Focus sports: Tennis l

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Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Passion for sports. l Key l Challenges for company: Low industry support and Low/inadequate

customer base Challenges l for sports start-ups in general: Regulatory barriers (sports

bodies and Govt.), Cricket Dependence, and Lack of sports focus in general. Feedback l sports) Key details: Years in operation: 7 l Number of employees: 110 l Geographical l spread: Delhi/NCR, Bangalore, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur, on government's role: Negative (Hinders development in

Jaipur, Ludhiana, Pune, Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Noida & Dubai (UAE)

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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Green Events and Media services
Green Events and Media services Pvt. Ltd is a professionally managed event management and media services provider company based at Central India. Green events provide Event Management services, Entertainment solutions, Promotions services, Advertising solutions, and Association management services. Over the years, Green events have developed a sound reputation for creativity, efficiency, ability to meet deadlines and flawless execution of events. Started nearly 8 years ago with a focus media management they got diversified to sports later, recent performance indicated that their sports focus and sports related business is likely to increase exponentially. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To provide 'ONE STOP SOLUTION' for all the Event related worries of l clients" Key products/services: l corporate events" Competition: l Gameon sports, Fore sports, Big players like IMG, Percept D' mark, and local events "Event Management; BTL activities; contest promos,

Unique proposition: "Diversity of services offered." l Focus sports: Football, Cricket and Badminton l Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Blue ocean (low competition) l Key l Challenges for company: Low industry support and monetary challenges

Challenges l

for sports start-ups in general: Regulatory barriers (sports bodies and Govt.), Cricket Dependence, and Lack of access to funds.

Feedback on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution) l Key details: Years in operation: 10 l Number of employees: 10 l
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Geographical spread: North and Central India l

Sahni Sports
SAHNI Sports was founded in 1992 and engages in the manufacturing and exporting of different types of sports goods & sports training equipment. The range of products include parachutes, speed chutes, speed trainers, medicine balls etc. They are focussing on Research & Development to create customized products and solutions for the sports and training needs of the Indian customer. With stringent quality measures and processes they are able to delight customers which come back with repeat orders. SAHNI sports and goods have been certified by accredited agencies like D&B and SGEPC. They have been exporting goods in 6 continents with annual turnover of ~$1M. Along with business the company believes in contributing to the society by encouraging environment friendly raw material, zero child labour and providing safe and healthy work environment. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To be the leading Manufacturer, Supplier & Bulk Exporter of

different kinds of Sports Goods, Sports Training equipment and speed training equipment from India." Key products/services: "Sporting goods and equipment" l Competition: l marketers. Unique l proposition: "International quality standards and ethical work Regional, National and International manufactures and

practices." Focus l sports. Company speak: Top l reason for entering sports industry: Passion for sports and relevant sports: Football, also manufacture training equipment for other

background. Key l Challenges for company: Low/inadequate customer base and

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Monetary Challenges.

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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Challenges for sports start-ups in general: Absence of Industry ecosystem l and Lack of access to funds.
l Feedback on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution)

Key details: Years in operation: 22 l Number of employees: 10+ l Geographical l spread: Based out of Meerut, they are exporting to USA,

Europe, Tanzania, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Wagle sports
Based in heart of commercial capital Mumbai, Wagle sports was established in 1865 and has since then been engaged in manufacturing and exports of sports goods. They have a total employee base of 50 people and total turnover of INR 5 Cr. The Establishment was founded by the immensely qualified Great Grandfather (B. Com., LL.B., and M.A) of the current Managing Partner, who founded it in pre-Independence era, after having gone through 30 years of work experience. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To become a comprehensive, one-stop shop for all sporting,

gymnastic equipment and training equipment in Mumbai" Key products/services: "Sporting goods and equipment" l Competition: l marketers. Unique l proposition: "Wealth of experience, specialised equipment, and Regional, National and International manufactures and

high customer base" Focus sports: All sports. l Company speak: Top l reason for entering sports industry: Blue Ocean market (lot of

opportunities). Key Challenges for company: High competition; tough to scale up. l Challenges for sports start-ups in general: Lack of access to money. l Feedback on government's role: Negative (Hinders development in sports) l Key details: Years in operation: 148 l Number of employees: 15 l Geographical spread: North and West India. l
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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
FRONTFOOT Sports management
FRONTFOOT is one of the leading sports management companies with expertise in organizing Inter and Intra corporate tournaments, along with supporting strong businesses and brand values alignment with sports. Their mission is to provide unique solutions to their client's sports needs with integrity and professionalism. They have organized over 200 events for over 600 clients in the past 4 years. Zeal to constantly innovate and compete drives them to be recognized as one of the best in sports management domain. They have also obtained partnership with Sererra, Pepsi , li-ning which supports their growth and vision. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "When people think of sports entertainment they think of FRONTFOOT"

Key products/services: "Conceptualise and organize corporate tournaments; l branding and execution;" Competition: National and International event management firms l Unique l proposition: "Pan-India presence; good at technology; sports entrepreneurs with great corporate skills; high word of mouth among clients"

Most profitable function: Sponsorship and Participation fee l Focus l sports: Badminton, Chess, Table Tennis, Cricket, Throw ball, Volleyball, Carom, and Football

Company speak: Top reason l for entering sports industry: Relevant background and low competition in industry

Key Challenges for company: Low access to funds and manpower challenges l for scaling up Challenges for sports start-ups in general: Lack of access to money and lack l of industry ecosystem Feedback l sports) Key details: Years in operation: 5 l Number of employees: 3 Permanent and 75 Field force l Geographical l
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on government's role: Extremely negative (Hinders development in

spread: Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai with one Corporate Office in Delhi and virtual offices in other cities.

Sports One (Wizcraft)

Sports one (earlier Football one) wants to establish a holistic and 360 degree approach to sports marketing and sports management. It is backed by the former E&Y partner Mr. Rajgopal as the CEO. With Wizcraft's unique ideology and support, they approach business to act as a catalyst of change for Indian sports with special focus on sports development at grass root level. Sports one aims to raise the quality of sports in India by developing Indian talent on an international platform and working to create fresh and novel sporting properties. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To pioneer in creating and fostering long-term sporting properties in l India;" Key products/services: "Sports events" l Competition: IMG Reliance, Nimbus Sport and Twenty First Century Media l Unique l proposition: "Equity and experience of Wizcraft, experience of Internationally successful events, and superbly capable leadership" sports: Football, Athletics (Planning to extend focus to other sports

Focus l too)

Company speak: Top reason l for entering sports industry: High opportunity in sports events and passion for sports

Key Challenges l

for company: Environmental challenges (low industry support) and Monetary Challenges (high break even period)

Challenges l

for sports start-ups in general: Monetary challenges and High Cricket Dependence

Feedback on government's role: Positive (High support from AIFF and AFI) l Key details: Years in operation: 2 l Number of employees: 10 l Geographical spread: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, London, and Dubai l
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
LIBERO Sports
Libero Sports India is unique in that it is the first and the only strategic football consultancy in the country. The group has pioneered concepts in strategic consultancy for organizations such as Conscient Football (Haryana), SESA Football Academy (Goa) and Soccerex in addition to providing opportunities for international and local Indian players looking to play at the highest levels in the Indian professional football circuit with its Player Representation department. Libero Sports India is based out of Gurgaon and serves as a subsidiary of Libero Sports Asia. The group provides an in-country base for Libero Sports operations and primarily focuses on consulting, sponsorship packaging and player representation for Indian football. Their parent group, Libero sports International is, one of the biggest, sports player management company representing over 65 sports personalities from 4 continents across the world. It has global headquarters in Chicago with offices in 4 countries. They have an extremely competent partners comprising of experts in Legal, Investment, Travel, Coaching having combined 50+ years of experience in sports and resource management. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To pioneer and shape the football industry in India;" l Key products/services: "Consulting and Player representation" l Most profitable function: Player representation l Competition: IMG, WMG l Unique proposition: "First and leading football consultancy in India" l Focus sports: Football l Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Passion for sports l Key Challenges l support) for company: Environmental challenges (low industry

36

Challenges l

for sports start-ups in general: Absence of proper

ecosystem/support
l Feedback on government's role: Negative (Hinders development in Sports)

Key details:
l Years in operation: 4 l Number of employees: 7

Geographical spread: Country wide projects; Based out of Gurgaon office. l

IOS sports
Founded in early 2005, IOS is India's leading Sports & Entertainment Company, dedicated towards building and managing world class talent, infrastructure and content. The company is based out of Delhi and has offices across major cities in India. Having executed several challenging assignments across a broad spectrum of sports and entertainment properties at both the national and the international level, they are a positioned as one stop agency for the development and management of a diverse portfolio of sports and entertainment properties. While sports have remained the company's core competence, they have moved towards expanding their portfolio of entertainment services in music, fashion, motion pictures and performing arts. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To be the number one sports and entertainment company in India" l Key products/services: "Talent Management, Consulting and Marketing, PR l and Media, Event Management" Most profitable function: Talent Management l Competition: Percept, Kwan, Rhiti Sports, Wizcraft, DNA, etc. l Unique proposition: "Diversity and Range of services offered" l Focus sports: All sports. l
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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Passion for sports l Key l Challenges for company: Monetary Challenges, Low/inadequate

customer base Challenges l for sports start-ups in general: High Cricket Dependence,

Regulatory barriers (sports bodies, industry, govt), and Absence of Industry/ecosystem. Feedback on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution) l Key details: Years in operation: 9 l Number of employees: 20 l Geographical l London spread: International- New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore,

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TENVIC sports
Bangalore based Tenvic started as a professional sports consulting company to play a role in transforming the sporting culture in India. Tenvic provides services under three verticals- Grassroots sport in schools, Lessons from sports, and Insights for brands in sports. Co-founded by Anil Kumble, Tenvic believes that more and more kids in India need to be brought back to sports. So, there is lot of scope in grassroots activities and developing suitable training content so that young talent can reap benefits. Business fundamentals: Vision: l Key l "To use sport to drive success for individuals in any field - 'To ENsure VICtory'. To positively impact the life of people in and through sport."

products/services: "Grassroots sports coaching, Creation and deployment of learning programs for corporate organizations through sport, Sportsperson mentoring - mind coaching and attitudinal training, Branding and sport -Insights for brands."

Most profitable function: Grassroots coaching l Competition: l Sportsmechanics, SPT Sports, Edusports, Leapstart, Sportzconsult, Sportsnest, KOOH, Sports Gurukul

Unique proposition: "Total use of the power of sports (from youth coaching l to corporate programs), Innovative offerings, Partner tie-ups" Focus sports: All sports. l Company speak: Top reason for entering sports industry: Opportunity to create impact and l Passion for sports Key Challenges for company: Operational challenges (scaling up) l Challenges l for sports start-ups in general: Lack of sports focus and Absence of Industry/ecosystem.

Feedback on government's role: Positive (Good contribution) l Key details: Years in operation: 3 l Number of employees: 80 l Geographical l spread: International- Country wide operations; Offices in Bangalore and Delhi
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Fans on Stands Sports Pvt. Ltd.
Fans on stands (or FOSS as they like to call themselves) is one of the early movers in sports tourism in India. It was founded in 2009 with a team having 85 man years across travel, sports, advertising, marketing and consulting. They promise unique sporting experiences across the globe and currently it boasts of a portfolio as varied as MotoGP to Formula One to IPL. Unlike other start-ups in the sports service sector, they broke even in the first year itself and they are going from strength to strength ever since. With time, they have diversified into sports hospitality packages, sports themed events and experiences and sports tourism. Their aim to be a leading provider of sports based experiences to Indian audiences. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To be a leading provider of sports based experiences to Indian audiences"

Key products/services: l

"Sports hospitality packages, sports themed events and experiences, sports tourism"

Unique proposition: "Money can't buy" sporting experiences l Focus sports: Cricket, football, tennis, golf, motorsports l Competition: Other sports and travel agencies l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Passion for sports l Challenges: Just like any other business l Reasons for success: Technical capabilities l Challenges for other sports start-ups: Lack of sports focus and dependence l on cricket Feedback on government's role: Neutral l Key details: Years in operation: 4 l Number of employees: 10 l Geographical l
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spread: 2 offices (Mumbai, Bengaluru) + liaison office

(London)

Great Sports Infra Pvt. Ltd

Great Sports Infra has been in the sports infrastructure business for the last 9 years. They promise next-generation artificial grass for sports and landscaping, synthetic athletic running tracks, acrylic hard-courts, indoor sports flooring, interlocking sports tiles, sports turf conditioning system for cricket & golf. They started out with supply & Installation of artificial grass products with just three employees. Now, they presently have over 4,500 clients in multiple products and services in India and neighbouring countries, including FIA, FIH and other sports bodies, clocking annual revenues of Rs. 16.7 crores. The founding team saw a big opportunity to create impact at its inception, with no other prominent player in this field at that time. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To be a leading provider of sports based experiences to Indian audiences"

Key products/services: "Turnkey execution of sports infrastructure projects l across Artificial Grass, Synthetic sports surfaces, turf conditioning technology etc." Unique l proposition: "New-generation technology offering faster ROI with multi-sport and multi-purpose facilities"

Focus sports: All sports l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Big opportunity l Challenges: Monetary l Reasons for success: Technical capabilities l Challenges for other sports start-ups: Lack of sports focus l Best time to start a sports business in India: 5-10 years from now l Feedback on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution) l Key details: Years in operation: 9 l Number of employees: 34 l Geographical spread: Presence in 14 cities across India l
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Sportskeeda
Sportskeeda is the largest All Sports website in Asia, covering news and opinions about over 50 sports. It has a footprint of over 2.5 million readers every month, with a vision to be the largest online Sports Community. It boasts of some of the best Sports writers in the world, while unearthing their worthy successors from its fan base everyday through crowd-sourcing. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To be a comprehensive digital resource for any sports fan while providing highly personalized engagement"

Key products/services: "Online sports content platform l Revenue stream: "Advertising , Sponsorship, Content Syndication" l Unique l proposition: "Broadest spread of crowd-sourced content, Customizable user experience , Product focussed - relevant web technology "

Focus sports: All sports l Competition: l Bleacherreport.com , Goal.com , Cricinfo.com , Givemesport.com

Company speak: Reason l for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create an impact and passion for sports

Challenges: Low/inadequate customer base l Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general, absence of Industry/ecosystem

Best time to start a sports business in India: 5-10 years from now l Feedback on government's role: Neutral (Not much contribution) l Key details: Years in operation: 1.5 l Number of employees: 35 l Geographical l
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spread: Office in Bangalore. 70% internet traffic from Indian

metros

Sequoia Fitness and Sports Technology (I) Pvt. Ltd (Fitness365):

Fitness 365 fitness programs for schools are aimed at improving the physical and motor fitness levels of children. Its founding team is composed of MBAs and venture capitalists, with prior experience of working with big sporting events. Fitness365 was built with an objective to: a. Widen the concept of 'Fitness and Sports for All' b. Promote Fitness as 365 days a year activity. c. Improve fitness levels of children over a period of time through a series of Motor and Physical Fitness Assessments, and round the year focus on Funbased Physical Activities, Nutrition and Mental Fitness. d. Align with the national education policies of providing quality fitness and sports program in schools. e. Reward and Recognition Programs at National and State levels to felicitate Top Talent, and move them to specific Sports Programs. Fitness365 was started with a capital of Rs. 1.1 cr and they aim to breakeven in4-5 years. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To Improve the Fitness Levels of Students across the country through l Research and Innovation in Fitness and Sports." Key products/services: l o 1. Full Year During School Physical Education Program (PEP365) Mandatory for all Children o 2. Full Year After School Sports and Fitness Program (SportsFit) - Opt In Program for School and Neighbourhood Children o 3. 3-times Assessment of Fitness and Sports Skills in a Year (3A) Mandatory for all Children o 4. Spaces for Sports i.e. Sports Infrastructure and Equipments (S4S)
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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

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Revenue stream: Full Year Physical Education Program (PEP365) in schools l Unique l proposition: "India's first Fitness and Sports Assessment, Intervention and Monitoring (AIM) Program for School Children from Prenursery upto Class XII"

Focus l

sports: Full Year Physical Education Program includes structured methodology, curriculum, assessment and monitoring using different sports

Competition: l

Sports and Physical Education (complete school): Edusports | Leisure and Fun (early years): Jumpbunch

Company speak: Reason l for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create an impact and passion for sports

Challenges: Monetary challenges; Operational (Scaling up/manpower etc) l Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution, technical capabilities l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general; Monetary challenges; Absence of Industry/ecosystem

Feedback on government's role: Negative l Key details: Years in operation: 3 l Number of employees: 20 l Geographical l Gurgaon. spread: Delhi, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, Haryana. Office in

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ISTeC Pvt Ltd - International Sports Turf Engineering Consultants

ISTEC is composed of international sports turf consultants across the UK and India. ISTeC's consultants have undertaken a broad and diverse range of international sports projects - Including the 2012 London Olympic Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games, as well as working with major sports clubs in varying disciplines and on various continents. Their team has almost 3 decades of experience, covering all aspects of sports surfaces for a broad range of sports. Our expertise encompasses all project stages, from inception and feasibility to agronomy, management and troubleshooting. Business fundamentals: Vision: To become the best consultancy for sports surfaces in India l Key products/services: Sports turf consultancy l Unique proposition: Bringing international standards to Indian sports l Focus sports: All sports l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Consulting background l Challenges: Monetary challenges; Operational (Scaling up/manpower etc) l Reasons for success: Perseverance, technical capabilities l Challenges for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general l Feedback on government's role: Negative. But, AIFF has been encouraging l Key details: Years in operation: 3 l Number of employees: 6 l Geographical spread: Chennai/Pune/Gujarat l
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Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
India on Track (IOT)
India on Track was founded by management consultants and MBAs to provide quality sports training at the grassroots. Their CEO was in sports management for the last 4 years and was the COO of Commune Sports which manages ICC, FIH (International Hockey Federation) and Mumbai Indians. It has recently partnered with Arsenal FC to open Arsenal Soccer Schools across India. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To instil core ideas of self-belief and focus in the youth of our country through sports. We are committed to identifying and nurturing talent across the country through grassroots and specialized training programmes, Centres of Excellence and talent scouting camps."

Key products/services: Grassroots sports development l Revenue stream: Subscription from academies l Unique l proposition: "Providing best-in-class age appropriate training throughout the year in a sustained fashion"

Focus sports: Football l Competition: Academies business is very fragmented in India. Various onel off academies are our competitors. Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Passion for sports l Challenges: Environmental challenges (industry support) l Reasons for success: Perseverance, technical capabilities l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general; Absence of Industry/ecosystem

Feedback on government's role: Neutral l Key details: Years in operation: 1 l Number of employees: 16 l
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Geographical spread: Mumbai & Delhi l

Live Your Sport Retail Pvt Ltd

(Website: www.liveyoursport.com) Live Your Sport was started with a realization that those who play and love sports in India deserved a committed, focused one-stop services and solution centre that is designed to meet their every need. The founding team consists of professional athletes and IT consultants. Started with a capital of Rs. 7 lakh, it aims to breakeven in the first year itself. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To be a sports superstore and the world's most consumer centric sports company"

Key products/services: Sports retail l Revenue streams: 1) Ecommerce Platform 2) Bulk Institutional sales 3) Sports l Infrastructure development Unique proposition: l o 1) A one stop solution: get anything in sport under 1 roof - one of the largest database of products in India o 2) In depth knowledge of sport, fitness and health o 3) All members of team under 30 years which a firsthand experience and knowledge in sports" Focus sports: All sports l Competition: Many small retail companies and a few online players l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create impact l Challenges: Monetary challenges; Operational (Scaling up/manpower etc) l Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general; Absence of Industry/ecosystem

Feedback on government's role: Neutral l Key details: Years in operation: 1 l Number of employees: 7 l Geographical spread: Mumbai and Bangalore l
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Sportzcraft Inc.
Sportzcraft manages shooting ranges and takes care of training of school kids as well. Presently, they have set-up a couple of shooting ranges in Delhi, catering to serious enthusiasts as well as the leisure shooter. One of the founders, Mr. Sethi, has been associated with the shooting for the past 40 years. Training, the major revenue earner for the company, is provided by expert coaches certified by the NRAI. Rules and regulations laid down by International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) are strictly followed in the ranges so that the students can be developed into world class shooters. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To promote the shooting sports at the grass-root level by providing infrastructure and manpower support"

Key products/services: Cost effective setup and effective management of 10 l M Shooting Ranges Revenue streams: Training l Unique l proposition: "The only company in India with complete technical expertise for the setup and management of shooting ranges"

Focus sports: 10M Shooting l Competition: None l Company speak: Reason l for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create impact and passion for sports Environmental challenges (industry support); monetary

Challenges: l challenges

Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution, technical capabilities l Challenges for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general; Cricket l dependence; Absence of Industry/ecosystem Feedback l on government's role: Positive moral support and encouragement from NRAI and DSRA

Key details: Years in operation: 1.5 l Number of employees: 6 l

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Geographical spread: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand l

Life is Calling Sports Management Pvt. Ltd

Life is calling is a sports event management start-up with a major focus on endurance events. It currently manages and organizes running and cycling events. It was born from the simple idea that sports and fitness can be game changers and the society needs this now more than ever. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To conduct exclusive sporting events to promote good health, raise funds for communities and provide"

Key products/services: l

Organizing running and cycling events in multiple cities right now in Karnataka state

Revenue streams: 10 km running events, sponsorship l Unique l proposition: "The only company in India with complete technical expertise for the setup and management of shooting ranges"

Focus sports: Running and Cycling l Competition: Procam, Runners for Life l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create impact l Challenges: Monetary challenges; Operational (Scaling up/manpower etc) l Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general; Monetary challenges;

Feedback l

on government's role: Support from the traffic police and city administration to conduct events

Key details: Years in operation: 2 l Number of employees: 2 l Geographical l spread: Base in Bangalore; conducted events at Mysore, Bangalore and Mangalore in the state of Karnataka.
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Repucom
Repucom is a worldwide sports marketing research firm that works with rights holders, brands and broadcasters to add value to clients. It acquired companies in Europe and USA as a form of expanding into more mature markets. Its client roster includes FIFA, NFL NHL, MLB among a whole host of others, alongside sponsors and broadcasters worldwide.It has a footprint in 22 countries and has plans to invest and grow further in the future. Business fundamentals: Vision: l "To achieve world-wide leadership in Sports and Entertainment

research" Key products/services: World's largest research company l Revenue streams: Sports and Media Research l Unique l proposition: "Not aligned to any major corporation and

independent;; value delivered across other countries Focus sports: All sports l Competition: TAM Sports product l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Opportunity to create impact l Challenges: Low/inadequate customer base;Monetary challenges l Reasons for success: Technical capabilities, idea and execution l Challenges for sports start-ups in India: Dependence on cricket l Feedback on government's role: Neutral l Key details: Years in operation: 5 l Geographical spread: Bangalore l
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Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation

Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation is the brainchild of Gagan Narang, ace shooter and Olympic bronze medallist. The foundation is established to support and enhance sports and to churn sporting heroes out of ordinary individuals. At the heart of this foundation is a shooting academy, named 'Gun for Glory', based in Pune. It promises to be a global shooting academy, bringing to India a standard higher than ever before. It has few of the best coaches in World shooting today and a gunsmith to make customised grips. It also offers course modules for individuals aspiring to become coaches, as well as advanced training for existing coaches. Business fundamentals: Vision: "To make shooting India's most accessible and mainstream sport" l Key products/services: l Disciplines) Revenue streams: Coaching and ancillary services l Unique l proposition: "One of its kind academy with international coaches and world class infrastructure with all facilities under one roof" Coaching and Training for the sport of shooting (All

Focus sports: Shooting (Olympic disciplines) l Competition: None l Company speak: Reason l for entering sports industry: To ensure promotion of the shooting sport in the country

Challenges: Monetary challenges l Reasons for success: Idea and execution l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general, Monetary challenges

Feedback on government's role: Moral support from NRAI l Key details: Years in operation: 2 l Number of employees: 18 l Geographical spread: Pune l
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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Edusports
Edusports was founded by a group of passionate sports enthusiasts, with a vision of having fitter and more active school children. It works with schools to implement a best-in-class Physical Education & Sports programme. The programme is designed to offer the same rigor in sports and physical education as in academics. This ensures the children learn holistically through physical activity and sports in addition to helping children improve their health and fitness levels dramatically. It has been hugely successful in transforming school PE activities, with a presence in 82 cities, and has won multiple entrepreneurship awards. Building blocks of the Edusports program: 1. An age-appropriate & inclusive sports/PE curriculum l 2. Props & Equipment to run the curriculum l 3. Trained instructors to deliver the curriculum on the ground l 4. Technology based platform to monitor the programme performance l 5. Periodic assessments to monitor the changes in each and every child l 6. Stakeholder connects & trainings (teachers, parents, school leaders)" l Business fundamentals: Vision: "Building a healthier and fitter generation of kids through the magic of l physical activity & sports" Key products/services: School sports programme having : l o 1. Age-appropriated, structured Curriculum & Tools(suited for Indian context) o 2. Detailed Assessments o 3. Reporting and monitoring system o 4. Age-appropriate props and equipment support o 5. Resource/Training Support

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o 6. Other add-on modules like Infrastructure consulting etc

Revenue streams: Physical Education & School Sports Services l Unique l proposition: "The uniqueness of the EduSports innovation is the

seamless manner in which all the different components (which were not unique in themselves) are integrated together (for the 1st time ever) to help children in schools become healthier & fitter via the medium of sports/physical education." Focus sports: Age appropriate sports approach: l o Pre-School: Focus on fundamental skills o Primary schools: Introductory sports skills(covers Football, Basketball, Cricket, Touch-rugby, Volleyball, Athletics) o Middle school: Sport based(covers Football, Basketball, Cricket, Volleyball, Athletics) Competition: Leapstart, KOOH, Jumpbunch, SportyBeans l Company speak: Reason for entering sports industry : Passion for sports l Challenges: l Environmental challenges (industry support); Operational

(Scaling up/manpower etc) Reasons for success: Perseverance, idea and execution l Challenges l for sports start-ups in India: Absence of Industry/ecosystem;

Monetary challenges; Feedback on government's role: Neutral l Key details: Years in operation: 5 l Number of employees: 350 l Geographical l Bangalore
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spread: 82 cities with at least 1 school in each city. Office in

Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas
Fitkids Education & Training
Developed by Fitkids, Leapstart is a unique K-12 grass-root level sports education program, delivering comprehensive turnkey physical education solution to schools. The founding team led by Dev Roy, consisted of sports enthusiasts and business school graduates, realized that investment in training teachers on the school payrolls offer limited return due to high faculty attrition and lateral movement. Hence, in order to deliver a consistent high quality product, they realized that there is a need to control the entire value chain starting at curriculum development, product design, professional development, in-school delivery, and student assessment. The program was developed in partnership with SPARK, a US based Physical Education program, which has a footprint in over 1,000 schools across 30 countries which reaches to almost 1 million students. Over the years through interactions with key decision makers in the school, parents, educations, industry experts and children has brought to light a larger and more systemic problem. The education system is not equipping our children with 21st century skills such as self-expression, risk-taking, lateral and critical thinking etc. and to compete in a global world. As a consequence Fitkids is working on creating a suite of supplemental learning solutions which include dance education, STEM, robotics, career counselling etc. Business fundamentals: Vision: To be the teacher, partner and employer of choice l Key products/services: l LeapStart (K-12 grassroots level sports education

program), GAIT (Dance education program) Revenue l streams: 90% of revenues from Leapstart at present. Future

products such as dance education, STEM, robotics, career counselling etc. are expected to contribute ~30% of turnover by 2016. Unique proposition: l o Turnkey solution - fully integrated right from product development, curriculum, trainer, equipment, assessment and competitive sport
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o Carefully crafted age-appropriate learning solutions based on outcomes required for various age-groups including Early Childhood, K-2, 3-6 and 712 o High quality individualized equipment o Lowest child to trainer ratio in the industry o High quality trainers o Year-round competitive national tournaments across four sports (badminton, cricket, football and basketball)
l Focus

sports: Balancing conventional sports like football, cricket and

basketball, with new sports such as tennis, hockey, swimming, archery, korfball, broomball, golf, ultimate frisbee, handball, softball, badminton and volleyball etc.
l Competition: Edusports, Kids Out of Home, JumpBunch, and Sports Mentor

Company speak:
l Reason for entering sports industry : Passion for sports l Challenges: Operational (Scaling up/manpower etc) l Reasons for success: Technical capabilities, idea and execution l Challenges

for sports start-ups in India: Lack of sports focus in general,

Dependence on cricket
l Feedback on government's role: Neutral

Key details:
l Years in operation: 3 l Number of employees: 350 l Geographical

spread: Headoffice located in Bangalore with presence in 33

cities across 12 states

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Best

Sports Start-ups Businesses in India

25Ideas

Credits
FICCI Secretariat:
Rajpal Singh, Director and Head, Youth Affairs and Sports l
l Khushboo Luthra, Assistant Director l Amit Mantri, Research Associate

Dextra Sports Team:

l Prateek Karmakar, Founder l Vaibhav Pandey, Co-Founder l Tashi Dorjey, Co-Founder

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Pratik Karmakar/Vaibhav Pandey

Founder & Co-Founder C-44/G Freedom Fighter Enclave, Saket New Delhi - 110030 E: vaibhav@dextrasport.in/pratik@dextrasport.in W: www.dextrasport.in M: +91-8802631602/9873921765

Director & Head Sports and Youth Affairs FICCI Industry's Voice for Policy Change Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi- 110001 T: +91-11-23487400, F: +91-11-23320714 E: rajpal.singh@ficci.com W: www.ficci.com

Rajpal Singh