Produced by: Tarun Mishar Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra made his foray into the start-up world with an investment in the regional streaming platform, Stage, which boasts over six million installs and a community of over 5.5 lakh paying subscribers. Let’s take a look at some other sports personalities of India, who have invested in the start-up ecosystem.
Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni, after his retirement, invested in start-ups like Shaka Harry and Garuda Aerospace in 2022, contributing to his current portfolio of seven start-ups.
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra initiated a venture capital fund in 2016, named Shooting Star LLP with an initial investment of Rs 16.5 crore, focusing on investing in start-ups and fostering entrepreneurship.
In 2015, Yuvraj Singh entered the start-up ecosystem with the launch of his investment firm, YouWeCan Ventures Technology LLP. The company aimed to invest over Rs 50 crore in online startups across healthcare, travel, hospitality, real estate, and media sectors over 3-5 years. YouWeCan has since invested in various start-ups, including Vyomo, Edukart, Cartisan, JetSetGo, Black White Orange Brands, Moovo, Healthians, Sports365, SportyBeans, and Carl’s Jr chain.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar diversified his start-up portfolio in 2022 by making an equity investment in cricket-focused non-fungible tokens (NFT) platform Rario, adding to his previous investments in start-ups like Smaaash Entertainment and Unacademy.
Star batter Virat Kohli has demonstrated faith in India’s start-up ecosystem by funding two direct-to-consumer (D2C) start-ups—Rage Coffee and Blue Tribe
Tennis player Mahesh Bhupati established Globosport, a sports marketing and celebrity management company, with notable achievements such as managing the commercial interests of tennis player Andy Murray.
Badminton star Saina Nehwal, along with consumer-centric fund Sixth Sense Ventures, has invested in Soothe Healthcare, a feminine hygiene healthcare platform manufacturing sanitary napkins under the brand 'Paree.
Indian cricketer KL Rahul has invested in two start-ups—XYXX, a men’s apparel startup, and MetaMan, a start-up specialising in men-focused brass, gold, and silver jewellery.
A glimpse into the diverse investments of Indian sports personalities in start-ups reflects their engagement in fostering entrepreneurship and contributing to the country's evolving start-up landscape.