Latest news with #KhiladiPro


Economic Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Sports tech startup KhiladiPro raises $1 million in round led by Shastra VC, MGA Ventures
Sports tech startup KhiladiPro has raised $1 million in a funding round led by early-stage funds Shastra VC and MGA Ventures. The round also saw participation from angel funds will be used for developing its proprietary AI models, expanding its reach in domestic markets, and enhancing support systems for athletes. Founded in August 2023, the Bengaluru-based company provides standardised athletic assessments for children. The firm has over 60 AI models. Its flagship products include sports ability tests for badminton and cricket, the Khiladi Ability Index (KAI), which places all users on a unified rating scale, Olympiad for schools, and content play Khiladi Klub for high-potential youth athletes. It follows a transactional revenue model, charging a fee for each assessment conducted per child. 'Assessment is a key gap in the market. Around two crore children attend academies in the evenings, but there's no standard metric to track progress…So, assessments are crucial to provide a benchmark for all this time invested, helping kids understand where they truly stand,' cofounder and chief executive Utkarsh Yadav told ET. According to the firm, India's sports technology market is projected to reach $1,479 million by 2033. Over the past four months, KhiladiPro has partnered with around 75 to 80 academies, reaching about 40,000 students. The platform is currently carrying out between 2,000 and 3,000 assessments each plans to complete 200,000 assessments by the end of the current financial year, while also broadening its range of sports to cofounder Nirav Shah, the company is receiving inbound interest from international markets and is now exploring expansion into Australia and the UAE.'There are many sports tech companies using hardware sensors to track physical movements or biomarkers, but no one has been able to achieve the level of accuracy we have using just mobile devices and visual AI,' said Shah, noting that this is a widespread sports tech sector has seen increasing interest from investors due to its potential for innovation and growth. Last year in October, Str8bat raised $3.5 million in a funding round led by Exfinity Venture May 2024, Stupa Sports Analytics raised Rs 28 crore in a funding round led by Centre Court Capital and Peer Capital, while in February last year, SportVot raised Rs 9.4 crore in funding led by Omidyar Network India.


Entrepreneur
30-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Shastra VC and MGA Ventures Lead USD 1 Mn Investment in Sports Tech Startup KhiladiPro
The capital infusion will be used to scale KPro's proprietary AI technology, expand its domestic footprint, and strengthen support systems for young athletes across India. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. KhiladiPro (KPro), the Bengaluru-based Visual AI sports tech startup, has raised USD 1 million in a funding round led by Shastra VC and MGA Ventures. The round also saw participation from notable investors including M Pallonji, Jeena & Co., Ayaz Billawala, Nimesh Kampani, and Jaimin Bhat, former CFO of Kotak Bank. The capital infusion will be used to scale KPro's proprietary AI technology, expand its domestic footprint, and strengthen support systems for young athletes across India. Founded in August 2023 by Utkarsh Yadav, KPro is on a mission to democratise athletic talent discovery and youth fitness development using cutting-edge Visual AI. "This funding validates our mission to make world-class sports science and coaching accessible to every child in India on their smartphones, regardless of geography or background," said Yadav. "We're empowering current and future generations of khiladis to chase their sporting dreams." KPro's offerings include AI-driven sports ability tests for cricket and badminton, the Khiladi Ability Index (KAI)—India's first AI benchmark for youth fitness—KPro Olympiad for schools, and Khiladi Klub for high-potential youth. These tools allow mobile-based, standardised assessments that generate expert-level insights and personalized video feedback. Built on global fitness frameworks like Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), KPro enables early talent identification and structured athletic growth. With over 56 proprietary AI models developed in-house and collaborations with major sports associations such as Karnataka Badminton Association and the Handball Association of India, KPro aims to conduct 200,000 assessments by 2025. Its inclusive 6-pincode marketing strategy targets outreach in India's underserved Tier III and IV towns, aligning closely with national initiatives like Khelo India and the 2036 Olympic vision. Investor Jay Desai of MGA Ventures highlighted, "KhiladiPro represents the rare confluence of deep-tech innovation and social impact. It's one of the most exciting early-stage ventures in India's sports-tech space." Now poised for international expansion to Australia and the UAE, KPro is not just redefining youth fitness—it's laying the foundation for India's Olympic future through technology, inclusion, and purpose-driven innovation.