3 days ago
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.
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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.
