Exclusive: WestBridge Cofounder KP Balaraj Backs SportsSkill

Sportstech startup SportsSkill has roped in WestBridge Capital’s cofounder KP Balaraj as investor.

Although the company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but said that the fresh proceeds will be deployed to increase efficiency of its application and expand its outreach across schools and training centres. 

Founded in 2021 by Abhinav Sinha and Chetan Desai, SportsSkill offers a subscription-based platform to sports-enthusiasts to analyse and track their performances and connect with coaches. Sinha is associated with Squash for a long time and Desai is a senior Tennis player. 

Sinha said, “KP’s funding is not just about the amount secured but also about his experience and background…He was guiding us initially and now finally he is putting money in SportsSkill and sportstech domain which validates that this sector could be the next big thing.”

“The main focus for us is to increase the number with this current funding and we are also developing our tech efficiency. Our focus out of this funding is to capture a bigger market and we will be looking at the next round soon,” he added. 

The startup is planning to raise another funding round in the coming six months and looking for global tie ups next year, Inc42 has learnt. 

SportsSkill provides services such as skill and performance tracking, goal setting, progress monitoring with charts and graphs, rest and recovery tracking, connecting with other players, leaderboards and coach management. It claims to use data-driven technology to streamline player-coach management and multi-facility operations. 

Previously, Balaraj was the cofounder and managing director of WestBridge Capital and served the investment firm for more than two decades. 

In June last year, KP Balaraj backed Gamified stock trading platform Trading Leagues. The startup raised $3.5 Mn as part of its Pre-Series A funding round led by Leo Capital.

In 2022, he backed Direct-to-consumer (D2C) startup Bajo Foods which raised $2 Mn in a fresh funding round led by Mount Judi Ventures. 

The development comes at a time when the sportstech space is getting attention from both entrepreneurs and investors. Recently, the former cofounder of ecommerce platform Dealshare, Sourjyendu Medda is said to have floated a new venture, Sports For Life (SFL). The startup aims to create a “lasting impact on India’s sporting culture” by assisting sports academies across India. 

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