Bipul Kumar, Founder, Tatsam Sports Pvt. Ltd on building a 360 degree Sports Enterprise

In India “Cricket is a Religion”, which is all very good but what about the other sports? India has a host of talented sports persons but the ecosystem to support and nurture them is nonexistent. Fulfilling this gap in Indian sports is the business idea that Bipul Kumar has manifested in his startup, Tatsam sports.Bipul has just completed his MBA from IMT Ghaziabad and is the proverbial example of an entrepreneur who chose to pursue his passion over other things. In conversation with YourStory, Bipul shares his entrepreneurial journey so far and gives us an insight into Tatsam Sports.

Tell us about Tatsam Sports?

Tatsam sports is an end to end sports solution company with an expertise in Sports consulting, Sports infrastructure planning and development, Sports training & support, equipments supply & installation and Sports events. Right from diagnosis to providing the customized solution to the clients, Tatsam takes a 360 degree approach. From sportsmen to educational institutes, from government bodies to business houses, we have services and solutions for all stakeholders in the sports field. With global partners and a big team of experts from all the areas of sports, Tatsam caters to the whole value chain of the sports ecosystem. We promise to deliver a holistic, unique and completely synchronized solution which meets all the pertinent requirements of our clients.

Reason behind the launch of Tatsam Sports?

First let me share what I believe are the reasons for India’s poor performance in sports:

?     Poor sports infrastructure

?     Lack of scientific training methods and support mechanism for players

?     Lack of latest equipments and technology

Tatsam Sports is an effort towards building a sustainable sports ecosystem in India by strengthening the three pillars of the ecosystem viz. sports infrastructure, training and support and equipments, thus solving the above three problems. The scope is huge as we are working with schools/colleges, Government bodies, sports persons, other businesses and individuals.

Business Differentiators

Ours is a unique pedagogy through which we are bringing best in class solutions to our clients- a first in our industry. By bringing the best practices around the world to India, we are providing a platform to the Indian sports ecosystem to get the world class training, equipments and surfaces thus enabling a better and competitive ecosystem. This will eventually help in improved performance of Indian sportspersons and a change in level of acceptance for sports as a career in the Indian society.

What do you need to do in order to level up in your segment?

We are focusing on building a strong team, defining the processes clearly and moving forward with a vision. Innovation is the key for us when it comes to processes. We are trying to organize a sector which is largely unorganized and would like to keep doing that to maintain the competitive advantage. We are strengthening each of our five verticals. We will scale up by acquiring more clients and offering best in class services and solutions. As India’s first integrated sports solution company, we are working on bringing the world’s best services and solutions to India and help in promoting sports at the grass root level.

What made you become an entrepreneur, was it a practical decision or a passionate one?

It was a passion that turned into a business for me. I have always been actively involved in sports. Identifying the problems at the grass root level, I decided to work towards strengthening the sports ecosystem in India. I started researching on it in 2007 and the plan got refined during my MBA at IMT Ghaziabad. I finally decided to opt out of placements and focus completely on the venture.

Its still early days for Tatsam,but any challenges that you had to deal with?

Sports industry is largely unorganized. The biggest challenge has been to convince the stakeholders to take a different approach towards the industry. We had to educate the market. We have overcome it by defining our processes clearly and working collaboratively with our partners and clients to implement them.

What is the reason behind your great start and fast growth?

We have acquired a client base of nine, including a government of India body in a short span of two months. We have been growing steadily and our partners and clients have shown great trust in us. We are determined to provide the best in class services and solutions to our clients. We have sixteen employees and three branches.

Acknowledgements,  Recognitions in the market for Tatsam?

Tatsam sports have been recognized as one of the top 30 promising startups in India by NEN first dot. We have been showcased during the orientation week at IMT Ghaziabad. We have also received accolades for our CSR activity in association with IMT Ghaziabad in which we have adopted sixteen underprivileged children with a mission to transform them into successful sportspersons. Young E-leader award from NEN for promoting and supporting a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in campus.

What is your first priority as a company in 2011?

To become a partner of choice to our clients and deliver value to them.  In the process, grow with strong fundaments and ethics.

YourStory wishes Bipul a successful foray into the field of Indian sports. We hope to see “Tatsam” nurture and build many sporting careers and suggest you take a look at their work at http://tatsamsports.com/