These 4 women entrepreneurs are creating a level playing field in the world of sports
From encouraging girls to pursue various sports to taking sport beyond just entertainment, these women entrepreneurs are changing the game in the startup ecosystem.
Women are increasingly claiming their territory in areas patriarchy carved for men.
In the sports arena, we are seeing a number of women entrepreneurs exploring different fields and avenues. Women are not only making their mark as players but also building communities for others to excel.
Notably, this spans across professional sports like football, basketball, and cricket, among others. Here are four women-led startups that are making way for newer opportunities and perspectives in the world of sports in the country.
Surat City United
Eighteen-year-old Khushi Shah, who is a national level football player found it difficult to pursue the sport in her city Surat. When she was training to be a national-level football player, there were very few dedicated football academies in the city and most of the time, she would be the only girl in the field.
Here, she saw the opportunity to set her entrepreneurial dream into action by offering training and founded Surat City United in 2018 with her cousin Prem Shah.
Prior to starting up, she joined the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), travelling all the way to Mumbai for a 20-week long session conducted at The Cathedral and John Connon School on Saturdays.
She worked as the sole coach for the first eight months and was later joined by renowned coach Anwer Hans in November 2018.
Having trained over 250 players so far with its revenue crossing Rs 5 lakh, Khushi hopes to scale it further by increasing the number of batches, tying up with more schools and colleges, and ramping up its marketing efforts.
The Art of Sport
Consultant child psychologist Nupur Dhingra Paiva founded The Art of Sport in July 2016 with her husband Richard Paiva. The duo claims that it is not a sports academy but a responsive early intervention programme in emotions, feelings and physical development for girls aged between five and 17 years old, using sports and group therapy.
Consciously doing away with the competition, the sports startup encourages collaboration and playing for joy. In fact, each session is planned by child psychologists and licensed sports coaches.
The duo has said that they make the girls feel welcome, and teach the importance of being a team player through sports like football and basketball.
The players also go through a programme where the focus is on core conditioning, stamina, reaction drills, agility, team-building, listening and communication drills, an collaboration.
The startup operates from several venues like Chanakyapuri, Shanti Niketan, and Gurugram in Delhi and NCR.
SPORTIV
Founded by Geetha Karthik and Karthik Krishnasamy in 2017, SPORTIV is an online platform that connects athletes and players with potential sponsors, clubs, and academies.
Prior to starting up, the duo worked abroad and happened to see a district-level athletic event where some players ran barefoot or with worn-out shoes.
This led them to start SPORTIV to guide athletes towards good support systems and schemes available and connect them with other key stakeholders in the industry.
Incubated at PSG-Science and Technology Entrepreneurial Park (PSG-STEP) in Coimbatore in 2018, the platform helps aspirants and professional sports players to build their platform, listing the details of events participated, levels played, positions secured, and other achievements.
Comparing their record against districts, state, national, and international bests, and along with insights from various coaches, the athlete will gain a better understanding on how to refine their training process.
Power Sportz
Journalist Kanthi Suresh became an entrepreneur by founding app, a sports channel exclusive to OTT platforms.
Launched in May 2018 for both iOS and Android versions, Power Sportz looks at sport as a subject of discussion and debate rather than mere entertainment.
The startup is aimed at providing a platform for all stakeholders in the sporting ecosystem including athletes, coaches, support staff, or management who she refers to as the ‘voices of sports’.
Kanthi started off as an HR Manager at Reliance and Max Healthcare before becoming a TV journalist. A political journalist at Doordarshan in 2008, Kanthi was initiated into sports when she had to fill in for a fellow sports journalist during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan