Sports startups are trying to change the game

Virat Kohli is not the only one shaping up for a scorching drive through the covers. A clutch of innovative startups, riding on the growing enthusiasm for sports in the country, are looking for ways to clear the boundary Kohli-style. Entrepreneurs -many of them former amateur sportspeople -are setting up new businesses ranging from etailing sports apparel to providing analytics to improve performance. As a student, Madhuvanthi A played everything from basketball to badminton, so it seemed natural she should turn sports entrepreneur at 33, after about a decade of working in tech, marketing and branding. Her company SlamdunQ has an app that can be downloaded on any wearable device, and provides inputs based on one's actions and performance to improve skills. Coaches monitor movement, such as the bowling action or the golf swing, remotely and provide inputs.Early this year, her startup won the Google Launchpad contest from a pool of 1,000 startups.

Another startup that analyses performance, Chennai-based Sports Mechanics, is also run by a former sportsperson, Subramanian Ramakrishnan, who worked in a tech company for years. “I wanted to bring together sports and technology . I started analyzing games and performances of players using videos and data,“ he says. Aarthi Sehwag and Anjali Tendulkar (both cricketers' wives) own 25% and 35% stake in the company , which counts BCCI, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers and Hockey India as clients.