Main Highlights
- Sporjo, a sports-focused online education, training, and employability firm said it has received $2 million in a pre-Series A round.
- The funds will be used to grow its product offerings, improve the product experience, scale its workforce, and drive pan-India and major international market expansion.
- Sporjo aspires to be a one-stop shop for those looking to establish a successful career in sports.
- Leander believes that having qualified professional teachers is critical and that Sporjo not only provides sports employment but also assesses individuals to guarantee the best match.
Sporjo, a sports-focused online education, training, and employability firm said today that it has received $2 million in a pre-Series A round led by private investor Punit Balan, Chairman, Punit Balan Group, and Punit Balan Studios, with participation from additional private investors.
The funds will be used to grow its product offerings, improve the product experience, scale its workforce, and drive pan-India and major international market expansion. Sporjo aspires to be a one-stop shop for those looking to establish a successful career in sports. Sporjo was formed in 2020 by G Srinivvasan, a sports business veteran with over 20 years of expertise, with the goal of creating an ecosystem of over 500,000 sports professionals by 2030.
“I realized there is a big gap between applicants and employers in the segment,” Srinivvasan added. Employers are overwhelmed by the volume of applications, yet candidates lack the necessary experience. They are passionate about sports and want to make it their career, but they haven’t been able to perfect the necessary skill sets.
Punit Balan explained why they invested in Sporjo, saying, “Our group has always supported sports, whether it is owning a franchise, a tennis premier league, a premier badminton league, or helping cricketers playing for the state and hoping to play for the country.” So, when Leander (Paes) brought us this proposition and introduced us to Srini, there was a common link to enhance sports professionals in India.”
Founding Sporjo
Srinivvasan said that most of us have been discouraged from pursuing athletics as a career, and Sporjo aims to change that. He has worked with ESPN, Nike, the BCCI, and Reliance, where he established the Indian Super League and oversaw all of Reliance’s sporting businesses.
“Having worked with a broadcaster, worldwide brand, one of the finest federations in the world, and even putting up a league in India,” he added, “I felt this vacuum needed to be filled.” He went on to say that his own trip taught him that there was no suitable spot to hone one’s sports career potential.
Many individuals are enthralled by sports. However, enthusiasm alone will not get you far in the sports world. It is a given for someone who wants to work in sports, but practical expertise anchored in reality is considerably more important for organizations employing in sports.
As a result, there must be a scientific, meritocratic, and objective method of evaluating Passion, Proficiency, and Personality in order to match the finest talent to the right jobs in the Sports sector.
Sporjo’s approach aims to determine an individual’s preparedness for jobs inside sports organizations and develop them toward not just a job, but also a career in sports. They believe in offering people that are 10-15% job ready to take on the rigors of the Sports sector and reducing lead time with our extensive database and rapid search engines for organizations.
What does Sporjo do?
The Sporjo team works with colleges, schools, and elite institutes in India, such as IITs and IIMs, to raise awareness of sports as a career choice, pastime, and interest. Srinivvasan stated that effort must be done at the grassroots level to make this achievable.
In these institutes, they have reached out to nearly 10,000 pupils. Sporjo’s concept is “Sporjo for life,” which indicates that no matter what stage of life you’re in, Sporjo has something to offer you in terms of a career in sports.
The business will provide educational goods for schools and universities. Working professionals will be trained with tailored modules to help them identify a path into a sports career where they are most likely to succeed. As a strategic advisor and board member, Leander Paes is an important part of this journey.
The tennis champion stated that it was critical for him to focus on community building as he transitioned from a professional tennis career to the world of business. Leander believes that having qualified professional teachers is critical and that Sporjo not only provides sports employment but also assesses individuals to guarantee the best match.
“We analyze them in-house, and we ask them questions and conduct interviews to identify their strengths and shortcomings. We next discuss which business line is the greatest fit for their skill set. This also aids in determining the type of organization they are most suited for. “I view Sporjo as a one-stop shop for sports jobs,” Leander said.
Leander emphasized that it is critical to convey these skills to a broader population. Punit concurred, adding that sports education in India needs a full revamp on a national scale, encompassing facilities and physical and mental endurance training. And it is here that Sporjo hopes to make a difference.
Punit stated that India has a wealth of skill in a variety of sports. He also stated that the epidemic has had an influence on the sports business, but that it is only a “limited phase.” “People will come in to watch matches, and now that India has won gold, silver, and bronze medals in the Olympics, the key question is how can we break through mindset barriers.” They wish to encourage all games and sports, which necessitates excellent training facilities, parent-teacher conferences, and much more. Sporjo is tearing down those walls.
