Centre Court Capital closes maiden fund at Rs 410 crore

Centre Court Capital — a sports-focused venture fund backed by JSW Group’s Parth Jindal — has closed its first fund at ₹410 crore, higher than its original goal of ₹350 crore.

The fund plans to make 15–18 investments, putting in ₹8–24 crore each to support startups in sports, fitness, wellness, and social gaming. It will also invest again in later funding rounds.

The fund is also backed by Indian institutional investors like Sidbi and SRI, as well as family offices such as Premji Invest, SanRaj Group and GMR Sports. Several Indian athletes and startup founders — including Neeraj Chopra, Rishabh Pant, PV Sindhu, Jemimah Rodrigues, Binny Bansal, Mithun Sacheti and Ankit Nagori — have also invested.

Read also- Koriken raises Rs 4 crore in seed round from Rukam Capital

Founder and general partner Mustafa Ghouse said the strong investor interest shows a major shift in how Indians train, play, watch and earn from sports. Ghouse, a former tennis player, previously served as the chief operating officer of JSW Sports before turning to venture capital.

“Globally, this (sports tech) is not new; dozens of dedicated funds exist and have done very well. India may be 15-20 years behind in some areas, but we believe we will scale faster because of macro trends,” Ghouse said.

The fund has already invested in six companies and plans to grow and strengthen its portfolio over the next two years.

Ghouse said many experienced founders — including second-time entrepreneurs and former senior executives from successful startups — are now choosing to build in sports tech, and the firm is actively talking to them.

Advertisment

Ghouse, who has also handled acquisitions and operations for teams in the IPL, ISL and PKL, added that with India set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and aiming for the 2036 Olympics, sports tech is gaining huge momentum. “It’s the right time to build in this sector,” he said.

The firm also noted that digital gaming continues to be a multibillion-dollar opportunity, growing strongly each year thanks to wider mobile use and better monetisation.

Want to go deeper into the world of startups and entrepreneurship? Check out these categories on VIESTORIES:

Latest Business and Startup News: Discover Funding Trends and Stories Shaping Indian Startups.

Startup Funding News: Your Gateway to Every Funding Update.

Latest Startup News: Stay updated with the latest startup news and trends. Your go-to source for startup ecosystem updates.

Startup Stories: Discover inspiring tales of startups overcoming challenges, and achieving success.

Advertisment