Sourjyendu Medda, the co-founder of social commerce giant DealShare, has ventured into the sports-tech sector with his new startup, Sports For Life. This Bengaluru-based venture aims to invest in and support the sports ecosystem across India by providing athletes with the resources necessary to excel and elevate the overall standard of sports in the country.
Sports For Life recently completed a seed funding round, raising Rs 9.5 crore from individual investors and early-stage venture capital firm Roots Ventures. The funds were secured through the issuance of 3,000 Seed CCPS, according to regulatory filings.
Roots Ventures led the round with a Rs 5 crore investment, followed by contributions from ML Tondon and Sons HUF (Rs 3 crore) and Blume Ventures (Rs 1 crore). Additional investments were made by Kunal Shah’s QED Innovation and Himanshu Arora. With this latest funding, Roots Ventures has emerged as the largest external shareholder, holding a 12.08% stake, while Medda and his co-founder Armaan Tandon collectively retain 66.83% ownership.
Sports For Life is focused on investing in sports academies throughout India, positioning itself as a key player in developing the country’s sports infrastructure. Through strategic investments, the startup aims to enhance training facilities, provide cutting-edge sports technology, and improve coaching standards, ultimately fostering athletic growth and development in India.
Medda, who stepped down from DealShare in January, has partnered with Armaan Tandon, a former data and operations analyst at Cartesian, to lead Sports For Life. Together, they are committed to building a sustainable sports ecosystem that benefits both budding and professional athletes.
This launch is part of a broader trend in 2024, where several prominent startup founders, including Ashneer Grover (ZeroPe), Binny Bansal (OppDoor), and Mukesh Bansal (Lyskraft, Nurix AI), have unveiled new ventures that are already attracting significant investor attention. Medda’s foray into sports tech with Sports For Life signals a growing interest in leveraging technology and funding to accelerate India’s athletic potential.
