#startupecosystem

The next big opportunity is infrastructure.

As AI-powered broadcasting, analytics, and OTT distribution become more accessible, investors are now backing companies building the foundational technology layer for grassroots and semi-professional sports ecosystems.

One of the latest examples is SportVot, the New Delhi-based sports-tech company that has raised ₹32.7 crore to expand its AI-driven sports production and analytics platform globally.

The company is targeting one of the biggest gaps in the global sports economy: millions of sporting events that remain unrecorded, undiscovered, and commercially untapped.

While elite leagues benefit from billion-dollar media rights and advanced broadcasting systems, grassroots tournaments, school competitions, and district-level leagues often lack even basic production infrastructure. SportVot aims to solve that through low-cost AI-powered streaming, scoring, analytics, and white-label OTT tools.

Its hardware-agnostic system allows matches to be captured using smartphones or professional camera setups, significantly lowering the cost of sports digitisation across emerging markets.

The bigger story here is how sports technology investment is shifting toward scalable infrastructure, data monetisation, and AI-enabled media ecosystems rather than purely consumer-facing applications.

I explored how SportVot’s latest funding round reflects this larger transformation in India’s sports-tech landscape and why infrastructure-led growth may define the sector’s next decade.

🌍 Leading Without Limits: Takahisa Karita’s Vision for a Borderless Future 🚀

From coaching courts in Japan to building a global ecosystem of innovation, Takahisa Karita’s journey reflects ambition, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership. 🌱✨ Across industries and continents, he is empowering entrepreneurs and researchers to collaborate, grow, and create impact beyond borders.

His story is a powerful reminder that true success lies not just in building businesses, but in building opportunities for others. 🌐💡

India’s startup story is entering a new chapter—and this one looks very different from the last.

For years, the ecosystem was powered by foreign venture capital chasing rapid growth, user acquisition, and billion-dollar valuations. But today, a quiet yet powerful shift is underway. India is moving from externally funded startup hype to a more grounded, self-reliant innovation economy.

At the center of this transition? A massive ₹1 lakh crore push into deep technology.

🚀 From Fast Growth to Long-Term Innovation

The rules of the game are changing.

Instead of prioritizing quick scale and high burn rates, India’s next generation of startups is focusing on deep tech—think artificial intelligence, spacetech, defence systems, and advanced manufacturing.

These aren’t businesses that grow overnight. They require:

Years of research

Strong technical foundations

Close collaboration between academia, industry, and government

But in return, they create high-value, globally competitive solutions.

💰 The Rise of Domestic Capital

One of the biggest shifts? Who is funding innovation.

Domestic capital participation has surged nearly 6x since 2016. Family offices, institutional investors, and sovereign-linked funds are stepping up in a big way.

This is a structural change:

Less dependence on foreign capital

More control over long-term strategy

Stronger alignment with national priorities

India is no longer just a startup market—it’s becoming a capital-generating ecosystem.

🏗️ The ₹1 Lakh Crore DeepTech Push

The proposed Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund is a game changer.

This isn’t just another funding announcement—it’s a coordinated national effort to build deep tech capabilities.

Key highlights:

Government support for up to 50% of project costs

Focus on high-risk, high-impact research

Goal: accelerate commercialization of breakthrough technologies

In simple terms, the government is helping reduce risk so private investors can confidently step in.

🤝 A New Funding Model Takes Shape

What’s emerging is a layered system of capital:

🏛️ Public funding (grants, RDI support)

🏦 Institutional backing (banks, development finance)

💼 Private investment (VCs, family offices, AIFs)

Together, they’re creating something India hasn’t seen before—a sustainable funding pipeline for deep tech innovation.

Platforms like TiE Delhi-NCR are playing a key role here, bringing investors, founders, and policymakers into the same room to shape this ecosystem.

🧠 Smarter Business Models, Not Just Bigger Ones

Deep tech startups are fundamentally different from the previous wave.

Instead of chasing users, they focus on:

Intellectual property (IP)

Enterprise and government contracts