Key Takeaways
- Sports For Life (SFL) raised $2.58 million in a Series A led by Fireside Ventures and Genesia Ventures
- The Bengaluru-based startup operates structured youth sports academies in Mumbai and Pune across five sports, with plans for 30 cities
- SFL charges Rs 50,000-60,000 (roughly $590-$710 USD) annually per student and currently enrolls 1,500 academy athletes
- Annual recurring revenue sits at Rs 12 crore (approximately $1.4M USD), with a target of Rs 40-50 crore by March 2027
- Former Dealshare CEO Sourjyendu Medda founded SFL in 2024, comparing the youth sports market to India’s pre-Cult.fit fitness industry
A Unicorn Founder’s Pivot to Youth Sports
Sourjyendu Medda scaled Dealshare (e-commerce app for grocery and essential) to unicorn status before stepping down as CEO in early 2024. His next venture targets what he sees as a massive unorganized market: youth sports training in India.
Sports For Life launched in 2024 as a tech-enabled, multi-sport coaching platform. The company currently runs academies in Mumbai and Pune offering football, tennis, chess, squash, and table tennis, with cricket on the roadmap. The 140-person team, led by Medda as CEO and Armaan Tandon as COO, plans to expand into Bengaluru and the NCR region this year.
Structured Training Over Recreational Play
SFL’s model borrows more from schools than traditional sports academies. The platform uses curriculum-driven coaching with mandatory attendance, periodic assessments, and report cards for its 1,500 enrolled students.
On the tech side, the company operates an academy management SaaS platform handling scheduling, attendance, and fee collection, paired with a parent-facing app for progress tracking, session videos, and coach communication. A separate tournament technology layer provides live streaming, instant replays, and computer vision-driven stats tracking 10-15 performance metrics per player.
The startup is also developing automated coaching tools and AI-powered virtual modules for remote learners, along with a scouting platform modeled after Hudl where young athletes can build profiles and store performance highlights.
Funding and Growth Targets
SFL’s $2.58 million Series A, led by Fireside Ventures and Genesia Ventures, is being directed toward coaching talent retention and continued technology development. In addition to its 1,500 academy students, roughly 3,000 athletes participate annually in SFL-organized tournaments such as the SFL League (football).
The company’s expansion plan calls for scaling to 30 cities with centers within a 3-km radius of homes, eventually covering 15-17 sports. Medda projects ARR will reach Rs 40-50 crore (approximately $4.7-$5.9M USD) by March 2027.
What This Means for Youth Sports Globally
Medda estimates 95% of India’s youth sports training market remains unorganized, comparing its current state to India’s fitness industry before platforms like Cult.fit consolidated the space. He believes the market could reach $5 billion within five to six years.
The model shares common threads with trends in the U.S. and other markets: parent demand for structured, outcome-driven youth sports experiences, technology-enabled performance tracking, and multi-sport platforms replacing single-sport academies. Whether SFL can professionalize a fragmented market at scale remains to be seen, but the capital, the team pedigree, and the growth metrics suggest serious investor confidence in the thesis.
Source: YourStory, Tunir Biswas, March 18, 2026
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