KhiladiPro, a Bengaluru-based sportstech startup, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round. The investment marks a major step in the company’s mission to reshape how young sporting talent is discovered, assessed, and nurtured across India.
Who Invested in KhiladiPro?
The funding round was co-led by Shastra VC and MGA Ventures. Several prominent family offices and angel investors also participated, including M Pallonji, Jeena and Co., Ayaz Billawala, Nimesh Kampani, and Jaimin Bhat.
What Does KhiladiPro Do?
Founded in August 2023 by Utkarsh Yadav, KhiladiPro is among the few Indian startups blending mobile-based visual technology with global athletic training standards. The platform offers digital tools that evaluate children’s athletic abilities using video inputs. This allows coaches, schools, and parents to monitor and improve young athletes’ performance with standardized, expert feedback.
Key Offerings
KPro Sports Ability Test (SAT): A mobile-based assessment that measures children’s physical and athletic abilities.
Khiladi Ability Index (KAI): A unified athlete rating scale, benchmarking users against global standards.
Khiladi Klub: A program providing personalized training resources for high-potential athletes.
KPro Olympiad: School-wide assessments in a competitive format, helping standardize talent benchmarking.
These tools are built around international frameworks like Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model, both widely recognized in sports development worldwide.
How Will the Funds Be Used?
KhiladiPro plans to use the fresh capital to:
Advance its proprietary technology and develop more in-house models.
Expand its presence across India, reaching more schools, academies, and grassroots training centers.
Strengthen its support system for young athletes from all backgrounds.
The company has already developed over 56 in-house technology models and forged partnerships with organizations such as the Karnataka Badminton Association, Handball Association of India, and Delhi-based cricket league DLCL.
Why Is This Important for Indian Sports?
India’s sports-tech market is projected to touch nearly $1.5 billion by 2033, with much of the growth expected from platforms that digitize grassroots sports and deliver scalable coaching infrastructure. KhiladiPro’s focus on data-driven talent discovery and development positions it as a leader in this emerging sector.
The Road Ahead
KhiladiPro is building a digitally empowered, Olympic-aligned pipeline for youth athletes. By making high-quality sports assessments accessible nationwide, the startup hopes to unlock India’s vast sporting potential and support the next generation of champions.