Sporjo is a brand owned by Breathe Careers and Consulting Private Limited.

The company said that it will use the funds for expanding its product offerings, improving product experience, scaling its team, driving expansion across India and in key overseas markets. It will also spend heavily to drive marketing and generate awareness about sports being a serious career option.

Sporjo was founded in May 2020 by G Srinivvasan, a sports industry old hand with more than 20 years of experience having worked with organisations such as Reliance Sports Group, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and Nike in marketing and sponsorship sales functions. 

He has been a part of key sports properties such as Indian Super League (ISL) and Indian Premier League (IPL). He has also managed relationships with central partners and the broadcaster to promote the Indian National Team games.

According to him, Sporjo aims at bridging the massive gap between the candidate’s skillsets and the expectations of the employers in the sports industry. As of now, the company offers courses for graduates and above.

“Skill gaps, understanding of the business of sports, and incredible lead times to find the right person ail the employers. With jobs in sports projected to grow at a CAGR of 6% by FY24, addressing this gap between candidate and employer through assessing, training and eventually placing professionals has been Sporjo’s genesis,” said Srinivvasan.

Sports market estimated at ₹100 billion in India contributes 0.1% to the GDP compared to the global average of 0.5%. This indicates tremendous potential for expansion. The company is all set to launch Sporjo Junior so that school children know that sports is also a job option and not just a hobby.

“We are already in the process of tying up with multiple institutions where Sporjo will be offered as an elective in addition to their regular courses. Even for employed population we have customized programmes that help to navigate a clear meritocratic pathway in sports industry. Our flagship product ‘Sporjo Mentor’, an intensive three-month program to figure out what the candidate’s strengths are and train him/her accordingly,” added Srinivvasan.

The company aims to create an ecosystem of half a million professionals to support the Indian sports industry by 2030. It claims to be in touch with over 200 companies in the sports industry where it has placed 60 people in firms such as Mobile Premier League (MPL), ISL franchises, Abhinav Bindra Academy, Sports for All, among others.

Speaking on the latest funding round, investor Punit Balan said “Having backed athletes as well as a few teams over the years, I am acutely aware of the gap that exists in recruiting the right talent. It is also the right time to start educating parents, children and professionals about the varied careers that exist in the sports industry and providing them with a roadmap backed with an action plan.”

Earlier, as part of seed funding, Sporjo had raised ₹2.7 crore between February 2020 and January 2021 from private investors including Ajay Candade, ex-director Pvt Equity, KKR and Angel Investor, Sundar Raman, former IPL COO, Pranav Marwah, CEO Marwah Sports, Lydia Buthello – head – Jio World Experiences and Navin Puri, former retail banking head, HDFC Bank.