KhiladiPro Raises $1M to Advance Youth Sports Tech India-Wide

KhiladiPro, a Bengaluru-based sportstech startup founded in August 2023 by Utkarsh Yadav, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Shastra VC and MGA Ventures, with participation from prominent family offices and angel investors. The startup leverages Visual AI technology to provide mobile-based, standardized sports assessments that evaluate young athletes' physical abilities using global frameworks such as Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. KhiladiPro’s flagship products include the KPro Sports Ability Test (SAT) for cricket and badminton, the Khiladi Ability Index (KAI), which offers an AI-driven rating scale for youth fitness, as well as programs like KPro Olympiad and Khiladi Klub aimed at nurturing high-potential athletes. The fresh capital will be used to advance proprietary AI models, expand the company’s reach across India, especially in underserved regions, and enhance support systems for young athletes from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. With over 56 in-house AI models developed and partnerships with organizations such as the Karnataka Badminton Association, Handball Association of India, and Delhi-based cricket league DLCL, KhiladiPro aims to digitize grassroots sports and build an Olympic-aligned youth athletic development pipeline. This funding underscores growing interest in India's sports-tech market, projected to reach nearly $1.5 billion by 2033, driven by platforms that democratize access to scalable, expert-level coaching and talent identification.