BackYuvraj Singh invests in SportyBeans
SportyBeans plans to expand its network from the current 35 to over 200 over the next two years
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Hyderabad: Cricketer Yuvraj Singh made an undisclosed investment in a children-focused sports programme SportyBeans through his early-stage investment arm called YouWeCan Ventures.
Luminosa Education Pvt. Ltd, the company behind SportyBeans, plans to expand its network from the current 35 to over 200 over the next two years, as it eyes over Rs80 crore in revenue. It is focusing on international expansion in 10 countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The company has signed on an international franchisee for Mauritius and is close to inking a franchisee agreement in Malaysia.
SportyBeans has developed a research-backed sports and fitness curriculum for children in the age group of 1.5 to eight years. It focuses on nine popular ball sports -- football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, hockey, tennis, cricket, rugby and golf.
Singh said he understands the importance of physical fitness and sports from an early age, and SportyBeans is an ideal platform to provide this foundation to the young children of the country.
In addition to the investment, Singh would leverage his knowledge and experience to co-design the course curriculum for SportyBeans, according to a statement on Tuesday. The company said it expects its brand credibility to grow higher with Singh’s association with the firm.
“Sporty Beans is a unique platform to identify and develop interest in sports at an early age of 2 years to 8 years, and hopefully it will help in creating a transformational impact on building next generation of sportspersons in India," Singh said in the statement.
After expansion, SportyBeans aims to have as many as 140,000 children training at its centres.
SportyBeans has trained 30,000 children since 2010, when it started its first centre. Today it operates 35 centres, including franchisees, across 17 cities, and trains 15,000 students a year.
“We have signed our first international franchise in Mauritius and shall soon be announcing a country franchise in Malaysia as well," Karan Sareen, director at SportyBeans said. Sareen said the brand plans to be present in 10 international locations over the next one year, and the company is in discussions with potential partners in the Asia Pacific region.
Pune-based SportyBeans competes with the likes Bengaluru-based EduSports that covers 350,000 children in 100 cities in four countries. Gaja Capital, a growth stage private equity firm, invested $10 million in SportzVillage, a sport management firm run by Junior Sports and Services Pvt Ltd. on Monday.
Singh has turned an aggressive early-stage investor mostly funding online marketplaces. He has invested in startups building marketplaces for online education (Edukart), private jets (JetSetGo), healthcare (Healthians) and beauty services (Vyomo).
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