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Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave came to a spectacular end in Ahmedabad, with sports-ed platform CoLLearn walking away with top honours and Rs 10 lacs in prize money as a massive Rs 26lac was given as overall awards to the awards winners on Monday.
The panel of judges comprising Abhishek Desai (Founder, Cricheroes), Punit Balan (Chairman & Managing Director, Punit Balan Group), Tenzing Niyogi (CEO, Ultimate Kho Kho) and Jalaj Dani (Founder/President, Sportscom) picked winners from the eight startups during the grand finale at India's first-ever Pitchbook Competition dedicated for Sports Startups by Government of Gujarat. CoLLearn, a platform founded by Srishty Jain that offers non-traditional courses in sports analytics, sports commentary, sports journalism, cricket umpiring, football analytics, was adjudged winner by the panel, as per a press release from Sports Authority of Gujarat. Hyderabad-based Gamepoint finished a close second to win a purse of Rs seven lakhs. Gamepoint founded by Aditya Reddy and Siddharth Reddy is a sports tech fullstack company who are on a mission to foster a thriving sports culture in India by providing convenient access to sports for millions of individuals. The purse for the third place was raised to Rs five lakhs and equally split between Gujarat-based Hyperlab and Baller Athletik, a company specialising in sleep athleisure apparel, as per a press release from Sports Authority of Gujarat. Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State for Home, Industries, Transport, Youth and Sports, Government of Gujarat said, "It is our fortune to welcome sports startups as they endeavour to transform their ideas and innovations into reality. We are working on various policies to position Gujarat as a sports manufacturing hub. We have also prioritised sports manufacturing in our Sports Policy. We will introduce changes in the policies based on your feedback." Meanwhile, India Khelo Football, PlayCKC, Fanplay and Atium Sports received consolation prizes and an amount of Rs one lakhs each. As many as 64 startups had registered for the Pitchbook Competition, out of which eight were shortlisted for the final round. Besides the top four winners, four additional startups received a consolation prize of Rs one lakhs each. The winners will also receive mentorship from industry experts. The top 15 startups selected by the panel of seasoned judges demonstrated their products at free stalls during the exhibition held on the sidelines of the Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave which was also keenly inspected by the Sports Minister. The Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave, a first-ever initiative by any state government was an intersection between sports and business in alignment with the Government of Gujarat's vision for the growth of sports in India. The conclave, organised by the Sports Authority of Gujarat, in partnership with TransStadia University and Sportscom Industry Confederation and backed by Startup India, i-Hub and The Bridge, has been working with the Gujarat Government to facilitate 'Next Generation Entrepreneurship'. It was organised to recognise and celebrate the outstanding sports businesses that are revolutionising innovative companies working in the sporting landscape across the country. The conclave not only showcased India's potential as a sporting powerhouse but also bolstered the startup economy and contributed to the progress of sports in Gujarat as well as other parts of the country. (ANI)
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