Photo Creds: India’s gaming market is gaining a significant amount of attention from early-stage investors.
Gaming is primed for disruption - The 4th Quarter wouldn’t be covering it if we didn’t have conviction. But globally, the market has underperformed.
Its resurgence has been as disappointing as GTA 6’s release - every year, you think it’s finally happening, and then… nothing. Since the pandemic peak, momentum has only cooled:
Global market value fell from $185B to $178B
Private market funding decreased from ~$15.1B to $4.6B
VC deals have nearly halved from 809 to 473
Fortunately, while the rest of the world stalls, one market is heating up and may just reignite the entire industry: India.
Just this week, two new initiatives signaled growing investor conviction in India’s gaming market:
ChimeraVC announced a $10M early-stage gaming fund focused on Indian gaming studios, AR/VR, and Web3 gaming ecosystems.
Meta - alongside BITKRAFT, Kalaari Capital, Lumikai Fund, and Elevation Capital - launched the Meta Gaming Accelerator, supporting 20-30 Indian startups with mentorship from gaming & VC experts, monetization strategies, user acquisition support, and potential funding.
Investor momentum has been quietly building - Lumikai, India’s first dedicated gaming VC fund, launched a $50M Fund II in 2023, and BITKRAFT expanded to India by bringing on Anuj Tandon late last year.
So… why are all eyes on India’s gaming market?
India’s Gaming Market is Exploding
India’s gaming market is exploding, showing no signs of slowing down:
Hyper-digitalization: Indians rapidly adopted affordable smartphones and data plans during COVID to maintain their connections, bringing mobile gaming to rural India. 44% prefer to play on smartphones, and it's the non-metro areas that now lead in active gamers.
Gaming > Social Media: Gaming is the #1 digital entertainment outlet for Indians, who spend 13 hours/week playing video games - that’s 2x more time spent on social media.
Insane Market Growth: 568M+ Indians identify as gamers, of which 25% are paying users. The overall market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20%, on track to reach $7.5B in 2028.
What Does This Mean for India?
India’s gaming scene is at a unique inflection point: there’s a goldmine of demand, but supply has yet to catch up. Local developers know what their audiences want, but, historically, they’ve had trouble attracting capital investments from VCs.
Not because they aren’t deserving, but because investors weren’t looking.
With new funds, accelerators, and VC’s finally paying attention, India is getting the support it needs to build homegrown IP, modern monetization models, and scalable infrastructure.
For investors, this might be the last window to get in before the market catches fire.
It might just be the next rocketship.
Sports-Tech Market Activity: Investors & Deals
Venture Capital
Noteefy, the golf tee time automation platform, raises strategic funding to expand AI-driven golf and resort demand platform (June 17th)
Powering 800+ courses, including 80 of Golfweek’s Top 200 Resorts for 2025
Drives over $500K in attributed booking revenue at key resorts, targeting AI and automation upgrades
Investment led by Powerhouse Capital; other investors include Teamworthy Ventures and Phoenix Capital Ventures, among others [GolfWire]
SportsVisio, a sports analytics platform that delivers comprehensive box scores and highlight reels using raw footage, raises $3.2M in Seed funding (June 18th)
Platform now supports 16K+ users across 150+ leagues in 16 countries
Funds to fuel marketing and expansion into baseball, alongside basketball and volleyball, among other youth and pro sports
Brings total raised to $9M; investors include Sapphire Sport, Sony Innovation Fund, Mighty Capital, and Alumni Ventures, among others [VentureBeat]
ZOOT, a gaming platform that provides free-to-play gaming with sweepstake prize options, secures $6M in Seed funding (June 17th)
Expanding US-focused market to stablecoin-driven, global presence
Investment led by CoinFund; other investors include Griffin Gaming Partners [CityBiz]
Bigger Games, a mobile gaming studio that develops casual gaming titles, raises $25M in Series A funding (June 16th)
Funding game portfolio growth, team expansion, and scaling ‘Kitchen Masters’
Investment led by Goodwater Capital; other investors include Arcadia Gaming Partners and Index Ventures, among others [GamesBeat]
Sword Health, a digital healthcare platform specializing in mental and physical wellness solutions, raises $40M in funding at a $4B valuation (June 17th)
Funds to fuel M&A expansion and deepen AI for always-on, personalized care
Launched new AI-driven platform, ‘Mind', offering 24/7 hybrid care with an AI therapist + Ph.D.-level clinicians
Investment led by General Catalyst; other investors include Khosla Ventures and Comcast Ventures, among others [Sword Health]
M&A and Investments
Teamworks, the ‘Operating System for Sports™’ supporting staff, coaches, and athletes, raises $235M in Series F funding, valued at over $1B pre-money (June 17th)
Funds to enhance AI capabilities, grow data science team, and upgrade platform features
Supporting 6.5K+ teams globally and has acquired 11 companies since 2022
Investment led by existing investor Dragoneer Investment Group [SBJ]
TWG Global, Mark Walter’s holding co., to acquire controlling stake in LA Lakers from the Buss family at record $10B valuation (June 18th)
Deal marks highest-ever price valuation for a sports franchise globally
TWG Group already owns stakes in the Dodgers, Sparks, and the Cadillac F1 team
Jeanie Buss to remain Lakers governor post-sale under new ownership, reportedly retaining 15% stake [Sportico]
South Korean PE firm Centroid acquires golf equipment company TaylorMade from KPS Capital Partners, to bolster global golf and lifestyle holdings (June 17th)
Marks Centroid’s most prominent global sports acquisition to date
TaylorMade saw strong growth under KPS since 2017, becoming a top golf equipment brand [PEInsights]
Youth sports management company LeagueApps acquires soccer competition management platform Mod11 to power new competitions product offering (June 17th)
Monumental Sports announces strategic investment in women’s sports platforms ‘The IX’ and basketball-focused ‘The Next’ (June 16th)
Strategic backing to expand business ops, hiring 2 full-time staff to scale, and commercialize the platforms
The Next averaged 3M+ monthly readers in 2024; The IX surpassed 1.6M, with both seeing a nearly 82% subscriber growth year-over-year [Monumental]
LOVB Austin pro team welcomes investors David Blitzer, Peter J. Holt, and Amy Griffin to ownership group, which will acquire a stake in League One Volleyball as well (June 18th)
Group to include Bolt Ventures, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and G9 Ventures
First team-specific buyout as LOVB transitions from league-operated to independent franchises [Sportico]
US PE firm Ares Management acquires final 25% stake in France SailGP Team, completing full privatization (June 18th)
Leads deal through its sports, media & entertainment fund; Sportsology Capital also joins
Adds to sports portfolio, including Chelsea FC, McLaren F1, and Miami Dolphins
Becomes first SailGP team to be fully privately owned after prior sale to K-Challenge, Accor, and Mbappé’s Coalition Capital [Sportcal]
Strategic Ventures
Grand Slam Track™ and human connections company Sundial Media ink multi-year partnership to revolutionize track fan engagement (June 18th)
SMTG to lead commercial sponsorship efforts for 2026 season; 10% of sales to be paid directly to racers
Collaboration fuses digital storytelling, live events, and equity-based athlete compensation
Strategic investment made by Richelieu Dennis, founder of Sundial and New Voices Fund [GST]
Camb.ai, a speech synthesis and translating startup, powers pilot NASCAR radio broadcasts in Spanish (June 13th)
Camb.ai delivers real-time Spanish translations of MRN coverage for NASCAR’s Mexico City Cup race
First NASCAR collaboration, following introduction via Comcast NBCU Sports Tech Accelerator participation [SBJ]
Alabama Athletics taps athlete-focused fintech startup Scout to build NIL revenue-share and finance platform for student-athletes (June 13th)
Partnership delivers cap management, secure distribution tools, and a proprietary finance app for student-athletes
Scout to provide 1-on-1 coaching, LLC setup, and investment/tax education
Scout has already partnered with 30+ universities, including UCLA, UT, and Mississippi State, among others [SI]
NBA and Take-Two (2K) launch joint venture NBA Take-Two Media to expand digital hoops empire globally (June 16th)
2K extends deals with NBA, NBPA, G League, and USA Basketball to fuel next-gen digital fan engagement
New joint venture to focus on gaming, live events, and lifestyle content across fashion, music, and food, partnering with tastemakers, athletes, and creators among others [SVG]
Job Board & Opportunities: Week of June 20th, 2025
Here are some cool roles we found and personally curated this week - enjoy!