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Tag: Ashish Anand

  • Machaxi aces $1.5m fund raise from Padukone and Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter

    Machaxi aces $1.5m fund raise from Padukone and Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter

    BENGALURU:  Machaxi, a Bengaluru-based grassroots sports-tech startup, has netted $1.5 million in fresh funding to power its AI-driven badminton coaching revolution. The round was led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Nithin Kamath’s Zerodha, and featured a rousing smash from Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone himself.

    The funding will fuel Machaxi’s expansion into Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai, while laying the groundwork for over 1,000 tech-enabled coaching centres over the next four years, in partnership with the Padukone School of Badminton. At the heart of this initiative: an AI-led training system built to bring consistency, performance tracking and scalability to India’s fractured coaching landscape.

    “I’ve always believed the future of Indian badminton lies in structured grassroots development,” said Padukone. “Machaxi’s AI vision ensures quality without compromise — no matter where you’re from.”

    The startup’s tech doesn’t aim to replace human coaches but to empower them — standardising training methods, flagging performance gaps, and ensuring even remote centres can tap into world-class insights.

    Machaxi co-founder Pratish Raj said, “This partnership is a big step forward in our mission to make quality sports coaching accessible to everyone in India. With the support of Rainmatter and the visionary backing of Padukone, we’re working toward a future where every aspiring athlete no matter where they come from can train with consistency, purpose, and access to world-class infrastructure. Our AI powered model is built to ensure that potential is discovered and nurtured, not overlooked. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this shift in grassroots sports.”

    The playbook is timely. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global AI-in-sports market is set to grow from $1.03 billion in 2024 to $2.61 billion by 2030. Machaxi aims to ride that wave straight into India’s heartland, transforming courts and communities alike.

    Founded in 2022, Machaxi has made a name blending on-ground grit with digital smarts — and now, it’s game on for India’s next gen of champions.

    (Pictured Above (L-R)-Nithin Kamath,  Ashish Anand, Tushar Raj, Prakash Padukone, Pratish Raj, and Dilip Kumar)

  • Nissan strengthens India leadership; announces senior management appointments

    Nissan strengthens India leadership; announces senior management appointments

    Mumbai: Nissan India has announced senior management appointments to strengthen its management structure. The leadership changes are effective from 1 September 2022.

    Amit Magoo, currently general manager, zonal head (south & west), has been appointed as director of sales for Nissan Motor India. He will report to Nissan Motor India managing director Rakesh Srivastava and will be based out of Gurgaon, India. In his new role, Amit will be responsible for leading business operations. Nissan India’s regional sales managers will report to Amit Magoo.

    Ashish Anand, currently general manager, zonal head (north & east), has been appointed as director of dealer network development, customer quality, and training for Nissan Motor India. He will also report to Rakesh Srivastava and will be based out of Gurgaon, India. In the new structure, the functional heads of dealer development, customer quality, and training leads will report to Ashish.

    Commenting on their appointments, Srivastava said, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Amit and Ashish to the senior leadership team as part of the transformation and growth strategy of Nissan India. Amit and Ashish bring strong experience of multiple functions in Nissan over many years, and have been instrumental in Nissan India’s growth journey with the launch of the big, bold, beautiful Nissan Magnite. We welcome them to their new roles, which are focused on enabling Nissan to exceed customer expectations and strengthen Nissan’s presence in India”

    Amit joined Nissan in 2016 as general manager of sales and has managed different roles in the past six years, including corporate and institutional sales, dealer network development, and channel finance. He played a key role in Nissan’s sales division, with a focus on enhancing customer experience and dealer profitability.

    Ashish has been associated with Nissan Motor India for over eight years and has managed different roles, including those of head of India sales and head of Project Phoenix.

    Nissan India also recently announced the appointment of Keerthi Prakash as managing director, Renault Nissan Automotive India, to lead operations at the company’s Alliance plant in Chennai, India, from 1 September 2022, and also of Mohan Wilson as director of marketing for Nissan Motor India based in Gurugram from July’22.