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Tag: Nikhil Raghavan

  • Game on as Sportz Interactive’s Hackathon scores with GenAI fan tech

    Game on as Sportz Interactive’s Hackathon scores with GenAI fan tech

    MUMBAI: Whistles, cheers, and a whole lot of code Sportz Interactive (SI) turned its Mumbai HQ into a digital stadium as the final of its 2025 Hackathon kicked off with innovations that could change how fans watch, play, and engage with sport. In just 48 hours, 17 teams pulled off a blitz of GenAI-fuelled creations, with five standout groups making it to the finale. The line-up of ideas read like a wishlist for sports fans: an AI-powered content management system that cuts costs and boosts speed, a design and calendar assistant that converts live sports data into campaign-ready graphics, and a GenAI “factory” that transforms plain text into mini-games within minutes.

    Not to be outdone, another team showcased an intelligent cricket coverage platform delivering real-time analysis, while a plug-and-play trivia widget promised to keep digital audiences hooked with personalised, context-aware questions fuelled by SI’s proprietary sports data.

    The finale itself felt more like a festival than a boardroom. SI’s in-house band, The SIgnature, opened the day with live renditions of crowd favourites before the coding stars took the field.

    A judging panel featuring Jake Lush McCrum (CEO, Rajasthan Royals), Binda Dey (Group CMO, Knight Riders Sports), sports broadcaster Jatin Sapru, and Nikhil Raghavan (Partner, Marathon Edge) joined SI’s top brass Arvind Iyengar (Chairman) and Siddharth Raman (CEO) in picking the winners.

    “This year’s Hackathon was a clear signal that GenAI is the MVP of the future of fan engagement,” said Raman, adding that the showcased solutions were “a direct look at how sports organisations can connect with audiences in smarter, more meaningful ways.”

    For SI, the event wasn’t just about innovation in theory, it was about testing how AI, sport, and storytelling can collide to create the next era of immersive fan experiences. Judging by the energy in the room, it looks like the future of fandom just got its own highlight reel.

  • Sportz Interactive gears up for global growth in 2024

    Sportz Interactive gears up for global growth in 2024

    Mumbai: Sportz Interactive (SI), along with its Singapore-based parent company, Sportz Solutions Global, is gearing up for international expansion in 2024 with an enhanced solution suite focused on maximising fan affinity and commercialisation for sports organisations. Embarking on this journey with SI is the lead investor in the Sportz Group, Marathon Edge, a leading Private Equity investor. The Sportz Group also aims to set up offices in Europe later this year.

    For its next phase of global growth, the organisation is scaling up its products and services that focus on driving fan acquisition, retention and commercialisation for its customers through data, technology, and marketing solutions. The Sportz Group has also launched ‘Fanalytics’ as an offering that will help sports organisations get a deeper understanding of their fan base and drive tangible business outcomes.

    The Sportz Group also announced a new organisational structure to align with this new expansion strategy. Arvind Iyengar will continue to serve as CEO, Sportz Solutions Global as well as chairman, Sportz Interactive. Iyengar also confirmed the appointment of Siddharth Raman as the CEO of Sportz Interactive.

    Prior to this, Raman was deputy CEO and had joined SI as chief business officer in 2017. Sanket Sawkar, who is part of the founding team, will continue in his role as Group CTO and COO for Sportz Interactive.

    Founded in 2002, the organisation’s journey from a humble garage space to its current sporty ‘arena’ is a reflection of how the business has successfully evolved over the years – even during the pandemic years. The Sportz Group’s products and services have impacted millions of fans around the world. The organisation’s customers cover multiple stakeholders in the sports ecosystem including international federations, broadcasters, franchises, media houses, technology companies, brands, and sponsors from around the world. Some of its marquee clients include UEFA, The Olympics, NBA, F1, Google, BCCI, FIH, Jio Cinema, Dream11 and multiple IPL franchises.

    Sportz Solutions Global CEO and Sportz Interactive chairman  Arvind Iyengar said: “We are all extremely excited about the new solution suite we have developed that focuses on driving fan acquisition, retention, and commercialisation for our customers. These solutions, coupled with our core data, technology and content offerings provide a one-stop shop to organisations looking to supercharge their sports fan experience.”

    Speaking on the development, Marathon Edge partner Nikhil Raghavan added:  “Sports organisations around the world are grappling with how to engage and monetise their fan base in the digital world. The Sportz Group has shown incredible thought leadership in envisioning a solution suite that opens new revenue streams while also increasing fans’ affinity to their team or sport.”