Sports retail startup PlayBlue has raised $2.7 million in a seed funding round co-led by Centre Court Capital and MIXI Global, with participation from WEH Ventures. The company will use the capital to launch its first flagship stores and pan-India e-commerce platform, targeting Rs 100 crore in revenue and profitability in its first phase before its next fundraise.
Founded by sports industry veteran Satyam Trivedi and entrepreneur Jayam Vora, PlayBlue is positioning itself as an omnichannel multi-brand sports retail platform, bringing together over 100 global and Indian brands across athleisure, footwear, equipment and nutrition.
The rollout will begin with a 15,000 sq. ft. flagship store in Bengaluru, followed by stores in Mumbai and Delhi NCR. Over the next five years, the company plans to expand to more than 150 stores and build a community of over 10 million users, with annual revenue of over Rs 5,000 crore.
“India is moving from a nation that watches sport to one that plays it, and that shift needs infrastructure beyond stadiums and screens. PlayBlue exists to give every athlete and everyday player a trusted place to discover the right product. We believe the next 30 years belong to India in sports,” said Satyam Trivedi, co-founder of PlayBlue.
Jayam Vora, co-founder of PlayBlue, said, “India’s sports and active lifestyle market is expected to cross $30 billion by 2035, and the country will need more than 15,000 new sports retail touchpoints to serve it. PlayBlue sits at the confluence of rising participation and a growing consumption economy, and we intend to build the network that serves both.”
“Our thesis has always been that India’s sports ecosystem will be built by operators who understand it from the inside. Satyam and Jayam have spent their careers doing exactly that, and organised retail is the missing layer connecting brands, athletes and fans. PlayBlue fills that gap,” said Mustafa Ghouse, Founder and General Partner, Centre Court Capital.
“India’s love for sport is impossible to miss — it cuts across ages and brings whole communities together, and more parents are now bringing their kids into it. What’s been missing is organised retail that matches that energy. That’s the gap PlayBlue is built to close,” said Tomoharu Urabe, Managing Director, MIXI Global Investments.
