Investor Profile: Centre Court Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

Centre Court Capital is a Mumbai-based venture fund focused entirely on sports, fitness, wellness and gaming. Founded in 2024, it closed its maiden fund above target in December 2025 and describes itself as India's first venture fund exclusively focused on sports and gaming. For founders in a sector that generalist funds often overlook, that focus is the point.

Thesis: the underdog sectors are ready to scale

Centre Court's thesis is that India's sports economy is entering a scale-ready phase, driven by mass participation in fitness, demand for better sports infrastructure, wearables and recovery tools, and a vibrant mobile-gaming ecosystem. Its founder has cited industry estimates valuing India's broader sports economy at about $19 billion today, expected to reach nearly $40 billion by 2030.

Sectors and stages

Centre Court invests at seed to Series A, with an emphasis on pre-Series A and Series A rounds. Its areas include sports technology, analytics and data platforms, broadcast technology, fan engagement, league and franchise operations support, sports infrastructure, fitness and wellness, and social gaming.

Fund size and cheque size

Centre Court Capital closed its maiden fund at ₹410 crore, exceeding its original target of ₹350 crore set in early 2024, after an initial close of ₹200 crore. It plans 15 to 18 investments with initial cheques of ₹8 crore to ₹24 crore, intends to lead or co-lead most deals, and reserves significant capital, reported at 30 to 40 per cent, for follow-on rounds.

Notable portfolio and partners

Centre Court had already invested in six companies at final close: FanCraze, a cricket fan platform; Quidich Innovation Labs; Stupa Sports Analytics, a player-development and data platform working with federations across Europe and Asia; Michezo Sports, a sports infrastructure and grassroots company; Airoclip, a gaming studio; and Quintar Inc. The fund is anchored by Parth Jindal of JSW Cement and backed by SIDBI, the Self Reliant India Fund, Premji Invest, SanRaj Group and GMR Sports, alongside athletes Neeraj Chopra, Rishabh Pant, PV Sindhu and Jemimah Rodrigues, and entrepreneurs Binny Bansal, Mithun Sacheti and Ankit Nagori.

Programs run and credits or perks

Centre Court does not run a public accelerator cohort in the sources reviewed, and no startup credits package is stated. Its edge is operator depth: founder and general partner Mustafa Ghouse played tennis for India at the Davis Cup, won bronze at the Asian Games, and was founding chief executive of JSW Sports, where he built the Inspire Institute of Sport and ran franchise operations across the IPL, ISL and Pro Kabaddi League. The team also includes Alok Samtaney and Faraz Abdi.

How to apply for funding from Centre Court Capital

No standard public application portal was stated in the sources reviewed for this profile, so founders should approach through the fund's official site at centrecourtcapital.com and its team contacts there, ideally with a warm introduction from the sports ecosystem. A strong pitch should show early traction and why sports-specific capital will accelerate distribution.