It’s perceived that entrepreneurs who try to solve problems they themselves have faced end up finding their customers. But when funding dries up, new businesses built around a founder’s ‘passion’ may struggle. Sports start-ups have been a good example of this. And yet, new ones have entered the arena.

In 2014, when investors seemed more gung-ho about the potential of a range of start-ups, we spoke to the founders of Playerify and Cougar Motorsport. Today, only one of these companies seems to be in operation. In 2014, Playerify – set up in 2012 to help people find sport opportunities in their own localities – claimed to have paying customers in the beta phase. The start-up was no longer active by mid-2015.

Meanwhile, there’s goSporto, a platform where users can “find and book places to play and connect with other players, even track and share their achievements.” Vivek Kumar, co-founder, refers to a KPMG report that suggests only 1 per cent of Indians play recreational sports regularly, as compared to a developed world average of 30 per cent.

“However, the percentage of people who follow sports in India is similar to the global average of 65 per cent … a major reason behind the interest versus participation gap (are) barriers that stop people from playing: getting places to play, finding people to play with and staying driven to play regularly,” Kumar explains.

It must be noted, however, that platforms such as Strava serve avid runners and cyclists looking to maintain an athletic lifestyle and be part of an online community.

Stronger foundations

Kumar says the company’s short-term revenue model is through a cut of the transaction value of each booking with venue owners or event organisers. Among other ideas to augment its revenues, goSporto wants to be a self-publishing ad platform for sports brands allowing laser-targeted segmen- tation.

It’s best for start-up founders in any sector to be their own devil’s advocates, and early. With time, can sports platforms such as goSporto distinguish themselves from platforms like Strava? Can they afford to be dependent on the individual user’s motivation and love for sports which, let’s admit, can often be fickle?

Further, although it won’t be an apple to apple comparison, the question may be timely: why does a model like Cougar Motorsport’s survive? Is there a slightly more tangible gratification available for motorsports enthusiasts than there is for diverse users on platforms like Playerify and goSporto?

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