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iSportz redefines the global sports ecosystem

In the United States alone, 60 million children play sports across the country in leagues and tournaments

Photo courtesy of iSportz
Photo courtesy of iSportz

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

In the United States alone, 60 million children play sports across the country in leagues and tournaments. That’s a lot of kids and twice as many parents and of course aunts, uncles, and grandparents who want to watch the action. That doesn’t take into account all the participants around the world nor does it measure all the children who can’t participate because of poverty and other factors out of their control. It’s a 100 billion dollar industry. In fact, The Washington Post sports reporter, Roman Stubbs says youth sports has more revenue than the NFL or NBA. Equally shocking is that these youth sports organizations are still archaic in their approaches to operations and technology.

Vijay Krishnan, Raj Ramaswamy and Rohan Rajagopalan, founders of iSportz imagined how youth sports ought to be different, efficient, better, and it has turned into so much more. Now iSportz is a management, engagement, and entertainment ecosystem that, once again, puts the ‘fun’ and the organization back into organized sports. 

The inspiration behind iSportz stems from Vijay’s firsthand experience at his own children’s sporting events where inefficiencies in organization and engagement were glaringly apparent. Witnessing the disjointed processes of registration, payment and spectator experiences ignited his resolve to modernize the sports industry and address its current processes. 

Vijay shares, “At a combat sports event where my three sons were participating, we encountered long lines a half mile long of parents and kids waiting to register, despite already being registered. The registration process during the event was slow, requiring cash payment for entry. There were no arrangements for parents or fans to watch the event comfortably. This experience highlighted the need for a better solution that streamlines the registration, provides personalized information and enhances engagement for all stakeholders in sporting events. I knew that we could create a software solution that improved organizational efficiency and fosters ongoing engagement that benefits athletes, parents, fans and event organizers while increasing adoption and certainly revenue.”

Vijay’s journey as an entrepreneur, coupled with Rohan’s extensive IT expertise and Raj’s financial acumen made a formidable combination. Vijay notes, “We are all problem solvers. Instead of waiting for somebody else to solve the problem, we said, ‘Why don’t we solve the problem?’ That’s how everything got started.”

The expertise behind iSportz

Each founder brings a wealth of experience to iSportz. Raj, with his background in finance and investments, leads the company’s financial operations, focusing on cash flow management, fundraising and optimizing customer acquisition costs. Raj adds, “I did my MBA at Drexel where I met Vijay.” He explains, “I came back to India and worked with a lot of asset management firms from large brands like Prudential and JPMorgan. Then I shifted my focus into the investment banking and wealth management space for nearly ten years. I’m currently located in Dubai, and also practice investment banking.

Rohan has over 16 years of experience in IT, including architecting scalable SaaS solutions. He notes, “I was a cloud solution architect for enterprise-scale cloud solutions, multi-cloud, single cloud, on pre-hybrid, etcetera. I have worked in Fortune 500 companies like Xerox and Philips, and I understand the complexity and challenges involved in building cost-effective SaaS products that scale based on the nature of usage and complexity. I bring a wealth of technology, delivery experience, support, and product lifecycle management capabilities to this founding group.”

Rounding out the trio, Vijay has vast experience as a successful entrepreneur and a deep understanding of the sports industry. He spearheads iSportz’s strategic direction, drawing on his extensive experience delivering solutions for sports organizations and leveraging technology to enhance engagement. 

“I started my journey in 2000 as an immigrant from India. I pursued my master’s degree in computer science in Philadelphia and then began working for Motorola. They picked me up right after school and helped me get my MBA. The management education instilled in me an entrepreneurial mindset, so I left Motorola and became the first employee and co-founder of a startup in 2004 in Tampa, Florida. After that experience, I returned to the corporate world, working for Fiserv, a multibillion-dollar Fortune 500 financial software company.”

Vijay adds, “My first proper startup is Integrass, which is still running successfully today. It’s a multimillion-dollar company with over 100+ employees, operating in three countries and generating $10+ million dollars in services revenue. During my time at Integrass, we provided custom solutions to major sports organizations like USA Hockey, USA Football, US Motorcycle Association, USA Cycling, and USA Triathlon, which gave me valuable insight into the struggles of the sports industry.

Alongside his entrepreneurial journey, Vijay was instrumental in developing a CRM product (Fobess CRM) that they sold to Florida Healthcare. He has also ventured into real estate, building a company with a 100-plus unit portfolio worth approximately $25 million in Florida and India. He is leveraging his expertise in the sports industry and victories as an entrepreneur to make iSportz a success.

Vijay shares, “When I saw this opportunity, I said to Raj and Rohan, ‘This has potential, so why don’t we build it out?’ I transitioned out of my other businesses by having my partners take over. I currently manage iSportz full-time. We believe it is our best idea to date, so we took some of our best people with sports technology experience from our other businesses to be part of this team. We have a 30-member team who collectively have 100+ years of experience in sports technology.”

The future vision of iSportz

Vijay envisions iSportz as a transformative force in the sports industry, emphasizing the need to connect the sports ecosystem. He highlights the alarming statistic that 70% of youth drop out of sports after becoming teenagers due to various reasons like financial constraints and lack of opportunities, especially in underserved communities. 

“And so our thought process is to kind of level the playing field of opportunities. If somebody wants to play a sport, we offer them different opportunities. To do that, we have to bring organizations, fans, athletes, coaches, sporting goods, and everybody into the same ecosystem. Currently, there is nothing that does that. And our vision of sports management, engagement and entertainment is basically trying to bring this whole ecosystem together so that if a kid wants to play, they know where to get an opportunity.”

Vijay adds, “Our comprehensive platform ensures individuals can remain engaged with sports from childhood through their senior years, offering a one-stop-shop for all their sports-related needs.”

Rohan notes, “The sports industry lacks comprehensive technological integration, with outdated systems and fragmented data hindering the holistic experience for athletes, players, and fans. Sportz intends to bridge this gap by leveraging technology to provide a seamless and immersive sports experience.” 

Raj emphasizes the massive market potential of iSportz, estimating the sports industry’s worth at $100 billion and growing. “Even capturing a small percentage of this market could translate into significant revenue for iSportz.” 

iSportz’s clients include a number of USA Olympics teams, including USA WaterSki, USA Shooting and USA Cycling. iSportz is not just focused on North America but is taking on the global market as well, with plans to expand to Europe, India, and other regions. “We already have a client in Dubai. It’s a global product, and even a tiny market share is significant. With the right investing community and strategic support, iSportz can reach a huge market. We plan to achieve that throughout this journey.”

iSportz is the revolution that the sports industry needs. By addressing inefficiencies and fostering greater connectivity, iSportz has the potential to modernize and streamline how sports are managed, experienced and enjoyed. With a global outlook and a commitment to innovation, iSportz is on a trajectory to make a lasting impact on the world of sports.

iSportz encourages investors and stakeholders in sports technology to join on its journey to redefine the sports landscape.

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Written By

Jon Stojan is a professional writer based in Wisconsin. He guides editorial teams consisting of writers across the US to help them become more skilled and diverse writers. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.

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