With India's recreational sports environment picking up speed, Playo has discreetly become one of the country's leading sports networks, driven by its community. With operations spanning 150 cities and five countries, the Bengaluru-based sports-tech firm currently links more than five million users, providing access to venue discovery, playing partners, coaching, insurance, and sports services. Playo has achieved profitability and capital efficiency by prioritizing community engagement over customer acquisition, even though they've secured less than $1 million in outside funding. In this conversation with The Economic Times Digital, Gauravjeet Singh, Founder and CEO of Playo, talks about leaving investment banking to build the company, creating a sustainable sports-tech business, balancing growth with profitability, and why India's next fitness revolution will be driven by participation in sport rather than just exercise. Edited excerpts.
Economic Times (ET): You left a successful career in investment banking to build Playo in 2015. What inspired you to take that leap, and what gap in India's sports ecosystem convinced you this could become a sustainable business rather than just another booking app?
