Dream11
Unicorn · $5BMumbai, IN · 13 known investors
Find your way into Dream11
319 people in our graph share verified history with the Dream11 team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Dream11 is a fantasy sports platform operated by Sporta Technologies where users create fantasy teams to play games based on real-world sporting events. It serves sports fans in India.
Also known as Dream Sports · Dream11 Fantasy Private Limited · Sporta Technologies Private Limited
Founders & leadership
Investors · 13
Also in the syndicate · 7
Valuation · disclosed
Disclosed eventsSource: SEC prospectus filings, and round valuations the company or its investors disclosed — follow each entry's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Dream11 is a fantasy sports platform operated by Sporta Technologies Private Limited and headquartered in Worli, Mumbai. Users select teams of real-life players from upcoming matches, earn points based on those players' on-field performances and compete against other users. Sports covered include cricket, football, kabaddi, basketball, hockey, volleyball, handball, rugby and baseball, with the National Basketball Association among the leagues offered.
Dream11 is the flagship brand of Dream Sports, a Mumbai-based sports technology group whose portfolio also includes FanCode (a digital sports destination), DreamSetGo (a sports experiences platform), DreamX (a sports accelerator), Dream Cricket, Dream Game Studio, Dream Pay, the Mumbai Dreamers and the Dream Sports Foundation. Dream Sports has described a user base of over 200 million, and in 2024 announced the Columbia–Dream Sports AI innovation centre with Columbia Engineering as part of its innovation efforts for a 220-million user base.
Founding story
Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, childhood friends and sports enthusiasts, were followers of English football fantasy leagues and observed fantasy baseball, basketball and football formats in the United States and fantasy football for European leagues. Seeing no comparable money-based fantasy offering for cricket in India, they set out to build one around the Indian Premier League, which launched in the same period. Harsh Jain is a University of Pennsylvania graduate with an MBA from Columbia Business School; Bhavit Sheth is an engineer with an MBA from Bentley University and a diploma in e-commerce strategies from Harvard. The two had earlier co-founded Red Digital, a social media agency later acquired by Gozoop.
Business model
B2C. The platform offers both free contests, which award no cash prizes, and paid cash contests in which users pay an entry fee to enter a contest with a fixed prize pool; the platform retains the difference between total entry fees collected and prize money paid out.
Revenue is generated from entry fees charged for paid contests, with a share of the pooled entry fees retained after prize payouts to top-scoring participants.
Traction
Reported user counts range from about 0.3 million in 2015 to over 100 million by 2020, with later figures of 10 crore-plus and 14 crore users cited for Dream11 and over 200 million users across Dream Sports brands. Total funding has been reported at roughly $1.6 billion across nine rounds as of November 2021.
Latest developments
In 2024 Dream Sports launched the Columbia–Dream Sports AI innovation centre and was named principal partner of Reliance Foundation's India House at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In 2025, co-founder Harsh Jain published commentary on building the company in Mumbai and on the city's technology ecosystem through the Tech Entrepreneurs Association of Mumbai, and reporting described a pivot toward creator-led sports entertainment following the government ban on real-money gaming.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Described as India's largest fantasy sports platform and the first Indian gaming company to reach unicorn status, with reported market share of about 90% of the fantasy sports market. It is cited as one of three Indian gaming unicorns alongside Games24x7 and Mobile Premier League.
Positioned as a homegrown Indian fantasy sports brand built for sports fans rather than as a general gaming app, with a multi-sport contest catalogue, free and paid contest tiers, and a group portfolio spanning content, commerce and experiences.
Technology
A consumer mobile and web application that ingests real-time match performance data to score user-created fantasy teams and manage contest entry, prize distribution and payouts. Dream Sports launched an AI innovation centre with Columbia Engineering in 2024 and has been reported as planning to open-source its technology stack.
Go-to-market
Consumer mobile app distribution with sign-up via mobile number and OTP, supported by heavy sports sponsorship and advertising. The company was title sponsor of the Indian Premier League, ran campaigns such as "Team Hai Toh Mazaa Hai" during IPL 2021, signed social media creator Khaby Lame as a brand partner in 2021, and its parent has sponsored the Khelo India Youth Games and served as principal partner of Reliance Foundation's India House at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Indian sports fans, particularly cricket followers, who want to engage with live matches by creating and managing fantasy teams.
Geography
Operations are centred on India, with corporate offices in Mumbai (Worli and Bandra Kurla Complex). Management has publicly stated that the company has no global expansion plans and is focused on growth in India.
History
The company was founded in Mumbai by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth (sources give the founding year as 2008, with one report citing 2007). It began as an advertising-supported, season-long fantasy format that did not gain traction; in 2012 the company shifted to daily match contests. Kalaari Capital became its first investor in 2014. The platform grew from about 0.3 million users in 2015 to more than 100 million by 2020, and it entered the unicorn club in April 2019 following an investment from Steadview Capital. In March 2021, parent Dream Sports raised $400 million at a $5 billion valuation, and a further round was reported in November 2021. Dream11 later became title sponsor of the Indian Premier League after Vivo's withdrawal for a year.
Risks & controversies
The business depends on paid real-money contests and is exposed to regulatory action; reporting indicates a government ban on real-money gaming, after which Dream11 was reported to be pivoting to creator-led sports entertainment. Founding-date and user-count figures vary across published sources.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
3 people who came through Dream11 went on to found or lead other companies.
Timeline · 10
launches, deals, and filingsFollowing a government ban on real-money gaming, Dream11 was reported to be pivoting to creator-led sports entertainment.
Reliance Foundation announced Dream Sports as principal partner of India House, India's first Country House at the Paris 2024 Olympics, in partnership with the Indian Olympic Association.
Dream Sports announced the launch of the Columbia-Dream Sports artificial intelligence innovation centre with Columbia Engineering, aimed at its 220-million user base.
Dream Sports announced an extended co-sponsorship of the fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, its second year of association with the event.
Dream11 signed social media creator Khaby Lame as a brand partner in a deal reported at about Rs 2 crore, launching the #Dream11PeDimaagLagaNa campaign.
Dream Sports, parent of Dream11, raised $400 million led by TCV, D1 Capital Partners and Falcon Edge Capital, with participation from existing investors Tiger Global, ChrysCapital, TPG Growth, Steadview Capital and Footpath Ventures. Avendus Capital was exclusive financial advisor.
$400M source ↗
Dream11 became title sponsor of the IPL following technology company Vivo's withdrawal for a year.
Dream11 became the first Indian gaming company to reach a valuation above $1 billion after an investment from Steadview Capital.
Dream Sports was ranked #10 among India's Great Mid-Size Workplaces in 2019 and named among Fast Company's top 10 innovative companies in India in 2019.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
Dream11 pulls plug on subscriptions, pivots to social gameplay amid RMG crackdown - Storyboard18storyboard18.com · Aug 2026▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Dream11dream11.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Dream11 do?
- Dream11 is an Indian fantasy sports platform where fans build teams of real players and score points from live matches.
- Who founded Dream11?
- Dream11 was founded by Harsh Jain.
- Who are Dream11's investors?
- Dream11's investors include Alpha Wave Global, Kalaari Capital, Think Investments, DST Global, Tiger Global Management, TPG.
- Where is Dream11 headquartered?
- Dream11 is headquartered in Mumbai, IN.