Center Court Capital, supported by Sajjan Jindal, plans to raise Rs 350 crore for its first fund

Sajjan Jindal-backed Centre Court Capital, which was started by Mustafa Ghouse, the former CEO of JSW Sports, aims to raise around Rs 350 crore for its first fund. The fund will make investments in gaming and sports technologies, including e-sports, game developers, and studios.

The firm intends to open an offshore feeder fund in GIFT City in order to gather money from international investors after securing pledges of Rs 200 crore from athletes and investors. According to a statement, it will put emphasis on early-stage possibilities with ticket sizes ranging from Rs 8-24 crore, and set aside 40–50% of the money for follow-on investments.

The Sajjan Jindal Family Trust is the anchor investor in the venture capital fund, which was established by Ghouse and Alok Samtaney, a former investment director at TVS Capital and Sabre Partners. Other investors include PremjiInvest, USK Capital, GMR Sports, SG Sports, and the Small Industries Development Bank of India.

“Public and corporate investment in sports has increased dramatically; since 2020, it has more than doubled. As a consequence, the number of Indian entrepreneurs creating products for both the Indian market and the global market is increasing. We also have the second-largest gaming population in the world, with 396 million players, and the gaming industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 21% over the next five years, according to Ghouse.

We have made significant investments in, supported, and promoted sport in India over the last 10 years, and our dedication is a result of our conviction in the potential of sports in India. The MD of JSW Cement, JSW Paints, and Founder of JSW Sports, Parth Jindal, said, “We’ve also been following the expansion of the eSports and gaming sectors, and we’re excited to see the champions from India emerge.”