KhiladiPro (KPro), a Bengaluru-based AI-powered sports tech platform, has raised approximately $1 million in its pre-seed funding round led by Shastra VC, an early-stage fund focused on deep-tech and AI startups, and MGA Ventures, known for backing early-stage ventures with a differentiated proposition.
The round also saw participation from prominent family offices and angel investors, including M Pallonji, Jeena and Co, Ayaz Billawala, Nimesh Kampani and Jaimin Bhat (former Kotak Bank CFO).
The funds raised will be used to accelerate the development of the company’s proprietary AI models, expand its reach in domestic markets and enhance support systems for young athletes across the country.
Founded in 2023 by Utkarsh Yadav, Nirav Shah and David Gladson, KPro is a visual AI sports tech platform that aims to democratise access to discovering and developing athletic talent in India. The company enables mobile-based, standardised sports assessments that deliver expert-level feedback to young athletes across schools and academies.
KPro’s flagship products—Kpro SAT and the Khiladi Ability Index (KAI)—are AI-powered benchmarks for youth fitness and movement intelligence. Grounded in global frameworks like Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), KAI enables early identification of athletic potential and supports personalised growth trajectories for children.
The company plans to expand internationally with Australia and the UAE identified as key markets. With a target of 2,00,000 assessments in 2025, KPro’s commitment to inclusion is reflected in its unique 6-Pincode Marketing model focusing on outreach in underserved regions, including India’s Tier-3 and 4 towns.
Utkarsh Yadav, Founder & CEO of KPro, said, “This funding validates our mission to make world-class sports science and coaching accessible to every child in India on their smartphones, regardless of geography or background. We’re empowering current and future generations of ‘khiladis’ to chase their sporting dreams. Our Visual AI platform bridges a critical gap in youth sports by delivering standardised, scalable and engaging assessments on mobile phone. From evaluating athletic potential to providing personalised video reports and national benchmarks, we make fitness and youth sports fun, competitive, and deeply inclusive.”
He added, “We’re not just building technology—we’re creating the social graph of active young athletes through a culture focused on purpose, innovation, user value and a drive to shape India’s Olympic future. Recognised for our innovation in youth fitness, we’re leading a nationwide movement aligned with India’s Khelo India program and its vision for the 2036 Olympic Games.”
“At KPro, technology is at the heart of everything we do. Our visual AI makes organising and running sports and fitness assessments smoother, highly accurate and more efficient. With India’s sports technology market projected to reach USD 1,479.2 million by 2033, KPro is well-positioned to align with this emerging trend,” said Yadav.
Jay Desai, Fund Manager at MGA Ventures, said, “KhiladiPro represents the rare confluence of deep-tech innovation and social impact. The platform’s ability to democratise sports assessments and empower millions of children with data-driven insights makes it one of the most exciting early-stage ventures in India’s sports-tech space.”
