GoRally, India’s leading pickleball chain, founded last year by Sam Sancheti (ex-Bain, Visa, IITD) and Abhinav Shankar (ex-Lightrock, VenturEast, Oxford) has raised INR 6.6 crore ($750K) in pre-seed funding to fuel its rapid expansion and cement its leadership in India’s booming pickleball ecosystem. The round was led by Sujeet Kumar (Co-Founder, Udaan; ex-Head of Ops, Flipkart), with participation from key investors including Mohit Kumar & Vatsal Singhal (Founders, Ultrahuman), Viren Singhvi (ex- CFO of American Razor Safety co), Kartik Kapoor (East Africa Racquet Sports), Abhishek Goyal (Founder & CEO, Tracxn), Deepak Singh (Founder & CEO, Gameskraft & AnzyGlobal), Arjun Vaidya (Founder, V3 Ventures & Dr Vaidya’s), Bharat Founders Fund, an IITD syndicate, and several US investors amongst others.
Since its incorporation in February 2024, GoRally has emerged as the fastest-growing pickleball network & community in India. It operates four centers across Bangalore with 15 courts, including its flagship 15,000 sq. ft. indoor facility near Indiranagar, and a 4000-strong, thriving Whatsapp community.
With this funding, the company will rapidly scale to eight centers and 40 pickleball and 2 paddle courts by April 2025 making it India’s largest pickleball chain. The upcoming centers include India’s largest indoor pickle-padel arena GoRally Whitefield, a 40,000 sq ft facility. It will also launch its Tech platform this month to streamline the community experience, including its popular ‘Open-play’ game format. The company will continue to expand its coaching services (its full-time coaches include Karnataka’s top 2 players) and build out its equipment retail business (it already distributes some of the world’s top brands like Joola), making it a full-stack player tapping into the recreational sports boom anchored by Pickleball & Padel. Beyond Bangalore, GoRally plans to expand to other major cities like Delhi and Chennai later this year through strategic partnerships, whilst staying operationally profitable.
“Sam and Abhinav have built something truly special with GoRally,” said Sujeet Kumar, Lead Investor and Co-Founder of Udaan. “Their passion and relentless execution are evident in how quickly they’ve scaled. With their tech-driven approach and deep focus on community engagement, GoRally is redefining how people experience the game. We backed them because we believe in their vision, and we’re excited to see them take this even further.”
“The hunger for inclusive, welcoming sports spaces is unprecedented,” said Sam Sancheti, Co-Founder of GoRally. “Pickleball’s rise in 2024 exceeded even our most ambitious expectations. Our mission is to continue building best-in-class, accessible facilities, events, and tech-driven platforms that ultimately foster the sense of community that urban Indians crave.”
“Our goal is to get the next 10 million Indians playing sports,” added Abhinav Shankar, Co-Founder of GoRally. “We are just scratching the surface of what’s possible. From families to first-time players, we’ve seen pickleball become more than just a sport—it’s a social phenomenon. This round sets the foundation for the next phase of our journey, and we’re excited to scale our impact across India.”
Pickleball’s popularity in India has skyrocketed, with the number of full-time courts growing from 200 in early 2024 to over 1,200 today, including 50+ in Bangalore alone. With a broad addressable market spanning ages 8 to 80, the sport has the potential to become India’s second or third most-played recreational sport after cricket. With its first-mover advantage in this space, deep focus on community-driven experiences, and strategic backing from experienced investors, GoRally is well-placed to lead the next wave of sports innovation in India.
Source : Press Release
