Dream11 is an Indian sports technology company that provides a fantasy sports platform for cricket, football, kabaddi, and basketball. The company was founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth and is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Dream11’s platform allows users to create their own fantasy teams by selecting players from real-world sports teams and compete with other users to score the highest points based on the performance of the real-life players in the actual matches. The platform offers a variety of contests with varying entry fees and prize money. In recent years, Dream11 has seen tremendous growth in India, especially in the cricket-crazy nation. The company has been the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament since 2020 and has also partnered with several other major sports leagues in India. Dream11 has also received significant investments from prominent investors, including Tencent, Steadview Capital, and Kalaari Capital. In 2020, the company became India’s first gaming unicorn, with a valuation of over $1 billion.
The success of Dream11 has spurred the growth of the fantasy sports industry in India, with several other companies launching similar platforms. However, Dream11 remains the dominant player in the market with a reported user base of over 100 million. Dream11’s success can be attributed to its innovative approach to fantasy sports, which includes a user-friendly interface, real-time scoring, and a wide range of contests and prizes. The company has also invested heavily in marketing and advertising, including sponsorships of major sporting events and teams, to increase its brand awareness and user acquisition. In 2020, Dream11 made headlines when it became the title sponsor of the IPL, beating out major companies such as Tata Motors and Unacademy with a bid of INR 222 crore ($30 million) for the rights. This move further cemented Dream11’s position as a major player in the Indian sports market and helped boost its user base and revenue.