An interview with Sidhhant Agarwal, Co-founder & CEO, SportVot, a sports-tech startup
In this interview, Sidhhant Agarwal, Co-founder & CEO of SportVot, discusses his mission to democratize grassroots sports in India.
He shares how SportVot leverages technology to provide visibility, real-time data, and streaming solutions for emerging athletes, bridging the gap in talent discovery and sports broadcasting.
What inspired the creation of SportVot, and what specific gap in the sports industry are you aiming to fill?
Sidhhant Agarwal: SportVot was born out of a simple yet powerful observation—grassroots sports have talent, stories, and moments that rarely see the light of day.
While elite-level sports are broadcasted and celebrated, the majority of players in small towns, districts, and local communities remain invisible.
We wanted to change that. The core idea was to build a tech platform that makes it easy and affordable for every tournament—no matter how small—to be seen, streamed, and celebrated.
We’re filling the visibility and access gap at the grassroots level and making sure talent doesn’t go unnoticed.
What are the key offerings of SportVot for grassroots sports organizations and athletes?
Sidhhant Agarwal: For organizers, SportVot offers a full-stack solution—from cloud-based match production to monetization tools like pay-per-view, sponsorship overlays, and real-time graphics.
For athletes, we’ve built digital profiles, automatic highlight generation, and social media shareability that can serve as a resume of their performance.
Whether it’s a small kabaddi match or a regional football league, we provide the tech, production, and distribution to make it look world-class—without the world-class cost.
How does SportVot foster a sense of community among grassroots sports participants and supporters?
Sidhhant Agarwal: Community is everything in grassroots sports. We’ve built tools that allow local fans to follow tournaments remotely, cheer for their teams, and share moments instantly.
Beyond just streaming, we ensure every tournament has its own mini digital ecosystem—leaderboards, player profiles, live scores, and social snippets that allow organizers, athletes, and fans to stay engaged and feel part of something bigger.
Our WhatsApp community management and localized broadcast partners also help deepen the offline-to-online connect.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when launching SportVot, and how did you overcome them?
Sidhhant Agarwal: One of the earliest challenges was convincing organizers that tech could be an enabler, not an added burden. Many were skeptical—streaming seemed complex and expensive.
So we spent time on the ground, built relationships, and iterated constantly. Another challenge was infrastructure.
Most grassroots venues don’t have fixed cameras or high-speed internet. That’s where our cloud-first, mobile-friendly production model really helped. We kept it lean, scalable, and designed for the real India.
How do you differentiate SportVot from other sports-tech startups and platforms that focus on grassroots sports?
Sidhhant Agarwal: Our biggest differentiator is the product-service hybrid model. We’re not just a SaaS tool you figure out on your own.
We walk the journey with the organizer—from pre-tournament branding to live match-day execution to post-event reels.
We’ve also managed to scale across 30+ sports in 20+ countries, not by chasing size, but by focusing on ease of use, cost efficiency, and outcome-driven value for all stakeholders. Most importantly, we’ve always been close to the ground—and that’s where the magic is.
What are your long-term goals for SportVot, and are there any exciting projects or new features in the pipeline?
Sidhhant Agarwal: We want to become the default operating system for grassroots sports across the world.
That means expanding into new geographies, building smarter tools for discovery and monetization, and investing in scalable on-ground partnerships.
We recently opened our office in Australia, and have just covered a tournament for the International Table Tennis Federation—our first global federation event. We’re also working on AI-powered features like real-time highlight generation, automated commentary, and player tracking.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the sports-tech industry?
Sidhhant Agarwal: Build for the problem, not the podium. It’s easy to get swayed by glamour in sports, but real impact—and scale—often lies in the overlooked corners.
Be ready to get your hands dirty, especially if you’re working in grassroots. Talk to the people you’re solving for, learn their language, and don’t assume tech alone will solve it.
It has to be simple, accessible, and truly valuable. Also, timing matters—sports is emotional and seasonal, so patience and perseverance go a long way.
Sidhhant Agarwal’s vision for SportVot is reshaping the sports-tech landscape by empowering local talent and making sports data accessible nationwide.
His commitment to innovation ensures that aspiring athletes gain recognition, transforming how grassroots sports are discovered and celebrated in India.
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