MUMBAI: Indian fantasy sports platform Dream 11 is a well known app by sports enthusiasts. The app allows its users to play fantasy cricket, football, hockey, and many other sports. The app boasts 150 million active users and is one of the most popular fantasy sports app.

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Dream 11 was founded in 2008 and in 2019, it became the first Indian fantasy sports company to become a unicorn. But did you know that the idea of Dream 11 was rejected 150 times? After 150 venture capitalists rejected it, the app finally saw the light of day. 

Harsh Jain, who is the son of Indian businessman, Anand Jain, is the co-founder of Dream 11 along with Bhavit Sheth.

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Harsha has been an avid sports and gaming enthusiast. He attended the Sevenoaks High School in London, following which he pursued a degree in Bachelor of Science, majoring  in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He then pursued his MBA from Columbia University.

After working for Microsoft as an intern post graduation, Harsha realized his love for fantasy sports. He returned back to India and focused on becoming a businessman. When the IPL was launched in 2008, Harsh along with his friend Bhavit decided to start Dream 11. While Bhavit manages the operations, Harsh looks after the product, design, tech and marketing. 

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Initially Dream 11 was accused of being a gambling platform. After fighting several legal battles, the app finally was known to be a legitimate platform. Speaking of his struggles Harsh said, “But then each one actually taught us a little bit about our business, from gross margins to lifetime value and CAC.”

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In 2014, the company reached 1 million users,  and reached 45 million in 2018.  In 2020, the IPL title sponsorship rights were given to Dream 11 and in 2023, the jersey sponsorship of the Indian National Cricket Team was acquired by Dream 11. 

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Dream 11 is currently valued at Rs. 65,000 crores. With over 200 millions active users, Dream 11 has expanded its wings to various sports including kabbadi, handball, basketball, baseball and rugby.

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Harsha is married to Dentist Rachaha Shah and the couple has a son Krish. In 2021, the couple made headlines after they purchased a luxurious duplex apartment worth Rs. 72 crores near Antilia. Opening up about his wife’s support, Harsh said, “Rach has been the invisible force behind our success—my sounding board, a coach, constructive critic, a shoulder to cry on, someone who helps me stay balanced and not burn out, office and product designer, marketing consultant, HR head... it goes on and on and on.”

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Credit-BollywoodShaadis