Many Bollywood celebrities have invested money in startups, and joining the list today is none other than — Boman Irani. The actor has invested in Rooter, which is a sports platform that connects sports fans and engages them during live sport events.
Along with Boman Irani, Dhruv Chitgopekar(partner, Kwan Entertainment) and Prantik Dasgupta have also participated in this round. However, the amount invested and the company’s valuation has not been disclosed.
The funds raised in the current round will be used by the company to strengthen the technology team at Rooter as well as create strategic partnerships with various sports platforms, teams, fan clubs and associations.
Commenting on the investment, Piyush Kumar, founder & CEO, Rooter, said,
Rooter is based on the inherent need of sports fans to connect and interact with one another across the real and the digital worlds. The idea behind Rooter was unique and interesting, which is why we have been able to raise funds from investors such as Boman, Dhruv and Prantik. This comes as a major shot in the arm for us, and encourages us to push on and use technology to make the sports consumption experience even better and more enjoyable.
Rooter was formed in June 2016 by two sports enthusiasts — Piyush Kumar and Soham Sinha. They aim to bridge the gap in the sports fan engagement market through a tech product. The platform has currently added cricket, football, and tennis to its portfolio.
The startup takes sporting interactions beyond generic social media platforms through pre-match quizzes and chat forums, live match prediction games and post-match interactions for fans to share their insights, predictions, analysis and opinions of the game.
The mobile application is available for both Android and Apple’s iOS devices. It is aiming to connect users to fans with similar sport interests around their workplace and home.
While the company initially focused on the Indian market, Rooter’s primary emphasis will be on footballing events such as European club football games, Indian Super League and other niche sports, such as F1 and NBA. With this, it wants to provide Indian sports enthusiasts a chance to interact with peers and revel in their passion for their preferred sports.
Many celebrities have recently taken interest in backing fledging startups with innovative ideas. Actor and television host Ranvijay Singh invested in fashion styling app IStyleYou, while actor and activist Gul Panag has launched a fitness-centered mobile app called Mobiefit.
Recently, Farhan Akhtar also backed film discovery app Flickbay, while Suniel Shetty has backed men’s grooming products startup Beardo.
