Even one rejection may leave us cracked and crumbling, so imagine the plight of this man whose idea was shot down many times over. He would leave the chambers of venture capitalists with rejection slips pinned on his chest but that didn’t break his resolve.
Today, this man from Mumbai, Harsh Jain, is a proud co-founder of the largest fantasy sports website in India called Dream11, which has a staggering net worth of Rs 64,000 crore.
As an article presents his story evocatively, Harsh and his business partner, Bhavit Sheth, walked on roads strewn with nettles. As many as 150 venture capitalists didn’t believe in the idea of a sports fantasy platform.
A bit of background is necessary to know more about the man. Harsh completed his high school studies in London. He obtained a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He pursued his Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University, all of which would have landed him a high-paying job anywhere in the world.
But his mind was deeply fixated on the idea of a fantasy sports platform, which would allow users to play fantasy cricket, hockey, football, kabaddi, and basketball. The mega success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) convinced him that such a platform would capture the imagination of users.
Harsh managed the design, tech, product, and marketing-related work, while Bhavit focused on the operations, the article highlighted.
It was after six years of Dream11’s formation that the website started recording impressive numbers.
In 2014, the number of users on the site reached 10 lakh. Four years later, it had 4.5 crore users. Within the next year, the number of users doubled.
As of now, it is approximately 20 crore, the article adds.
It wasn’t long before the company enjoyed unicorn status. That happened in 2019 when the market value of Dream11 exceeded $1 billion (about Rs 8,100 crore).
The company reached its apogee when it earned sponsorship rights for the Indian cricket team’s jersey.
Harsh has purchased a house worth Rs 72 crore in Mumbai, leaving behind a story of what perseverance and relentless pursuit of an idea can achieve.
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