What Natekar Sports and Gaming does

Natekar Sports and Gaming (doing business as NSF — Natekar Sports & Fitness) is a Pune, India-based boutique sports consultancy and advisory firm serving enterprise clients across real estate, government, brands, education, and CSR. The firm was established by the late Nandu Natekar, the first Arjuna Award recipient (1961) and 10-time Indian national badminton champion, and is now led by his son Gaurav Natekar (former India #1 tennis player, Founder) and daughter-in-law Arati Ponnappa Natekar (national lawn tennis player, Co-Founder). The founders previously operated a chain of sports retail stores for 16 years before divesting that business to focus exclusively on advisory.

NSF organizes its offering around four service pillars: (1) Sports Infrastructure Development & Redevelopment — end-to-end consultancy from concept and design through execution and handover for sports facilities; (2) Bespoke Brand Consulting — aligning brands and broadcasters with sporting IPs, athletes, and marquee events; (3) Professional Sports Facility Management — ongoing maintenance, programming, and community engagement for managed venues; and (4) Non-profit / CSR Sports Initiatives — enabling corporates and NGOs to deploy CSR capital into sport. Adjacent programs include Second Innings (with Pine Labs since 2021) for placing ex-athletes into corporate roles, and Mission 2024 (with GoSports Foundation, 2024) supporting Olympic athletes. The firm has also co-founded the World Padel League (WPBL), whose inaugural season ran January 25 to February 2, 2025 at Brabourne Stadium, CCI, signaling expansion into sports IP ownership.

The business operates a direct enterprise field-sales model with relationship-based engagement, no public pricing, and a project-based / managed-services revenue mix. Named clients include Mahindra Lifespaces, Lodha Developers, Embassy Group, Panchshil Infrastructure, Gera Developments, Godrej Properties, K Raheja Corp, Blackstone, Jio World Centre, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Sports Authority of Goa, Symbiosis, Ryan International School, and Pine Labs. The firm does not disclose revenue, has no app or digital product, and has no disclosed external funding, operating as a founder-controlled micro-boutique with 1-10 employees serving clients pan-India from its Pune headquarters.

Name

Natekar Sports and Gaming

Legal name

Natekar Sports and Gaming

Website

https://natekarsports.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Natekar Sports and Gaming is a Pune-based boutique sports consultancy advising corporates, real estate developers, governments, and brands on sports infrastructure, brand partnerships, facility management, and CSR initiatives across India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Consulting Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

B2B Sports Digital Syndication & White-Label Streaming Services (MPAKAOAJ), Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

Keywords

• Sports infrastructure consulting
• Sports facility management
• Brand consulting services
• Sports advisory services
• CSR sports programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pune

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sports Infrastructure Consulting: Project-based consulting fees for designing, developing, and overseeing sports facility projects for corporates, real estate developers, governments, and educational institutions. Services range from concept to design, execution, and handover.
2. Brand Consulting & Partnerships: Bespoke consulting services helping brands engage with sports through media-led sporting IPs, tournaments, brand activations, and marquee event partnerships. Revenue generated through consulting fees and media buying services.
3. Sports Facility Management: Ongoing facility management contracts for sports complexes operated for state governments, educational institutes, real estate developers, and corporate IT parks. Includes maintenance, programme development, and community engagement.
4. CSR & Non-profit Advisory: Consulting services enabling corporates and NGOs to allocate CSR budgets through sponsorships, funding mechanisms, and sports development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Natekar Sports and Gaming (operating as NSF - Natekar Sports & Fitness) is a B2B sports consultancy and advisory firm that delivers four core service pillars: sports infrastructure development and redevelopment, bespoke brand consulting, professional sports facility management, and non-profit/CSR sports initiatives. The firm serves corporates, real estate developers, state governments, educational institutions, broadcasters, and NGOs with customized, project-based engagements built on the founders' elite sports backgrounds.

Product overview

Natekar Sports & Fitness (NSF) is a sports consultancy and advisory firm offering four core service pillars: (1) Sports Infrastructure Development & Redevelopment - providing end-to-end services from concept to execution for sports facilities; (2) Bespoke Brand Consulting - aligning brands with sports through custom marketing solutions and brand activations; (3) Professional Sports Facility Management - maintaining and managing sports facilities post-construction; and (4) Non-profit Sports Initiatives - CSR projects enabling corporate involvement in sports development. The company also operates specific programs like Second Innings (career transition for ex-athletes) and Mission 2024 (Olympic athlete support).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Second Innings: Initiative launched in 2021 to help ex-athletes transition to careers in the Indian startup ecosystem through employment at Pine Labs.

Products and services

• Sports Infrastructure Development & Redevelopment Comprehensive sports infrastructure services spanning from concept to design, execution and handover, including customisation of sports facilities for corporates, real estate developers, educational institutions, state governments, municipal corporations, and non-profit initiatives.
• Bespoke Brand Consulting Brand consulting services that align brands with professional and recreational sports through collaborative consulting approaches, customising solutions for brands, products, services, social causes, target audiences, geographies, and sports of interest.
• Professional Sports Facility Management Sports facility management services ensuring optimal maintenance and utilisation of sports facilities through sports-based programmes and solutions for State Governments, Educational Institutes, Real Estate Developers, and Corporate Houses & IT Parks.
• Non-profit / CSR Sports Initiatives CSR and non-profit sports advisory services enabling corporates and NGOs to allocate CSR budgets through sponsorships and/or funding, identifying and actualising opportunities in the sports industry.
• Sports Club Management & Operations Comprehensive solutions for developing independent and in-project sports clubs customised for member, resident, and location-specific profiles in the commercial and residential real estate sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 ex-athletes successfully transitioned to corporate sector through Second Innings initiative
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Pine LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Second Innings initiative - NSF identifies ex-athletes who have represented their country or state and facilitates their employment at Pine Labs. The program provides employment contracts, training, and skilling to ensure successful transition to corporate sector. Two batches of 5-6 athletes recruited so far, spanning sports including Chess, Football, Tennis, Swimming, Hockey, Rugby, Long distance running and Cricket.
• GoSports FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Mission 2024 - an initiative to raise funds for athletes preparing for Paris Olympics 2024. The event attracted participation from top industrialists and sports enthusiasts.
• VisamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGroundbreaking collaboration between VISA and Jio Cinema for FIFA World Cup broadcast. NSF orchestrated the partnership for pre and post-match show on Jio Cinema's Sports 18 and OTT platform. NSF's expertise in conception and talent curation elevated the program.
• Jio Cinema / Sports 18majorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for FIFA World Cup broadcast. NSF facilitated VISA partnership integration with Jio Cinema's Sports 18 and OTT platform for pre and post-match show content.
• Bajaj AutomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNSF orchestrated strategic partnership between Bajaj Auto and prestigious BWF tournaments in Indonesia and Thailand. The partnership promoted Bajaj vehicles to badminton audiences, capitalizing on the sport's growing popularity in India.
• JanaJalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGaurav Natekar serves as strategic advisor to JanaJal, a water services company.
• MahikaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGaurav Natekar and Arati Natekar serve as strategic advisors and co-promoters to Mahika, an online learning and placement platform focused on women.
• WPBL (World Padel League)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGaurav and Arati Natekar are co-founders of WPBL which commenced its inaugural season from January 25 to February 2, 2025 at the iconic Brabourne Stadium, CCI.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Sports Business Group: Big-4 advisory practice focused on sports business strategy, valuation, and infrastructure. Directly competes for sports strategy / infrastructure advisory RFPs from corporate India that NSF also targets.
• IMG (Endeavor): Global sports and entertainment management giant operating events, media rights, athlete representation, and consulting. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose sports advisory practice overlaps NSF's brand and event work.
• Octagon: Global sports marketing agency owned by IPG, providing sponsorship consulting, athlete & brand management, and event services. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same brand-sports consulting RFPs NSF wins.
• KPMG Sports Practice: Global Big-4 advisory offering sports strategy and infrastructure consulting. Directly comparable as a competing source of sports advisory talent for corporates and governments NSF serves.

Regional players

• Percept Limited: Indian integrated sports, media, and entertainment services company. Comparable as a regional incumbent offering sports sponsorship, event management, and brand consulting across India.
• Twenty First Century Media (TFCM / Times Strategic Solutions): Indian sports media-rights and events company. Comparable as a regional player operating sports IP and media rights in India — adjacent to NSF's WPBL and broadcast partnership work.

Emerging players

• Olympic Gold Quest: Indian non-profit funding Olympic athletes. Comparable as an adjacent player in NSF's CSR / athlete-development pillar, with shared GoSports Foundation ecosystem overlap.

Direct peers

• ITW Consulting: India-based sports and entertainment consulting firm providing strategy, athlete management, sponsorship, and event advisory. Directly comparable as a homegrown Indian sports consultancy with similar B2B clients across brands, broadcasters, and federations.
• Sportz Interactive: India-based sports digital media and content company serving leagues, broadcasters, and brands. Comparable as a sports-tech and content partner competing for the same digital / broadcast-side sports mandates NSF orchestrates.
• Meraki Sport and Entertainment: Indian sports marketing and management firm focused on brand sponsorships, league operations, and athlete representation. Comparable as a direct competitor for brand-sports consulting mandates and event IP development in India.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/natekarsports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Natekar Sports and Gaming