When Sagar Rai stepped out of the final-year engineering placement queue at APJAKTU in 2020, he told a classmate outside the hall: "Agle saal meri company lagunga yaha, usmein apply kario." (Next year my company will be recruiting here. Apply to it.)
On 16 September 2020, he incorporated KIBI Sports Private Limited (CIN: U92490UP2020PTC134722, DIN: 08881388) in Sarnath, Varanasi (221007), later establishing the company's technology and operating headquarters at 1st A Cross Road, 7th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560095 alongside US entity KIBI SPORTS Inc. in Delaware.
Six Years of Verifiable Milestones (2020–2026)
- 2020 — Incorporation & Grassroots Discovery: Bootstrapped from pocket money, mapping how district academies, athletes, and local sports retailers actually transact across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, and Karnataka.
- 2021 — DPIIT Startup India Recognition (
DIPP69448): Official recognition by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India, and launch of multi-brand equipment supply rails. - 2022 — TEDxISBRBangalore Stage Talk: Sagar Rai delivered A Student who became an Entrepreneur (watch on YouTube) and launched the Sports Charcha Podcast on Spotify.
- 2023 — National Media Profile in Times of India & MiD DAY: Featured in Times of India ("We are democratising current sports ecosystem through digitalisation: Sagar Rai").
- 2025 — National Startup Awards 5.0 Finalist (Sports Category) & Angel Round: Selected among India's top sports startups and covered by BW Disrupt, Entrackr, Indian Startup News, SportsMint Media, and YourStory.
- 2026 — Zee TV Ideabaaz (Season 1, Ep 23) & 90,000+ Athletes Verified Through Sports Organisations: Featured on national television as KIBI Sports crossed 90,000+ athletes verified through sports organisations, 100+ institutions, and 257+ brand partners across 20+ sports and 25+ cities.
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