Digital
Machaxi aces $1.5m fund raise from Padukone and Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter
BENGALURU: Machaxi, a Bengaluru-based grassroots sports-tech startup, has netted $1.5 million in fresh funding to power its AI-driven badminton coaching revolution. The round was led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Nithin Kamath’s Zerodha, and featured a rousing smash from Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone himself.
The funding will fuel Machaxi’s expansion into Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai, while laying the groundwork for over 1,000 tech-enabled coaching centres over the next four years, in partnership with the Padukone School of Badminton. At the heart of this initiative: an AI-led training system built to bring consistency, performance tracking and scalability to India’s fractured coaching landscape.
“I’ve always believed the future of Indian badminton lies in structured grassroots development,” said Padukone. “Machaxi’s AI vision ensures quality without compromise — no matter where you’re from.”
The startup’s tech doesn’t aim to replace human coaches but to empower them — standardising training methods, flagging performance gaps, and ensuring even remote centres can tap into world-class insights.
Machaxi co-founder Pratish Raj said, “This partnership is a big step forward in our mission to make quality sports coaching accessible to everyone in India. With the support of Rainmatter and the visionary backing of Padukone, we’re working toward a future where every aspiring athlete no matter where they come from can train with consistency, purpose, and access to world-class infrastructure. Our AI powered model is built to ensure that potential is discovered and nurtured, not overlooked. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this shift in grassroots sports.”
The playbook is timely. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global AI-in-sports market is set to grow from $1.03 billion in 2024 to $2.61 billion by 2030. Machaxi aims to ride that wave straight into India’s heartland, transforming courts and communities alike.
Founded in 2022, Machaxi has made a name blending on-ground grit with digital smarts — and now, it’s game on for India’s next gen of champions.
(Pictured Above (L-R)-Nithin Kamath, Ashish Anand, Tushar Raj, Prakash Padukone, Pratish Raj, and Dilip Kumar)
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
