MAM
Seven startups reach finals in Gujarat Sports pitch: Minister Sanghavi
Mumbai: As many as seven sports startup companies have been shortlisted for the Pitchbook Competition during the country’s first-ever Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave, slated to be held on 11 December at the TransStadia University in Ahmedabad.
Over 60 top sports startup companies have registered for the Conclave as the window for applying came to an end on 02 December 2023.
“India’s presence on the global sports map has grown exponentially. The sports industry is no longer just about competition; it’s a booming economic sector with immense potential. A large share of credit for this transformation goes to our respected Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, whose enthusiasm and consistent support for our athletes have played a pivotal role. Hosting Gujarat Startup Sports Conclave within the framework of the Vibrant Gujarat initiative marks a substantial effort in our pledge to enhance the sports ecosystem and endeavours to attract investments, catalysing economic development and positioning Gujarat as a key hub for business and trade,” commented Minister of State Gujarat – home, industries transport, youth, sports, MLA of Surat Harsh Sanghavi.
The conclave is being organised by the Sports Authority of Gujarat, in partnership with TransStadia University and Sportscom Industry Confederation and backed by Startup India, i-Hub, the strong incubation setups which have been working with the Gujarat Government to facilitate ‘Next Generation Entrepreneurship’.
The Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave will be an intersection between sports and business in alignment with the Government of Gujarat’s vision of the growth of sports in India and recognise the outstanding achievements in the sports business landscape across the country. The conclave will not only showcase India’s potential as a sporting powerhouse but also bolster the startup economy and the growth progress of sports in Gujarat as well as other parts of the country. It also intends to inspire and help the country’s youth to explore the huge business potential of the sports market.
The jury comprising Nagarajan M (IAS, collector, Mehsana), R.S. Ninama (IAS, director general, Sports Authority of Gujarat), Saumil Majmudar (co-founder, managing director & CEO, Sportz Village), Rishikesh Joshi (founder, Sports for All), two representatives from i-Hub evaluated and shortlisted seven startup companies after detailed scrutiny of all the sports companies who had applied.
The seven shortlisted startups will compete at the Pitchbook Competition on the event day, showcasing their business ideas and products to a panel of seasoned judges who are acclaimed in the field of Sports on December 11, 2023. The panel of judges will decide on the top three startups and they will be rewarded with Rs ten lacs, Rs seven lacs and Rs four lacs respectively. A consolation prize money of Rs one lacs each would be given to the remaining four startups. Furthermore, along with a one-time cash prize, they will also have a chance to get mentorship from industry experts.
In addition to the lucrative cash prize, the top 15 startups selected by the jury members will get free stalls to demonstrate their products and ideas during the exhibition held on the sidelines of the Gujarat Sports Startup Conclave.
“We want to recognise and motivate sports startups in the industry through one of its kind Pitchbook competition and I am glad that so many sports startups have reached out to us,” added the sports minister.
Brands
GUEST COLUMN: Beyond layoffs, India emerges as creative-tech hub
Shift in hiring and AI-led workflows is reshaping global media and marketing
MUMBAI:The global narrative around layoffs in media and technology may suggest contraction, but a deeper transformation is reshaping how creative and tech capabilities are built and deployed. For Sanjil Zaveri, general manager – India at Brandtech+, this shift is less about decline and more about redistribution, one that is positioning India at the centre of a new global operating model. In this piece, Zaveri explores how integrated workflows, AI-powered production, and evolving talent demands are redefining the creative-tech ecosystem, why India is emerging as a strategic hub for global content and innovation, and what this means for the future of media, marketing, and talent.
The global headlines around layoffs in technology and media continue to dominate industry conversations. From platform restructuring to reduced marketing spends, the narrative suggests a slowdown across the creative and digital ecosystem.
But beneath these headlines, a different shift is underway, one that is quietly redefining how creative and technology work is delivered globally.
Hiring is not disappearing; it is being redistributed. And India is increasingly at the centre of this transition.
A structural shift in the creative-tech ecosystem
The media and marketing landscape is undergoing a fundamental reset. Brands today are moving away from fragmented agency models and siloed teams toward more integrated, agile structures.
Creative, technology, and media are no longer operating in isolation. Campaigns are now built through connected workflows, where ideation, production, and optimisation happen simultaneously.
This shift is forcing organisations to rethink where and how teams are built. Increasingly, the focus is on capability, speed, and scalability, rather than geography alone.
India’s emergence as a creative-tech hub
India’s role in this evolving ecosystem has expanded significantly.
Traditionally positioned as a backend execution market, India is now playing a far more central role in global campaign delivery. Teams based here contribute not just to production, but also to strategy, content development, and performance optimisation.
This is particularly relevant in a market where content velocity has increased dramatically. With the rise of digital platforms, OTT, and always-on marketing, brands require high volumes of creative assets without compromising on quality.
Industry insights from Ernst & Young point to India’s growing strength as a global content hub, while NASSCOM continues to highlight the scale and depth of the country’s digital talent pool. Together, these factors create a compelling case for India as a foundation for more efficient, integrated content ecosystems serving global markets.
A global company’s perspective on India
At Brandtech+, this shift is already shaping how we operate.
As a global organisation working across creative, marketing, and technology, our talent strategy is increasingly driven by capability rather than location. India has therefore become a key market for both scale and strategic talent.
In the first quarter of this year, we have significantly accelerated hiring in India across creative, technology, and operations roles, moving well ahead of plan and continuing to build strong momentum. We are actively hiring across multiple functions, with India playing a central role in delivering integrated creativetech solutions for global brands.
These signals reflect a broader change in how global companies view India, not as a delivery centre, but as a hub for connected creative, data, and technology capabilities.
“While much of the global narrative is centred on contraction, what we are seeing in India is a different kind of growth,” says Sanjil Zaveri. “As a global company, we are investing in talent that can work across creative, data, and technology, because that is where the future of marketing is headed.”
AI and the new content economy
Artificial intelligence is playing a critical role in enabling this transformation.
In today’s media environment, the demand for content has scaled exponentially. Brands are expected to create, adapt, and optimise creative assets across multiple platforms in real time. The scale of this demand would be difficult to sustain through traditional production models alone.
AI is helping make this possible.
Rather than replacing roles, AI is streamlining workflows, automating repetitive tasks, accelerating production timelines, and enabling faster experimentation. This allows creative and strategy teams to focus on higher-value outputs.
“AI removes the mundane and elevates the meaningful,” says Zaveri. “It allows teams to focus on ideas and storytelling, while technology drives efficiency.”
For media platforms and advertisers, this is redefining how campaigns are built, moving from linear production cycles to continuous, data-driven content creation.
What this means for media talent
For professionals across media, advertising, and digital, this shift is redefining skill requirements.
The traditional boundaries between creative, media planning, and technology are blurring. Content creators are expected to understand performance metrics. Media professionals are working more closely with data, platforms, and automation. Collaboration across disciplines is becoming a core skill.
This is creating demand for hybrid talent, professionals who can operate across disciplines and adapt to rapidly changing workflows.
India’s talent ecosystem is particularly well suited to this environment. With strong capabilities across content, design, engineering, and analytics, the market offers a unique combination of scale and versatility.
Importantly, global exposure is no longer tied to relocation. Professionals in India are increasingly working on international brands and campaigns, collaborating with teams across markets in real time.
Looking ahead: India at the centre of the reset
What we are witnessing today is not a temporary phase; it is a structural reset in the global creative-tech ecosystem.
Layoffs may continue to shape short-term narratives, but they do not capture where long-term growth is being built. That growth lies in new operating models, integrated workflows, and markets that can deliver both scale and innovation.
India is firmly at the centre of this transformation.
As global media and marketing organisations continue to evolve, India’s role will only become more critical, not as a support market, but as a strategic hub for content, creativity, and technology-led innovation.
The future of creative-tech will be defined by collaboration, speed, and adaptability. And increasingly, it will be shaped from India.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
