iWorld
Dream Sports names Dev Bajaj as chief corporate development officer
MUMBAI: Dream Sports, India’s sports technology company with brands such as Dream11, FanCode and DreamX, announced the appointment of Dev Bajaj as chief corporate development officer.
In his new role, Bajaj will lead investments and drive global strategic partnerships in fantasy sports, sportstech, gaming and other opportunistic sectors. He will also work closely with leaders of the Dream Sports companies on future fundraising and strategic business planning.
Dream Sports co-founder and chief executive officer Harsh Jain, says, “We are excited to have Dev onboard to lead our business expansion through investments and partnerships. Dev’s extensive and versatile experience as an investor and entrepreneur over the last decade will help us further build the sports ecosystem in India.”
“I am sure that Dev will be invaluable in identifying strategic partners and scaling potential sports businesses. While Dream11 continues to grow rapidly, Dream Sports is hiring 250+ talented sport enthusiasts this year and actively expanding its portfolio of sports businesses. In the last year, we launched FanCode, a multi-sport aggregator platform with 15 million users already, and DreamX, a sports accelerator powering several new start-ups,” adds Jain.
He has over 17 years of experience across entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity and investment banking. Prior to joining Dream Sports, he was a venture partner with Kalaari Capital evaluating and managing early-stage investments in a variety of sectors including fintech, gaming, sportstech, SAAS, and AgTech.
As an entrepreneur, Bajaj successfully founded and built MITRA, which is now one of India’s successful AgTech start-ups. In 2018, Mahindra & Mahindra began acquiring MITRA. Before starting MITRA, Dev was at Paine Schwartz, a private equity firm in San Francisco and gained in-depth knowledge in investing in mid-stage buyout transactions.
Bajaj says, “Dream11’s 80 million user base is a testament to the Indian sports fans’ desire for deeper and meaningful engagement with their favourite sports. This desire will drive growth in the Indian SportsTech sector over the next decade.”
Bajaj adds, “With $5.5 billion invested in SportsTech in Asia, India leads the way with 40 per cent of all sports-tech startups in Asia, but has received less than 10 per cent of the funding. We believe there are multiple early and growth-stage investment opportunities for us within fantasy sports, gaming and the broader sports-tech ecosystem.”
“I have a lot of respect for Harsh, Bhavit and our management team. We share a common passion with many entrepreneurs in India who want to help Indian Sports with disruptive technology. In my new role, I aim to ensure that start-ups and mid-stage companies find Dream Sports a valuable investor and partner,” adds Bajaj.
Dev began his career with investment banking in the US. Dev has an MBA from INSEAD and B.Sc. from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
