Bengaluru: Machaxi, an emerging leader in sports-tech innovation, has announced a $1.5 million funding round led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha, with additional backing from Indian badminton icon Prakash Padukone and existing investors.
This strategic investment will power the company’s expansion across India and scale its AI-powered grassroots badminton coaching program.
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With a vision to revolutionize access to high-quality sports coaching, the company will now extend its operations beyond Bengaluru into Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai. At the heart of this growth is the launch of the “Machaxi x Padukone School of Badminton”, a collaborative initiative set to roll out over 1,000 coaching centers across India within four years.
“We believe grassroots sports can drive social transformation. Machaxi’s blend of technology and on-ground presence fits our philosophy at Rainmatter. We’re proud to support them,” said Nithin Kamath, Founder of Zerodha and Rainmatter.
The initiative’s core strength lies in its AI-based coaching system, which is designed to standardize training quality, track athlete performance, and scale coaching accessibility, without replacing human expertise. This addresses two of India’s biggest challenges in grassroots sports – inconsistent training and limited access to skilled coaches.
“The future of Indian badminton depends on structured grassroots development. Machaxi’s vision to combine scale and quality through AI is a game-changer. I’m excited to support this mission,” said Prakash Padukone, legendary badminton player and investor in Machaxi.
“We’re building a future where every athlete, regardless of location, has access to consistent, AI-driven coaching. This funding accelerates our mission,” said Pratish Raj, Co-founder of Machaxi.
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As a pioneer in AI-integrated grassroots sports coaching, Machaxi’s platform is built to identify and nurture talent, ensuring that no potential goes unnoticed due to geography or lack of access.
Machaxi: Category Leader in AI-Based Training Infrastructure.
With India’s sports-tech ecosystem growing rapidly, Machaxi is positioning itself as a category leader in AI-based training infrastructure.
A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates the global AI in sports market will grow from $1.03 billion in 2024 to $2.61 billion by 2030, signaling a massive opportunity for players like Machaxi leveraging generative AI and predictive analytics to reshape the training landscape.
Founded in 2022, the company is a sports-tech platform dedicated to making sports more accessible across India. With centres in Bengaluru, we combine cutting-edge facilities and structured coaching to serve everyone – from first-time players to aspiring athletes.
