Advertisement
What really powers the cloud? Behind every Google search, A...
A lot of what defines a home isn’t visible at handover. I...
Private equity has played a significant role in shaping Indi...
Luxury real estate is one of the most talked-about segments ...
Airports play a much bigger role than just enabling travel -...
Kerala-based sports technology startup Dartle has raised USD 100,000 in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV). The company, which provides a B2B SaaS platform for youth sports and football academies, plans to use the capital to strengthen its go-to-market strategy, expand in the United States, enhance AI capabilities and deepen partner engagement. Dartle currently serves 14 academies across India, the Middle East, Nepal and the US, while running eight paid pilots in the American market. The startup aims to onboard more than 100 academies globally over the next year and increase its annual recurring revenue to nearly USD 1 million, targeting a growing global market of sports academies seeking integrated operational and athlete management solutions.
Dartle, a Kerala-based B2B SaaS platform focused on youth sports and football academies, has raised USD 100,000 in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV). Announced on June 11, 2026, the investment will support the company’s plans to expand its market presence in the United States, enhance its platform through artificial intelligence integrations and strengthen engagement with academy partners globally.
Founded under Roninaks Sports Private Limited, Dartle provides an integrated academy operations platform designed to replace fragmented administrative systems used by sports academies. The platform combines academy management, scheduling, player analytics, athlete development tracking and parent engagement into a single ecosystem, allowing coaches, athletes and families to collaborate through a unified interface.
The company intends to utilise the fresh capital to accelerate its go-to-market strategy and scale operations across international markets. Over the next 10 to 12 months, Dartle aims to onboard more than 100 sports academies globally and grow its annual recurring revenue to nearly USD 1 million.
Dartle currently serves 14 academies across India, the Middle East, Nepal and the United States. The company also has eight paid pilot programmes underway in the US market. According to the startup, recent commercial milestones include securing a USD 60,000 MLS Next sponsorship and increasing its average contract value from USD 15,000 to USD 33,000.
The platform claims to reduce administrative workload by approximately 75% while improving athlete retention rates by three times. By consolidating academy operations and maintaining digital records of athlete performance, the system enables academies to focus more on player development and less on administrative processes.
Vinay Bansal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inflection Point Ventures, said Dartle was addressing operational challenges faced by youth sports academies through a unified, data-driven technology platform. He noted that the company had demonstrated measurable efficiency improvements and stronger athlete outcomes, reflecting clear product-market fit and supporting its growth ambitions within the sports technology sector.
Dartle’s platform enables academies, coaches, athletes and parents to access live updates, schedules and performance data through a single digital environment. The company stated that its athlete tracking capabilities help create transparent performance records that can support talent identification and scouting decisions while ensuring opportunities are awarded based on merit.
Commenting on the investment, Nihal Pradeep, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dartle, said the partnership with IPV represented an important milestone in the company’s growth journey. He stated that the funding and strategic support would help Dartle accelerate its expansion across the United States and European markets while advancing its objective of building a comprehensive operating system for youth sports academies worldwide.
Founded by Nihal Pradeep, Swathi Krishnan and Nagaraj R Potti, Dartle is targeting a sizeable global market. The company estimates that more than 50,000 sports academies worldwide continue to rely on disconnected systems and outdated operational tools. In the United States alone, Dartle estimates that approximately 3,000 youth soccer academies represent a market opportunity worth USD 45 million.
Inflection Point Ventures, which has invested more than INR 900 crore across over 280 startups, backed 16 startups during the first quarter of 2026 and continues to expand its portfolio across emerging technology sectors.
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
