Every rejection taught us how to build our pitch: Dream11's Harsh Jain
Mint’s Founder Diaries podcast, Jain, the chief executive of Dream11, details the realities of his startup journey—from failure, rejection, and relentless pivoting, to building a category-defining business valued at more than $8 billion. From navigating the complexities of investor pitches to adapting to regulatory changes, Dream11’s growth holds invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs. Jain emphasises the importance of building a strong team and culture, understanding the market, and the critical role of financial literacy in entrepreneurial success.
The idea for Dream11 came up in 2007 when I graduated from UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) with an engineering degree, and after a short stint with Microsoft, I had come back home to join my family’s business in real estate finance, SEZ (special economic zone). That was a very amazing project, but a really long-term one for a 22-year-old engineer. The fast-paced excitement isn’t there.
At that time, I was and still am and will always be a sports and tech gaming fanatic. We used to be playing Fantasy Premier League since 2001… and the IPL (Indian Premier League cricket tournament) was starting (in 2008). When the idea of IPL came about, I went looking for fantasy cricket, and that didn’t exist.
If you remember, something called Super Selector was there in the early 2000s. That was the right product in the wrong time. I went looking for Super Selector to play fantasy cricket because I loved Fantasy Premier League but it had shut down.
I told my friends this has to be fixed. We have to have fantasy sports for IPL. We have to launch fantasy cricket.
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