Dr. Vipul Lunawat of ISST on Building Structured Career Pathways in India’s Sports Industry
📝Interviews
In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, marking National Startup Day, Dr. Vipul Lunawat, Founder Director of the International Institute of Sports & Management (ISST), discusses the critical gaps that have long existed in India’s sports education and career ecosystem. He reflects on why the country’s focus on athletic performance and general education created limited, fragmented pathways for careers in sports management and sports science, and how ISST was built to bridge this divide through specialised, industry-aligned education. Lunawat shares insights on rising demand for sports management programmes, the role of internships and live projects in improving employability, and how deep industry partnerships have enabled strong placement outcomes. As sports education startups increasingly contribute to the professionalisation of sport in India, he outlines what meaningful growth looks like for ISST—one that prioritises career outcomes, access beyond metro cities, and long-term ecosystem impact.
StartupTalky: What gaps in India’s sports education and career pathways led to the creation of ISST as a specialised sports education institute?
Vipul Lunawat: India’s sports ecosystem has traditionally focused on either athletic performance or general education, with very limited structured pathways for careers around sport. When ISST was conceptualised, there was a clear gap between the rapidly growing sports industry and the availability of professionally trained human resources to support it.
Key gaps included:
- Lack of specialised, industry-aligned education in areas of sports management and sports science such as event management, physiotherapy, analytics, and so on.
- Fragmented learning pathways, where students interested in sports careers had to rely on short-term certifications or generic degrees with minimal practical exposure.
- Limited career clarity for students passionate about sports but not pursuing professional athletic careers.
- Insufficient integration between academics and industry, resulting in graduates who were qualified on paper but not job-ready.
ISST was created to bridge this gap by offering structured, specialised, and application-oriented education in sports sciences and sports management. The institute was envisioned as a platform that builds skilled professionals for the sports industry, not just degrees — combining academic rigour, hands-on learning, industry partnerships, and real-world exposure.
At its core, ISST was founded on the belief that sports needs trained professionals just as much as it needs athletes, and that building a strong sports ecosystem in India requires investing in education, skill development, and human capital.
StartupTalky: ISST offers programs across sports science, management, and related fields. Which courses are seeing the highest student demand today, and what is driving that interest?
Vipul Lunawat: Currently, ISST is seeing the highest demand for its BSc in Sports Management and MBA in Sports Management programs. This interest is being driven by the rapid professionalization of the Indian sports industry — including the growth of leagues, federations, sports start-ups, events, and grassroots development programs.
Students are increasingly looking for structured career pathways beyond playing sport, and these programs offer a strong mix of business fundamentals, sports-specific knowledge, and hands-on industry exposure. The BSc program attracts students at the undergraduate level who want an early, focused entry into the sports ecosystem, while the MBA appeals to graduates and working professionals aiming for leadership and managerial roles within sport.
The demand reflects a growing awareness that sports today is a serious industry, and that specialised management education is essential to build sustainable careers within it.
StartupTalky: Placements are a key outcome for students. How does ISST work with sports organisations to create placement and internship opportunities, and which partnerships have delivered the strongest results?
Vipul Lunawat: Placements at ISST are built on long-term relationships with sports organisations rather than transactional hiring. We actively create rapport with industry stakeholders through formal tie-ups, guest sessions, and, most importantly, structured internship engagements where students work directly within organisations.
Internships play a critical role in this process. When students work with federations, leagues, academies, teams, and sports companies, they contribute meaningfully to operations, performance support, and management functions. This hands-on involvement builds trust and familiarity, often translating into full-time roles.
This approach has delivered strong outcomes — ISST recorded 100% placements for the 2025 pass-out batch of the MBA in Sports Management and the Master’s Program in Sports Science. These results reinforce our focus on industry integration, practical learning, and career-oriented education.
StartupTalky: Practical exposure is critical in sports careers. How do you ensure students gain hands-on experience through events, internships, or live projects, and how does this improve employability?
Vipul Lunawat: Practical exposure is a cornerstone of ISST’s education model. With a strong alumni network of over 1,500 professionals across the global sports ecosystem, ISST ensures students gain hands-on experience through live events, internships, and industry projects with leading leagues and organisations.
Students have worked with platforms such as the IPL, ISL, PKL, GEPL, TPL, Davis Cup, and other major sporting events, gaining real-world exposure to high-performance, event operations, and sports management environments. This practical learning, combined with mentorship from alumni and industry professionals, builds strong professional competence and industry readiness.
As a result, ISST graduates are well-networked, job-ready, and equipped to contribute effectively from day one, significantly enhancing their employability across India.
StartupTalky: From an outcomes perspective, which one number best reflects ISST’s impact today alumni placed in the sports industry, placement success rate, average starting salary, or student intake growth?
Vipul Lunawat: From an outcomes perspective, placement success rate best reflects ISST’s impact today. In recent years, ISST has consistently strengthened its placement outcomes, driven by deeper industry integration, structured internships, and job-oriented academic models.
Most notably, the 2025 pass-out batch recorded a 100% placement success rate for the MBA in Sports Management and the Master’s Program in Sports Science, highlighting both the quality of training and the growing trust of the sports industry in ISST graduates.
This sustained improvement in placement outcomes reflects ISST’s focus on employability, industry relevance, and long-term career success rather than just student intake numbers.
StartupTalky: The sports industry in India is evolving quickly. What skills or capabilities do employers expect today that students often lack when they enter the workforce?
Vipul Lunawat: Employers in today’s sports industry increasingly look beyond academic qualifications to practical, workplace-ready skills. Many students entering the workforce lack real-world exposure, operational understanding, and the ability to adapt to fast-paced, dynamic sports environments.
Key gaps often include professional communication, stakeholder coordination, problem-solving under pressure, data and digital literacy, and an understanding of on-ground operations. Employers also value attitude, reliability, and the ability to take ownership — qualities that are difficult to develop without hands-on experience.
This is why industry-aligned training, internships, and live project exposure have become critical in preparing students to meet current employer expectations.
StartupTalky: As India marks National Startup Day, how do you see sports education startups contributing to stronger career pathways for sportspersons and sports professionals?
Vipul Lunawat: Sports education start-ups are playing a crucial role in building structured and sustainable career pathways within India’s sports ecosystem. By combining industry knowledge, technology, and outcome-driven education, they are creating opportunities not only for sportspersons but also for professionals supporting sport.
Such start-ups help bridge the gap between passion and profession by offering specialised education, practical exposure, and access to industry networks. They enable athletes and sports enthusiasts to transition into long-term careers in management, performance, analytics, coaching, and entrepreneurship.
As the sports industry continues to grow, sports education start-ups will be key contributors to talent development, employability, and the overall professionalization of sport in India.
StartupTalky: Looking ahead, what does meaningful growth look like for ISST expanding course offerings, increasing placement partnerships, or reaching students beyond metro cities?
Vipul Lunawat: For ISST, meaningful growth is outcome-driven rather than just expansion-led. While expanding course offerings remains important, the primary focus is on deepening placement partnerships and strengthening employability outcomes.
At the same time, reaching students beyond metro cities is a key priority, as sports talent and aspiration exist across India. By improving access to quality sports education, industry exposure, and career guidance, ISST aims to build stronger, more inclusive career pathways.
Ultimately, growth for ISST means creating greater industry impact by producing skilled, job-ready professionals who can contribute to the sports ecosystem from day one.
Muskaan Kapoor
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