Harsh Jain: The Visionary Behind Dream11's Rise to Success
Harsh Jain is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-founder of India's biggest Fantasy Sports platform, Dream11. Harsh co-founded Dream11 with Bhavit Sheth in 2008, which has 60 million plus users today. Dream11 became the first Indian gaming company to enter the Unicorn Club in April 2019. Under his leadership, the company became a leading name in fantasy sports in India.
Let's look at the biography of Harsh Jain, the Founder and CEO of Dream11. We will discuss his early life, personal life, education, investments, and more.
Harsh Jain Biography
| Name | Harsh Jain |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986 |
| Birthplace | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania; Columbia Business School |
| Profession | Entrepreneur |
| Position | CEO & Co-founder, Dream11 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Rachana Shah |
Harsh Jain - Personal Life
Harsh Jain - Education
Harsh Jain - Professional Life
Harsh Jain - Co-founder of Red Digital
Harsh Jain - CEO of Dream11
Harsh Jain - Awards and Achievements
Harsh Jain - Personal Life
Harsh was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He has an immense passion for gaming, sports, and technology. He is an ardent Fantasy Cricket and Soccer player.
Harsh Jain married Rachana Shah, a dentist, in 2013. They have a son named Krish. In 2021, Harsh and Rachana became very famous after they bought a luxury apartment worth Rs. 72 crore. The apartment is spread across two floors, the 29th and 30th, in one of the most expensive areas in India. It is located near Mukesh Ambani's Antilia, which is worth Rs. 15,000 crore. This news was widely covered in the media.
Harsh Jain - Education
Harsh has completed his primary education at Greenlaws High School. He studied IB from Sevenoaks High School for three years (2001-2003). He went to the University of Pennsylvania for five years (2003-2007) in Philadelphia to study Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Electric Engineering, Mathematics, and Economics.
He was a sports freak and took part in the Upenn Cricket Club and Intramural Football (Soccer) while studying at the university. In 2012, he pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School in New York.
Vidhi Punamiya
Harsh Jain - Professional Life
He has worked as a Summer intern for Microsoft. As a part of this role, he worked on the feasibility and commercial benefits for Microsoft to enter the Push-To-Talk (PTT) marketplace. He cordially worked there for three months i.e., from June 2006 to August 2006.
He worked as the Manager of Marketing at Jai Corp Limited for one year i.e., from June 2007 to June 2008. He was employed at the Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone division as a liaison for investors.
He co-founded a Social Media agency focusing on building strategy for digital marketing, Red Digital in 2010. However, the company was acquired in 2013.
He then served as the President of the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports since 2017. He is currently positioned as the CEO and Co-founder at Dream11, which was founded in June 2008.
Harsh Jain - Co-founder of Red Digital
Harsh was the co-founder of Red Digital, which was acquired within three years of the company's establishment. Red Digital is a specialized Social Media firm that focuses on social media management, digital marketing, app development, and online reputation management.
Red Digital was launched in July 2010. Within two years, the company signed up marquee brands in India and Internationally, such as Dell, PepsiCo, Mumbai Indians, BMW, Parker Pens, Adidas, PVR, Godrej, Berger Paints, Reliance Foundation, Educomp, Citibank, ICC, and the Discovery Channel.
The company thus expanded nationally with offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata. Red Digital was later acquired by Gozoop in 2013.
Nitin Konde
Harsh Jain - CEO of Dream11
Dream11 is India's biggest Fantasy Sports platform with 220 million users playing Fantasy Cricket, Football, Kabaddi, Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, Handball & Baseball. The company has cordially partnered with national and international sports leagues & bodies with reputed Indian and International cricketers as well.
The convenient mobile app of Dream11 allows its users to virtually make their own team of real-life players from the forthcoming matches, score points based on their on-field live performance, and compete with other virtual players. Thus, sports enthusiasts and fans actively engage and display their knowledge of sports.
Harsh, with his friend Bhavit Sheth, launched the freemium Fantasy game in India for cricket fans. Dream11 ranked 9th in India's Great Mid-Size Workplace-2018. It has been also declared as one of the top 10 startup innovative companies in India by Fast Company in 2019.
Indian Cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the brand ambassador of Dream11 and launched the "Dimag Se Dhoni" media campaign during the 2018 Indian Premier League. Kartik Aaryan and Samantha Prabhu joined the company as brand endorsers in 2022.
The company first decided and brought in commentator Harsha Bhogle in 2017 as its brand ambassador. In the 2019 IPL, the company signed seven cricketers and partnered with the IPL franchise as part of its marketing.
Dream11 has become very popular in India. It had 100 million users in 2020, 140 million in 2021, and over 200 million users by 2024. This is amazing growth from just 2 million users in 2016. In April 2019, Dream11 became the first Indian gaming startup to join the Unicorn Club. It has reached many big milestones, including sponsoring the 2020 Indian Premier League. Right now, it is also the main sponsor of the Indian cricket team.
Dream11 won the sponsorship of the 2020 IPL for INR 2.22 billion after which Vivo withdrew in the year 2020. The BCCI officially declared Dream11 as the official partner of the IPL in March 2019. Along with that, Dream11 also conducted the Official Fantasy Game of the IPL.
In 2018, Dream11 declared its partnership with the ICC, Pro Kabaddi League, International Hockey Federation, WBBL, and BBL. In 2017, it also partnered with three leagues namely, the Hero Caribbean Premier League, the Hero Indian Super League, and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Dream11 is the flagship brand of Dream Sports, which also has brands like FanCode, a multi-sport aggregator platform, Dream X, a sports accelerator, and DreamSetGo, a sports experiences platform. These brands were founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth.
Dream Sports Investors
- Tiger Global Management
- D1 Capital Partners
- Footpath Ventures
- Chrys Capital
- TCV
- TPG Growth
- Steadview Capital
Anagha S
Harsh Jain - Awards and Achievements
Harsh Jain has received the following awards:
- Young Entrepreneur Award by the All India Management Association (AIMA) - April 2022.
- Fortune India 40 under 40 - June 2021.
- Indian Express Newsmaker of the Year - December 2019.
- The Economic Times 40 under Forty - 2019.
- Red Herring Global 100 Award - January 2013.
Conclusion
Harsh Jain, a fan of Manchester United Football Club, Mumbai Indians, and the Indian Cricket Team brought together his love for sports, gaming, and technology. Harsh founded online fantasy sports in India, Dream11, and is completely focused on making sports better for sports fans all over the world. He is planning to make Dream11 go public in the near future after building a large user base for the sports technology company.
FAQs
Who is Dream11 owner?
Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth are the co-founders, and CEO & COO respectively of Dream11 parent Dream Sports.
What is Harsh Jain education?
Harsh Jain studied IB from Sevenoaks High School for three years (2001-2003). He went to the University of Pennsylvania for five years (2003-2007) in Philadelphia to study Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Electric Engineering, Mathematics, and Economics.
What is Harsh Jain date of birth?
Harsh Jain was born in 1986. He is 34 years old.
What is Dream11 net worth?
Dream11 is valued at INR 65,000 crore as of 2024.
What is Dream11 owner, Harsh Jain net worth?
Harsh Jain's net worth is $8 million approximately.
Does Dream11 give real money?
Dream11 gives you real money by playing fantasy games online. The site offers free and paid contests. You need to pay a certain fee to join a contest that lets you win real cash.
What is the minimum amount to withdraw from Dream11?
You can withdraw a minimum of INR 100 and a maximum of INR 2,00,000 in one go. IMPS withdrawals can take up to 3 workings days to get credited.
