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The ET Startup Awards 2025: elite jury to pick winners on August 28
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Happy Tuesday! The ETtech team has been neck-deep preparing for the past few months to bring you the 11th edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards (ETSA).
Today, we are unveiling the elite jury and nominees for two more categories — Woman Ahead and Social Enterprise.
Who's on the jury: A high-powered jury will meet on August 28 in Bengaluru to pick the winners of ETSA 2025.
Background: Launched in 2015 to celebrate startups and the new-age economy, ETSA has, over the past ten years, chronicled the ups and downs of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Past winners of the coveted Startup of the Year award, like Lenskart, Delhivery, and Zomato, have grown into strong publicly listed corporations, displaying the mettle of new economy ventures.
What's the process? ET reached out to more than 200 of the country’s top entrepreneurs, investors, industry groups, and other stakeholders to compile a list of the best entrepreneurial talent. The paper’s editorial team then distilled this list to arrive at the final contenders.
The jury will pick the winners after long deliberations followed by secret voting.
Stay tuned for all the ETSA 2025 coverage through the week leading up to the jury meeting to be held on August 28 in Bengaluru.
Today, we are showcasing the shortlisted contenders in Woman Ahead — women who have started their own ventures and are giving the best in the business a run for their money — and Social Enterprise — startups that best combine profits with public good.
Woman Ahead
Read more about the nominees here
Social Enterprise
Read more about the nominees here
Harsh Jain, CEO, Dream Sports
Dream Sports, parent of Dream11, has ruled out legally challenging the government's blanket ban on real-money gaming, which erased 95% of its revenue in just three days.
Driving the news: CEO Harsh Jain told ET, “The government has made it clear they don't want this. We won't waste energy fighting…we’d rather build for the future than litigate the past.”
The abrupt shutdown is the hardest blow in the company's 18-year journey, he said. Dream Sports scaled after courts recognised fantasy gaming as a “game of skill” over the past five years. But with the new law, it must reset from scratch.
Hard reset: Jain said the company still has 260 million users, 800 employees (including 500 engineers), and enough cash for a multi-year runway. Dream11 has shifted to free-to-play fantasy contests with ad-sponsored prizes, while subsidiaries FanCode (sports streaming, merchandising) and DreamSetGo (sports travel) remain unaffected.
Also Read: Mahua Moitra raises insider trading charge as Rekha Jhunjhunwala sold entire Nazara stake ahead of online gaming ban
Looking ahead: Dream Sports is betting on sports AI, creator-led fan engagement, and fintech experiments. Jain also warned the sector faces a bigger crisis from the retrospective GST demand of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, calling it a “death blow” that could send 400 companies to insolvency courts.
Also Read: Online gaming ban: How much Nikhil Kamath and Madhusudan Kela lost in Nazara shares
Dream Sports’ valuation will plummet after the government’s move to ban online games with real money, Jain told us. The company was last valued at $8 billion in 2021 after raising $840 million from Tiger Global, Alpha Wave Global, DST Global, and TPG.
Quote, unquote: “Investors have to look at it almost like a fresh investment,” Jain said. “Given what they know about the company, the team, founders, user base, and brand, I think they’ll back us.”
Offshore betting websites are rushing in to fill the gap left by Indian firms discontinuing their real money gaming operations, industry executives told us. Platforms, like Parimatch, 1XBet, RajaBets, 4RABet and Odds92, are busy pulling in the punters, boasting deposit bonuses ranging from 200% to 700% on amounts between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1 lakh, and then some, ET has discovered. That means, for a deposit of Rs 100, a user could get credit ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 700, going by the claims.
A fresh face is stepping into the hot seat at Tata Digital.
The Tata Neu super app operator has appointed Sajith Sivanandan as its new CEO, effective next month. Sivanandan, who most recently led Jio Mobile Digital Services until March, becomes the company’s third CEO since its 2019 launch.
ET had reported on August 21 that Tata Digital was set to appoint an external CEO.
Why it matters: Tata Digital has struggled to steady Neu since its splashy debut in 2022. Leadership churn has only deepened scrutiny, with Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran himself stepping in to oversee operations after Naveen Tahilyani’s exit earlier this year.
The context: Sivanandan brings three decades of experience building consumer internet businesses, including senior roles at Google and Disney+ Hotstar. Tata has been reinforcing its digital bets with heavyweight appointments: Indian Hotels’ Puneet Chhatwal and Tata Consumer’s Sunil D’Souza joined the board, while Ankur Verma was named acting chairman of Croma.
By the numbers: Tata Digital’s FY25 revenue fell 13.8% to Rs 32,188 crore, though net losses narrowed to Rs 828 crore from Rs 1,201 crore. For Sivanandan, the immediate task is straightforward: sharpen execution, stabilise Neu, and mount a credible challenge to Amazon, Flipkart, and Reliance.
Also Read: Tata Group doubles revenue, triples profit and market cap in five years with Rs 5.5 lakh crore ‘future fit’ push: N Chandrasekaran
QIA takes Byju's founder to court: Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund moved the Karnataka High Court seeking enforcement of a $235 million arbitral award against Byju Raveendran and his investment vehicle, Byju’s Investments Pte. Ltd.
Varun Sridhar quits Paytm: Sridhar has stepped down as chief executive of Paytm Services, a subsidiary under Paytm parent One97 Communications, with plans to start up in the wealthtech space.
■ How DOGE set up a shadow X account for a government agency (Wired)
■ This new delivery robot will bring the entire grocery store to you (The Verge)
■ How Africa’s ecommerce giant is fighting off Shein and Temu (Rest of World)
Today, we are unveiling the elite jury and nominees for two more categories — Woman Ahead and Social Enterprise.
Who's on the jury: A high-powered jury will meet on August 28 in Bengaluru to pick the winners of ETSA 2025.
- Amitabh Kant, jury chair, India’s former G20 Sherpa
- Prashanth Prakash, partner at venture capital fund Accel
- Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group
- Sahil Barua, cofounder and chief executive, Delhivery
- Ruchi Kalra, cofounder of OfBusiness and Oxyzo
- Adwaita Nayar, cofounder of Nykaa
- Ghazal Alagh, cofounder of Mamaearth
- Tarun Mehta, cofounder and CEO, Ather Energy
- Harshil Mathur, cofounder and chief executive, Razorpay
- Faraz Khalid, chief executive of Dubai-based ecommerce major Noon
- Satyan Gajwani, chairman of Times Internet
Background: Launched in 2015 to celebrate startups and the new-age economy, ETSA has, over the past ten years, chronicled the ups and downs of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Past winners of the coveted Startup of the Year award, like Lenskart, Delhivery, and Zomato, have grown into strong publicly listed corporations, displaying the mettle of new economy ventures.
What's the process? ET reached out to more than 200 of the country’s top entrepreneurs, investors, industry groups, and other stakeholders to compile a list of the best entrepreneurial talent. The paper’s editorial team then distilled this list to arrive at the final contenders.
The jury will pick the winners after long deliberations followed by secret voting.
Stay tuned for all the ETSA 2025 coverage through the week leading up to the jury meeting to be held on August 28 in Bengaluru.
And the nominees are…
Today, we are showcasing the shortlisted contenders in Woman Ahead — women who have started their own ventures and are giving the best in the business a run for their money — and Social Enterprise — startups that best combine profits with public good.
Woman Ahead
- Pallavi Shrivastava: Progcap
- Romita Mazumdar: Foxtale
- Prukalpa Sankar: Atlan
- Shruti: ApnaKlub
- Aditi Murarka: Nestasia
- Anjali Sardana: Pronto
Read more about the nominees here
Social Enterprise
- Padcare Labs
- Bintix Waste Research
- Digivriddhi
- Chakr Innovation
- CureBay
Read more about the nominees here
Dream Sports won't legally contest govt's real-money gaming ban: Harsh Jain
Dream Sports, parent of Dream11, has ruled out legally challenging the government's blanket ban on real-money gaming, which erased 95% of its revenue in just three days.
Driving the news: CEO Harsh Jain told ET, “The government has made it clear they don't want this. We won't waste energy fighting…we’d rather build for the future than litigate the past.”
The abrupt shutdown is the hardest blow in the company's 18-year journey, he said. Dream Sports scaled after courts recognised fantasy gaming as a “game of skill” over the past five years. But with the new law, it must reset from scratch.
Hard reset: Jain said the company still has 260 million users, 800 employees (including 500 engineers), and enough cash for a multi-year runway. Dream11 has shifted to free-to-play fantasy contests with ad-sponsored prizes, while subsidiaries FanCode (sports streaming, merchandising) and DreamSetGo (sports travel) remain unaffected.
Also Read: Mahua Moitra raises insider trading charge as Rekha Jhunjhunwala sold entire Nazara stake ahead of online gaming ban
Looking ahead: Dream Sports is betting on sports AI, creator-led fan engagement, and fintech experiments. Jain also warned the sector faces a bigger crisis from the retrospective GST demand of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, calling it a “death blow” that could send 400 companies to insolvency courts.
Also Read: Online gaming ban: How much Nikhil Kamath and Madhusudan Kela lost in Nazara shares
Dream11’s valuation to bear the brunt of real-money gaming ban
Dream Sports’ valuation will plummet after the government’s move to ban online games with real money, Jain told us. The company was last valued at $8 billion in 2021 after raising $840 million from Tiger Global, Alpha Wave Global, DST Global, and TPG.
Quote, unquote: “Investors have to look at it almost like a fresh investment,” Jain said. “Given what they know about the company, the team, founders, user base, and brand, I think they’ll back us.”
Foreign betting sites rush to fill demand gap
Offshore betting websites are rushing in to fill the gap left by Indian firms discontinuing their real money gaming operations, industry executives told us. Platforms, like Parimatch, 1XBet, RajaBets, 4RABet and Odds92, are busy pulling in the punters, boasting deposit bonuses ranging from 200% to 700% on amounts between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1 lakh, and then some, ET has discovered. That means, for a deposit of Rs 100, a user could get credit ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 700, going by the claims.
Exclusive: Tata Digital names Sajith Sivanandan as CEO
A fresh face is stepping into the hot seat at Tata Digital.
The Tata Neu super app operator has appointed Sajith Sivanandan as its new CEO, effective next month. Sivanandan, who most recently led Jio Mobile Digital Services until March, becomes the company’s third CEO since its 2019 launch.
ET had reported on August 21 that Tata Digital was set to appoint an external CEO.
Why it matters: Tata Digital has struggled to steady Neu since its splashy debut in 2022. Leadership churn has only deepened scrutiny, with Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran himself stepping in to oversee operations after Naveen Tahilyani’s exit earlier this year.
The context: Sivanandan brings three decades of experience building consumer internet businesses, including senior roles at Google and Disney+ Hotstar. Tata has been reinforcing its digital bets with heavyweight appointments: Indian Hotels’ Puneet Chhatwal and Tata Consumer’s Sunil D’Souza joined the board, while Ankur Verma was named acting chairman of Croma.
By the numbers: Tata Digital’s FY25 revenue fell 13.8% to Rs 32,188 crore, though net losses narrowed to Rs 828 crore from Rs 1,201 crore. For Sivanandan, the immediate task is straightforward: sharpen execution, stabilise Neu, and mount a credible challenge to Amazon, Flipkart, and Reliance.
Also Read: Tata Group doubles revenue, triples profit and market cap in five years with Rs 5.5 lakh crore ‘future fit’ push: N Chandrasekaran
Other Top Stories By Our Reporters
QIA takes Byju's founder to court: Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund moved the Karnataka High Court seeking enforcement of a $235 million arbitral award against Byju Raveendran and his investment vehicle, Byju’s Investments Pte. Ltd.
Varun Sridhar quits Paytm: Sridhar has stepped down as chief executive of Paytm Services, a subsidiary under Paytm parent One97 Communications, with plans to start up in the wealthtech space.
Global Picks We Are Reading
■ How DOGE set up a shadow X account for a government agency (Wired)
■ This new delivery robot will bring the entire grocery store to you (The Verge)
■ How Africa’s ecommerce giant is fighting off Shein and Temu (Rest of World)
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