Game On! Why India’s Startup Ecosystem Needs a Sports-Led CX Movement
Startups move fast. Founders burn out. Teams chase targets with no room to breathe. Yet, something is shifting. A new kind of leadership is emerging—one that values balance as much as hustle. Enter Game On!, a sports-led wellbeing movement launched by Endiya Partners and the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy. More than a tournament, it is a customer experience (CX) shift in how startups build resilience, culture, and leadership.
From Court to Culture: The CX of Startups
On June 6–7, 2025, Bengaluru will host the debut edition of Game On!, featuring Badminton, Table Tennis, and Box Cricket. Startups of all stages—early, growth, and even VC firms—will step onto the court.
This initiative moves beyond exercise. It delivers team bonding, decision-making clarity, and emotional resets—the exact ingredients of high-functioning CX teams.
Why now? Because startup CX is not just external. It begins internally—with how people feel, connect, and lead.
Sport as the Missing Link in Startup CX
Startups often focus solely on users, forgetting the internal experience. However, employees, too, are customers of the culture.
Game On! bridges this gap. By introducing play, it reintroduces joy, rhythm, and recovery. These factors influence how teams collaborate, which directly affects user satisfaction.
As Pullela Gopichand says:
“Sport is one of the best teachers of leadership. It builds endurance, clarity, and emotional strength.”
These traits mirror the needs of any founder or product manager leading CX. Hence, Game On! is not just play—it’s preparation.
A Customer Experience Beyond the Product
CX leaders know that trust and empathy shape customer relationships. But first, these must be cultivated within teams.
Through sport, Game On! helps players build:
- Trust under pressure
- Team dynamics through competition
- Leadership in real-time decisions
Thus, the tournament becomes a real-world simulation of startup life, minus the burnout.
From the Ground Up: Building Healthy Habits
Often, startup wellbeing is reactive. Game On! flips that script. It promotes proactive habits like:
- Regular physical activity
- Open, peer-level interactions
- Taking breaks to recalibrate mindset
By embedding these into startup DNA, the program helps founders build resilient CX teams that last.
According to Sateesh Andra, Managing Partner at Endiya Partners:
“Success relies on rhythm, trust, and shared experience. Game On! creates space for all three.”
This is a powerful reminder that CX is not a dashboard metric. It is a human output—and humans need care.
Redefining the CX of the Startup Workplace
With HSBC as event partner, the tournament reinforces that top institutions see employee wellbeing as critical CX infrastructure.
Moreover, participation is inclusive. From interns to investors, everyone is welcome. Everyone shapes the ecosystem.
Such inclusivity sends a signal. It tells teams: your experience matters. Your wellbeing is a business priority.
And in turn, this mindset creates loyalty, motivation, and retention—essential CX pillars in any customer-facing team.
CX Is a Sport: Train Accordingly
Game On! reflects a bold truth: startups are not sprints—they’re marathons. The best founders know how to pause, reset, and push again.
The program draws on the Gopichand Academy’s legacy, which has trained global icons like P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Kidambi Srikanth.
Just as athletes need mental fitness, startup teams must build resilience before fatigue sets in.
That’s why this movement feels urgent. It treats employee experience as foundational to customer experience. Not optional—critical.
The Future of Startup CX Is Human-Centered
India’s startup ecosystem is no longer just about innovation. It’s about sustainability, trust, and longevity.
Founders must design not only great products, but also great environments.
Game On! brings in CX by:
- Enhancing peer-to-peer feedback through play
- Improving communication through real-time collaboration
- Encouraging vulnerability and growth
Ultimately, the CX of your product mirrors the CX of your people.
What’s Next?
As Game On! kicks off in Bengaluru, it signals a larger cultural shift. One where:
- Wellbeing is not a luxury
- Play is not frivolous
- And leadership is not loud—but balanced
The hope is to scale this movement across cities, sectors, and perhaps, continents.
Endiya Partners has already committed to founder and team wellness. Now, this extends to a sports-powered CX model that could influence global ecosystems.
Final Serve
The message is simple. To serve customers better, serve your teams first.
Give them space to sweat, stumble, and succeed—together. Give them the CX of confidence, connection, and clarity.
With Game On!, that future has begun.
