MS Dhoni seems to be the favourite celeb for Indian startups

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MS Dhoni seems to be the favourite celeb for Indian startups
  • Dhoni recently invested an undisclosed in Cars24, a used car marketplace.
  • Earlier this year he had also invested in sports tech startup Run Adams.
  • He is also a brand ambassador of India’s first gaming unicorn Dream11.
Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is hitting the ball out of the park off the field too! He has been actively building an investment portfolio and interestingly, the former skipper seems to have taken a liking for Indian startups.
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Here’s a look at the businesses where Dhoni has invested in or is a brand ambassador


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Love for cars

Love for cars

Dhoni, whose love for cars is known to all, has invested an undisclosed amount into car marketplace Cars24 and will now also be the startup’s brand ambassador. The investment is a part of the startup’s series D round of funding.

“Besides being a fan of all things to do with cars, I am also a fan of new age companies that are disruptive, innovative and shaping the future. CARS24 is definitely one of these companies,” Dhoni said in a statement.

Run for the win

Run for the win

Dhoni holds a 25% stake in RunAdam Sports, a startup based out of Chennai. The sports tech startup helps athletes and sports professionals connect with sponsors, coaches and mentors. The platform also helps sports professionals get in touch with venues, event coordinators and more.

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Game of Fantasy

Game of Fantasy

India’s first gaming unicorn had signed Dhoni as its brand ambassador in 2018.

Dream11 has had a great run this year – from turning a unicorn with a billion Dollar valuation, in April 2019. Its users also swelled to 67 million after IPL in 2019, and was also the official partners for the league.

Ticket to success

Ticket to success

One of India’s most popular ticketing platforms RedBus had appointed Dhoni as its brand ambassador this year. Interestingly, Dhoni had appeared as a hockey player in the brand’s first ad campaign.

Redbus was founded in 2006 and was acquired by Ibibo in 2013 and had subsequently come under the MakeMyTrip group with MMT’s merger with Ibibo in 2017.

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Cricket meets football and hockey

Cricket meets football and hockey

Dhoni also has a stake in sports businesses like the Chennaiyin FC, the football club in Indian Super League where he is the co-owner. He has interests in also Ranchi Rays, the Jharkhand franchise of the Hockey Indian League.