Background
About Harsh Jain
Harsh Jain is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Dream Sports, the parent of fantasy-sports platform Dream11.
Journey
Jain studied engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and later earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. A sports fan and early fantasy-sports user, he believed an Indian platform could engage cricket followers more deeply. He co-founded Dream11 with Bhavit Sheth in 2008.
The first version used a season-long fantasy format and struggled to find a large market. The founders shifted towards shorter, match-based contests and later a freemium model. Dream11 eventually became the core of Dream Sports, which added businesses such as FanCode and DreamSetGo. Jain leads the group as CEO—sometimes described internally as Culture Enforcement Officer—while Dream11 has separate operating leadership.
Working approach
Jain emphasises sports focus, culture and persistence. The early format change was critical: the founders did not abandon fantasy sports, but redesigned it around how Indian fans followed individual cricket matches.
Assessment
He helped establish a large Indian sports-technology category. The business remains exposed to legal, tax and responsible-gaming questions, so governance and consumer safeguards are as important as engagement and scale.