Rajshree Upadhyaya | Business Remedies | Prince Thomas has established a unique identity by launching the mixed-reality cricket gaming platform MetaShot. The idea stemmed from a simple question: how do people experience sports in the digital age? Cricket is deeply embedded in Indian culture, yet, most cricket games on mobile phones depend largely on tapping the screen rather than actually playing the sport.
Prince Thomas believed there was an opportunity to bridge this gap by combining real-world movement with digital gameplay. In 2021, he founded MetaShot in Bengaluru under GilliDanda Tech Private Limited, along with co-founders Ranjit Kumar Behera and Ajith Sunny. Their vision was to create a gaming experience where players could physically play cricket shots while participating in a virtual match.
From the beginning, the founders wanted to build something different from conventional gaming. They spent considerable time experimenting with both hardware and software that could accurately translate real cricket strokes into digital gameplay. After months of development, the team introduced their flagship innovation – the MetaShot Smart Bat.
This specially designed cricket bat is equipped with motion sensors and works like a gaming controller. It detects the speed, direction, and angle of every shot played by the user. When connected to the MetaShot gaming app, the bat allows players to instantly see their real-life batting movements reflected in the game, creating an immersive mixed-reality cricket experience.
The MetaShot Smart Bat connects to smartphones or televisions via Bluetooth, turning living rooms into virtual cricket stadiums. Players can swing the bat just like they would on a real pitch, and the game converts every movement into digital shots within the match. Through the MetaShot mobile application, users can practice batting, compete with friends, and participate in online multiplayer matches.
This combination of physical activity and digital gaming quickly attracted attention because it allowed players to enjoy cricket in a far more engaging way than traditional mobile games.
Funding from Angel Investors Like Inflection Point Ventures
In August 2023, the company officially launched the MetaShot Smart Bat commercially. The product became available across India on major e-commerce platforms, quick-commerce channels, and selected offline retail stores.
The concept was widely appreciated by cricket enthusiasts and gamers who were excited about the possibility of playing indoor cricket using real batting actions. Within a short period, the platform recorded millions of matches played by users, indicating strong early traction.
As interest in the product grew, the startup also attracted investors. In its early stage, MetaShot raised funding from angel investors including Inflection Point Ventures. Later, the company secured around Rs. 11 crore in seed funding led by Sauce.VC, with participation from Sharp Ventures and Panthera Peak Capital.
Additionally, KITVEN, a venture fund supported by the Government of Karnataka, invested Rs. 2 crore in convertible debt to support the company’s expansion plans. These investments helped MetaShot strengthen its technology, expand its product ecosystem, and widen its market reach.
Growth in the Sports Technology and Gaming Sector
MetaShot’s business model combines hardware sales with a growing digital platform. The MetaShot Smart Bat acts as the entry point for users, while the gaming platform provides the digital environment where matches and competitions take place. This combination helps the company build a connected gaming ecosystem where users continue engaging with the platform through the app after purchasing the hardware.
Over time, the founders have also indicated plans to expand into gaming experiences based on other sports using similar technology. MetaShot has gradually begun expanding beyond the Indian market as well. The company has introduced its product in international markets such as the United States and the United Arab Emirates, aiming to bring its interactive sports gaming concept to a global audience. Collaborations with well-known brands like Britannia, Rogan, and Tata Capital have further helped the startup build awareness and credibility.
Today, MetaShot continues to grow in the emerging sports technology and gaming sector. By transforming a traditional cricket bat into a connected gaming device, Prince Thomas and his co-founders have created a new platform that blends physical sports with digital entertainment, offering cricket lovers an entirely new way to play the game from their homes.
