The King of Esports: Yash Bhanushali, Founder, Orangutan It caters to the demography specific to the age group of 12 to 40 years, particularly Genz, millennials, and younger audiences
By Paromita Gupta •
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At the tender age of 10, Yash Bhanushali would visit and play at his local cyber cafes for hours, not knowing how decades later; he'd help nurture the #ApeArmy. Founded in 2021 by Bhanushali and Jai Shah, Orangutan is a multi-faceted organization operating in three verticals - Esports, Talent Management and Apparel.
The startup runs multiple rosters in multiple esports titles such as FreeFire, BGMI, Valorant and Pokemon Unite. It has four competitive esports teams comprising players from five different countries in three games- FreeFire, BGMI, and Valorant. Orangutan's esports team came 2nd in the Battlegrounds Master Series telecasted on Star Sports.
It caters to the demography specific to the age group of 12 to 40 years, particularly Genz, millennials, and younger audiences. "Our audience is very active on their devices and spend most of their time on the screens, either viewing our tournaments, watching our athletes live stream, or playing games themselves," shares Yash Bhanushali, Founder, Orangutan.
So, what are they doing to nurture more talented hidden gamers in the space? "We have started an academy setup called Forest Apes where we will nurture under GoDS as they are called and allow them to show the esports world their talent. We are taking every step to help the growth of the Indian Gaming Community by working with Game Developers, tournament organizers, and other key stakeholders in the space. We are working actively in nurturing grassroots-level talent and providing a platform for them to show their talent," he shares.
Bhanushali aims to scale Oraguntan's non-esports business to INR 10 cr in FY25 and scale its merchandising business with Puma India. "It's been a pleasure to do what I am passionate about. One step at a time," notes Bhanushali.
FACTSHEET:
No. Of Co-founders: 2
No. Of Employees : 40
External Investors- 3
