Columbia Engineering Announces Harsh Jain, CEO of Dream Sports, as Graduate Class Day Speaker

Harsh Jain ’14BUS, the CEO and co-founder of Dream Sports, India’s leading sports technology company, has been chosen as the Class Day speaker to address the Columbia Engineering Graduate Class of 2025 on Monday, May 19, 2025. 

Jain combined his love for sports, gaming, and technology to create India’s first multi-billion dollar sports tech conglomerate, Dream Sports, with the mission to “Make Sports Better.” In 2011, he co-founded Dream11 with Bhavit Sheth, and led it to become one of the largest fantasy sports platforms in the world. 

“I’m honored to be speaking on this momentous occasion and interacting with the talented students of the Class of 2025,” said Jain. “They have worked hard to reach this milestone and I hope my learnings from my entrepreneurial journey help them turn their passions into successful careers.”

A lifelong Manchester United, Mumbai Indians, and Indian cricket team fan, Jain’s Dream Sports portfolio currently has 250 million users across its brands, including Dream11, FanCode, DreamSetGo, Dream Cricket, and Dream Sports Foundation.

In June of 2024, Columbia Engineering partnered with Dream Sports to launch the Columbia-Dream Sports AI Innovation Center to advance research and workforce development at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and sports tech. The Center supports faculty research awards, student fellowships, a seminar series, and other collaborative initiatives. 

“Harsh Jain is a visionary in the field of AI and sports and a natural choice to address our graduates,” said Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “AI and engineering span so many sectors and are at the core of many of the most exciting trends of our time. Harsh can address the evolving tech and business landscape our students will be entering and inspire them to follow their interests to achieve success.” 

Jain, a member of the School's Board of Visitors, completed his engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is based in Mumbai, India, and is actively involved in philanthropy through the Dream Sports Foundation, focused on serving the Indian sports ecosystem, as well as Raksha Foundation, an NGO he set up along with his wife Rachana, that serves children and animals in need.