When an industry grows, its infrastructure has to grow with it. For sports, entertainment, weddings, and increasingly esports, that means moving beyond events and content to creating the physical ecosystems where these industries can operate, attract audiences and generate sustainable commercial value.
This is the space where Ne’Ka + Partners, led by Founder and Managing Director Neelabh Kapoor, is positioning itself, in partnership with FORREC Ltd., the Toronto-based global masterplanning and design firm known for creating large-scale entertainment and destination infrastructure.
Neelabh’s proposition is built around a simple understanding: whether it is a stadium, film city, esports arena, mixed-use entertainment destination or a larger sporting precinct, the infrastructure has to be designed not just to host an event, but to function as a commercially viable asset.
The timing is particularly relevant as India’s sports and esports ecosystem continues to formalise. Maharashtra Minister for Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Development and Cultural Affairs Shri Ashish Shelar was recently elected President of the Esports Games Federation (ESGF) at the federation’s general body meeting, attended by representatives from 22 states. Neelabh Kapoor was also present to congratulate Ashish Shelar Ji on the occasion, expressing his appreciation for his vision, knowledge and leadership in taking India’s sporting and esports ecosystem forward. The development reflects the increasing institutional focus on esports and the need to build the infrastructure that can support its next phase of growth.
What Does This Infrastructure Actually Look Like?
The infrastructure required for modern sports, entertainment and media is far more complex than simply putting up a venue.
An esports arena, for example, requires high-speed and reliable connectivity, broadcast infrastructure, production facilities, spectator areas, sound and technical systems, hospitality, food and beverage, retail and spaces that can operate beyond tournament days. Similarly, a stadium today can become the anchor for an entire mixed-use destination, bringing together hospitality, commercial spaces, entertainment and fan experiences.
The scale becomes even more evident when looking at large destination-led developments such as the Noida Film City, which is currently under development. Conceived as a major integrated film and media infrastructure project, it brings together production facilities and the wider ecosystem required to support entertainment at scale. Developments of this nature demonstrate how India’s entertainment infrastructure is moving towards purpose-built, integrated destinations rather than standalone venues.
This is where Kapoor’s experience becomes relevant.
Through Ne’Ka + Partners and its association with FORREC, Kapoor operates across the design, development and structuring of large-format entertainment infrastructure. Neelabh Kapoor brings global credentials to the table, having worked with HKS Architects, Differential Studio and several leading international design studios, adding a global design perspective to his work across India and international markets. His experience spans hospitality, film city, mixed-use developments, sports and entertainment infrastructure, allowing him to look at projects as complete ecosystems rather than isolated assets.
Kapoor also holds exclusive mandates working with Private Equity firms, Family Investment Offices and investors for the deployment, acquisition and monetisation of assets, advising investors across real estate asset classes. This gives him a perspective that extends beyond design and development into the investment and commercial side of infrastructure — understanding how an asset is structured, funded, developed and ultimately monetised.
Combined with FORREC’s global masterplanning expertise and Ne’Ka + Partners’ on-ground capabilities, this enables Kapoor to bring together design, development, investment and execution across large-format infrastructure projects. Whether it is a film city, stadium, esports arena or mixed-use entertainment destination, the approach is to create infrastructure that is not only experiential, but commercially viable and capable of generating value over the long term.
From Concept to Ground-Up Development
Kapoor’s involvement in this space is already moving beyond concepts.
A dedicated infrastructure project is currently under construction in Noida, reflecting the growing opportunity for purpose-built entertainment and sports infrastructure in India. Such developments demonstrate how the market is beginning to move from temporary event-led infrastructure towards permanent, professionally planned assets.
The same thinking extends to esports. Kapoor has already briefed one of India’s largest conglomerates on concepts for dedicated Esports Arenas and Esports Cafés — physical environments designed to bring gaming content into the real world while creating multiple avenues for engagement and monetisation.
For Kapoor, the opportunity is not simply to build another venue. It is to understand what infrastructure an emerging industry needs and then structure that infrastructure as an investable, scalable asset.
Why Kapoor is Becoming the Infrastructure Guy
What differentiates Kapoor is the breadth of the ecosystem he brings around infrastructure.
His work extends across PPP, BOT/BOOT and EPC structuring, feasibility modelling, real estate, masterplanning, design, hospitality and entertainment development. Ne’Ka has also built a wider network of legal, architectural, technical and financial partners, enabling projects to be approached from multiple sides — from approvals and design to financing and eventual monetisation.
That becomes particularly important for government-led and public-private infrastructure projects, where the challenge is rarely just design. Land, policy, financing, construction, operations, commercial viability and long-term returns all have to come together.
Kapoor’s role sits within that larger layer. His approach is to first understand the infrastructure ecosystem, establish its feasibility and then bring together the right design, development and capital partners to execute it.
The Larger Opportunity
India is entering a phase where its entertainment and sporting industries require infrastructure of a very different scale.
The rise of esports, the professionalisation of sports, the expansion of live entertainment and the growing demand for destination-led experiences are creating a requirement for assets that can combine technology, entertainment, hospitality and real estate.
This is precisely the gap that Ne’Ka is looking to address.
For Kapoor, the vision extends beyond building individual venues. It is about creating a repeatable infrastructure model that can work across sports, entertainment and emerging experience-led industries, in India and international markets.
And that is perhaps why, in an industry where everyone is talking about the next big event, tournament or experience, Neelabh Kapoor is increasingly becoming the guy to talk to when the question is: who is going to build the infrastructure?
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