We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sangeetha Vasudevan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sangeetha, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Well, I always introduce myself in two identities that feel equally defining: I’m a corporate finance leader with 17+ years of experience in Accounting, currently leading the accounting operations for a high-growth business in Big Tech—and I’m also an immigrant mom of two young kids who moved to the U.S. from South India in 2015. My career has been meaningful, and I deeply enjoy mentoring young women navigating accounting careers or immigrant work-life.

But despite a full professional life, there was always a quiet voice inside me—nudging me toward something more purpose-driven, something that could create real impact in people’s lives. For years, I tried to imagine what that venture could be. I had ideas, but nothing ever felt rooted or “right.”

Until one day, the answer came from the most organic place—motherhood.

When my 8-year-old son asked to join a team sport, my instinct immediately went to “cricket”. Cricket isn’t just a sport for us—it’s woven into our childhoods, our culture, and our happiest family memories. Watching my kids grow up in the U.S., I wanted them to feel connected to that part of our heritage. At the same time, cricket in America was gaining real momentum—its Olympic debut in LA 2028, the U.S. women’s team’s recent world cup victory, and an overall surge in visibility.

So I began exploring coaching options close to home inside Houston’s core city area—the “inner loop” as they call it in H-town. What I found shocked me:
Almost no structured cricket coaching existed for kids, despite Houston having a massive South Asian population.

There were only 2–3 academies, all far out in the suburbs. For families in the inner city, cricket was essentially inaccessible.

That gap bothered me—deeply. Not because it was a “business opportunity” but because it felt like kids were missing out on something I knew could shape their confidence, friendships, and identity the way it shaped ours.

To test my intuition, I impulsively conducted a simple survey across just three local schools. I expected modest interest. What I received instead was over 80 responses—from only three schools.

That was the moment something clicked inside me.
This wasn’t just a gap.
This was a need.
And I couldn’t ignore it.

Even though I was juggling a demanding corporate career, two young kids, and the everyday chaos of immigrant working-mom life, I knew I couldn’t let this idea fade. If I didn’t act now, the opportunity—to build community, to empower kids, to bring this sport closer to home—would slip away.

I also knew that if I was going to do this, I had to do it with integrity and quality. With no entrepreneurial background, I began scouting for the best coaching talent for this mission. That led me to Lone Star Athletics (LSA) led by Coach Kuldeep Patel—former U.S. team player/selector who is a well-renowned figure within the professional cricket community. Their coaching standards were exceptional, and partnering with them gave me confidence that we could build something lasting.

And that’s how Houston Youth Cricket Academy (HYCA) was born in March 2025.

From day one, our mission was simple: Make cricket accessible, high-quality, and inclusive for every child—boy or girl, beginner or experienced, desi or non-desi.

This mission is especially personal to me because one of my childhood best friends played women’s cricket for the Indian national team. Watching her fight for opportunities in a time when women’s cricket had little support made me passionate about making cricket more inclusive, especially for girls.

Today, HYCA offers ICC/BCCI-level coaching for kids aged five and up. Every child gets a personalized path depending on whether they want to learn basics, refine technique, or compete seriously.

I am proud to say that we successfully completed two seasons and are gearing up for our third season already. But getting here was far from easy.
Cricket infrastructure within the city simply doesn’t exist. I spent countless hours working with city officials to secure permissions, find indoor and outdoor training spaces, and source professional equipment. Setting up something so niche inside city limits required making connections, persistence, education, and diplomacy.

Yet every challenge faded the moment I watched the kids show up—with their energy, curiosity, and huge smiles. Even after just two sessions, their progress, teamwork, and joy reminded me why I started. On the days I questioned whether the effort was worth it, the parents’ encouragement and the kids’ excitement became my answer.

Our growth has been fully organic—word of mouth, community support, and the generosity of a few sponsors. The learning that comes with starting something new from scratch with no experience with the partnership of LSA has been an invaluable part of this journey and unearthed various strengths that I didn’t know I had.

As we step into our third season this December, the dream feels more real than ever. What began as kids’ coaching has blossomed into a community movement: dads forming weekend cricket teams, moms creating potluck traditions on game days, families bonding over a shared love for the sport.

This—this sense of belonging and connection—is what excites me most.

HYCA is not just a coaching academy.
It’s a cultural bridge.
It’s a community we are building from the ground up around Cricket.
And for me, personally, it’s a purpose I didn’t even realize I was searching for.

Every day, I feel like I’m taking one step closer to something beautiful—something that started with a mother’s simple wish to share a beloved sport with her child.

The overwhelming support, the learning, the joy on the kids’ faces—these are already a win for me.
And truly, I’m only looking upward toward an even brighter future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Absolutely! Founded in 2025, the Houston Youth Cricket Academy (HYCA) was created with one clear vision:
To make world-class cricket coaching accessible and convenient for families inside Houston’s city limits. Today, HYCA proudly stands as the “first” and “only” cricket academy located within the Houston inner loop, serving neighborhoods such as West University, Bellaire, River Oaks, Braeswood, Tanglewood, the Galleria area, and beyond. Our location alone solves a major problem—families no longer need to drive 45–60 minutes outside the city just so their kids can learn a sport that is deeply meaningful to them.

To bring true excellence to the program, we partnered with LSA – Lone Star Athletics, led by Coach Kuldeep Patel, former USA National Team player and selector. With a pool of ICC/BCCI-certified coaches, international players, and professionally trained instructors, we offer what many families never had access to before: Elite cricket coaching aligned with global standards—right here in Houston closer to home.

What we provide at HYCA:
• A structured, long-term curriculum that meets international coaching benchmarks
• Tailored approach based on skill-level and development pathways for beginners, intermediates, and advanced players
• A balanced, competitive yet fun learning environment
• Modern training techniques with a mix and both indoor/outdoor sessions
• Game Days at the end of each season, where kids showcase skills in real match formats
• A focus on team spirit, discipline, confidence, and character-building that goes beyond cricket

What truly sets us apart is the intention behind HYCA.
We are not just a weekend sport class. We are building a community—one where families come together, kids build friendships, dads form cricket teams reliving their childhood memories, and moms socialize over practices. We see kids find confidence, develop discipline, work as a team, and discover pride in mastering a sport that is rapidly growing in America. Cricket has tremendous potential in the future. With Major League Cricket expanding, and cricket’s Olympic debut coming up in LA 2028, HYCA is uniquely positioned at the forefront of youth cricket development in the U.S. We’re not only teaching kids how to bat or bowl—we’re preparing the next generation for opportunities that didn’t exist even a few years ago.

What I’m most proud of is that HYCA stands for more than technical skill.
We are building champions—not just on the field, but in life.
We emphasize character, sportsmanship, respect, and resilience. Our kids learn to show up for their teammates, to stay disciplined, and to push themselves with joy and commitment. We have kids as young as 5 years old enrolled in our program and it is truly amazing to see their confidence and grit grow gradually with every practice.

If there’s one thing I want families and readers to know about HYCA, it’s this:
We are driven by purpose, passion, and a genuine commitment to giving children inside the city the access to world-class cricket right here closer to home. HYCA is more than a brand.
It’s a cultural connection, a community, and a dream for our kids that we’re honored to build every single day.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

To be honest, we’re still very much in our early stages, and our growth so far has been almost entirely organic—which is something I’m incredibly grateful for. Our strongest source of new clients has been simple word of mouth within the community. We’ve shared information through local schools, PTO organizations, and parent networks, and the response has been extremely encouraging.

We’re only now beginning to build our social media presence, and we recently launched our website, so our marketing efforts are still quite minimal. Instead of focusing on aggressive promotion, our priority has been building a program that truly works—a strong curriculum, proper coaching structures, and a reliable training model. A lot of the early months have involved trial and error, testing, refining, and making sure we get things right for the kids.

We’ve also been fortunate to receive support from a few sponsors, and we put a lot of effort into building credibility through authenticity and transparency. Whenever a mission involves children, I believe the intent behind the work speaks louder than any advertisement. Parents can sense when the priority is truly their child’s growth and experience.
Right now, we operate with a very lean team—just myself managing external outreach and parent communications, and my business partner focusing on the coaching curriculum and operations. Despite being small, we’re steady, and that’s intentional. We want to grow at a pace where the quality never drops and every child receives the coaching experience they deserve.

Ultimately, we hope our work continues to reach more families, but it’s also a two-way journey. Parent support, trust, and advocacy are what make this mission successful. Our vision is to let our quality speak for itself—and so far, that’s exactly what has brought new families through our doors.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

That’s a very interesting question, because the entire journey of building HYCA has been one long test—and revelation—of my resilience and agility in building something on your own. Entrepreneurship journey itself was different ball game for me overall, especially while working full-time in a demanding corporate finance role and raising two young kids. I had to unlearn and relearn several things from the get go as I navigated this journey. But the moment I stepped into this mission knowing that this is a completely new territory I am getting into, I realized that resilience isn’t something you consciously decide to have—it is something you grow into, moment by moment.

There have been several instances where the weight of responsibility felt overwhelming. Because we work with children, the bar is naturally higher. Every session must be safe, meaningful, and worth the parents’ trust. Something as simple as a sudden weather change, a venue scheduling conflict, or delays in securing venue permits would mean I had to find solutions—fast. And when you’re still a new academy, every parent question, every concern, every expectation feels magnified. There were days I would ask myself, “What did I sign up for? Is this too much? Do I really have it in me to keep going?”

But that’s exactly where my resilience revealed itself.

One moment that really stands out is when we were trying to secure a training venue inside the city. There were endless back-and-forths with officials, uncertainty about permits, tight timelines, and no clear roadmap. I remember feeling completely stretched—between work calls, school pickups, and late-night emails to county officials. The easier option would’ve been to accept the limitations and scale back and infact I did almost drop the idea. Instead, something in me refused to quit. I kept showing up, attending meetings, advocating for why cricket deserved a place in the city’s sports ecosystem, and pushing through—even when it felt uncertain and intimidating.

What surprised me most about this journey is how it uncovered parts of myself I didn’t know existed. I’m naturally not someone who asks for help or puts myself out there outside of my work and my close social circle. But HYCA changed that. Suddenly, I was pitching sponsorships, representing the academy in community forums, connecting with high-profile officials, negotiating for resources, and confidently addressing parent concerns. These were things I never imagined doing—putting my name and reputation on the line.

I truly believe, just like in many situations in life, resilience isn’t always loud. It’s not some heroic act.
It’s simply choosing to show up again the next day, even after a tough one.
It’s choosing to answer one more email, attend one more meeting, reassure one more parent, find one more workaround—because the purpose matters more than the discomfort.

Even on days when my corporate job was at its peak intensity with travel etc. and life felt overwhelming, quitting never felt like an option. The intent we started HYCA with—to give kids access to a sport that builds discipline, joy, and community—kept pulling me forward. And that intent is what fuels my motivation even today.

If I’ve learned anything from this journey, it is that resilience grows when you have a mission bigger than yourself. HYCA became that mission for me. And every challenge we’ve overcome—big or small—reminds me that all the hard work it is all worth it at the end of the day and that things will eventually work out for the best as its meant to be when you refuse to let go of the things that truly matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://houstonyouthcricketacademy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houstonyouthcricketacademy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Houston-Youth-Cricket-Academy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeetha-vasudevan