Hairpin Media and the Rise of Motorsports in India

Explore how Hairpin Media, led by Ananya Srinidhi, is empowering motorsports and reshaping India's racing narrative with inclusive storytelling.

While many people like to see themselves as serial entrepreneurs, Ananya Srinidhi, by design, was always a serial project starter. And despite the number of projects she started and pursued, there always seemed to be something that brought right back to Motorsports.

While she has been a fan of the sport as a child, this entrepreneurial journey started somewhere when she was a teenager. “My earliest brush with the business of motorsport was around 15 or 16, when I realised I was the only girl among 80 guys in a go-karting event. That stuck with me,” she recalls in a candid chat with WeWork Labs. “I knew I couldn’t pursue it professionally—motorsport is expensive—but I thought, maybe I can change it from within.”

That set her off on a path to doing a few different things— organising small, setting up informal tournaments and inviting more women to participate. Pretty soon, as she puts it, life took over and motorsports in Ananya’s life took the proverbial back seat.

She wasn’t quite done with her corporate stint when motorsports came calling again. In fact, she had never really been out of it. The growing global appetite—thanks in part to Drive to Survive—combined with rising interest in India through leagues like the Indian Racing League and Indian F4, made it feel like a now-or-never moment to get involved in motorsports in a more formal and organized manner to get the sports..

At the same time, something else was brewing. While motorsports culture was gaining momentum, the narrative remained heavily centered in the West. There was little visibility into what was happening closer to home—in India and Southeast Asia. “So I said, let’s start there.” And that’s how Hairpin Media came about—born out of a desire to shift the spotlight.

Today, Hairpin Media is building the cultural and commercial ecosystem for motorsport across Asia—starting with India, but with a vision to scale. From storytelling to digital identity-building, Hairpin Media is championing underrepresented talent and giving motorsport in the Asiatic region the visibility it deserves.

Building a new media model

The world of digital media, and particularly, the way people consume and find news is in constant flux. Young audiences today increasingly have a preference to find news that is specific to them through their own channels on social media, essentially rejecting conventional routes. Trying to build a company in the media business from Day Zero, in an industry that very few people knew how to engage with, wasn’t the easiest task. Ananya acknowledges that the challenges in this regard were multifold, given that in the modern day and age, straight-shooting journalism wasn’t going to pay the bills. “We quickly realised we needed a B2B wing to sustain ourselves,” she says. That led to working closely with athletes and promoters to shape their public image and digital presence—something traditional agencies struggled to do authentically in such a niche sport.

Finding her space

For Ananya, WeWork—and specifically, WeWork Labs—has played a pivotal role in shaping Hairpin’s journey. As someone who thrives on the energy of creative, high-intent environments, WeWork became more than just a workspace; it was a launchpad. “I’ve always been allergic to working from home,” she laughs, “and WeWork gave me the right kind of chaos—people building, moving, hustling.” Beyond the physical space, it was the WeWork Labs community that offered her a sense of momentum. From founder sessions and expert-led masterclasses to unexpected hallway conversations, the ecosystem provided both perspective and connection. “There’s constant value in being reminded that support exists—and it’s just an email or a hallway chat away,” she says.

Having the right support made all the difference

For Ananya, having the right support meant all the difference. In motorsport, just as in business, the right support makes all the difference. It is a sport where the margin between greatness and disaster is measured in thousandths of a second, and where support, both metaphorical and literal, can tip the scales. Having witnessed this firsthand, Ananya's resolve to ensure athletes receive crucial monetary and physical backing - through product and fiscal sponsorships - has never been stronger. This commitment propelled the business to evolve from simply covering motorsport athletes to actively partnering with them.Also Read: The role of celebrities in start up“We’re trying to position motorsport as an alternate advertising platform,” she explains. “Even if we can’t get brands to sponsor athletes directly, we show them how funding a racer can be a high-impact campaign.” 

Along the way Ananya and her brother found their way towards building Hairpin. “He does the design, the content, the visuals—you see something out there, that’s him. I do the business; he makes it look good,” she laughs.

Working with family comes with its own quirks, but Ananya credits their clear separation of roles—and a shared vision—for keeping things smooth. “We play devil’s advocate when we need to, but we respect each other’s domain.”

Building a motorsports related business, in a lot of ways, mirrors the name of her company—the journey is not dissimilar to the risk a driver takes while doing a hairpin bend at top speeds. It demands precision, instinct, and an unwavering belief that you’ll make it through the turn—even when visibility is low and the odds seem stacked against you. But seeing even one person in the bleachers cheering on an athlete just when they need it, makes all the difference to Ananya. “Go to the racetrack. Don’t just consume content—get immersed. That’s how it starts.”