Racquet sports are booming these days.
Currently, the total racquet sports industry is worth over $9B according to RacquetX, an all-racquet-sports festival.
And that’s not including money spent building new courts, upgrading existing ones, sponsoring celebrity players, and tournament prize money.
In case you don’t know, a racquet-based sport is any game where players use a racket or paddle to hit a ball or other object.
This includes popular sports such as:
- Tennis
- Padel
- Pickleball
- Table Tennis aka Ping Pong
- Badminton
- Squash
- Racquetball
Racquet sports are some of the oldest sports out there.
Some have been around since the 1500s, but we’ve only started to see this explosion in recent years.
In the 1800s, galvanized rubber and improved manufacturing techniques came about, which were tipping points for the industry. A game similar to modern-day tennis and squash emerged from this innovation.
The first Wimbledon game was then played in 1877 and table tennis was born around this time also. Pickleball and padel started to become popular around the 1960s.
Over time, individuals and businesses started to see how big of an opportunity these sports were and constructed leagues, tournaments, and courts globally.
All of this transformed into the racquet industry as we know it today.
Here are some additional stats and facts about the growth of these sports:
- Despite being worth $9B, the racquet sports market is forecasted to grow over $500M between 2016 and 2026
- Tennis, pickleball, and padel are the three most popular racquet-based sports
- There are over 87M tennis players across the world
- There are over 36M pickleball players throughout the US
- There are over 25M padel players across 90 countries
When you look at where these sports have come from and the upside, there’s still a lot of opportunity left.
Technology is playing a massive role in the racquet sports boom and is expected to propel it to an $80B industry by 2032 across all sports.
This is why we’re diving into some of the top startups around these sports and how they are using technology to revolutionize this industry.
Here Are 15 Racquet Based Startups To Keep An Eye On
SwingVision
Founders: Swupnil Sahai & Richard Hsu
Website: https://swing.tennis/
Location: San Mateo, California
Year Founded: 2019
What they do: SwingVision’s AI-powered mobile app transforms video captured from users’ iPhone or iPad cameras to deliver automated stats, highlights, and officiating.
Previous raise: $6M Series A
Volley
Founders: John Weinlader
Website: https://getvolley.com/
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Year Founded: 2021
What they do: Volley aims to revolutionize the way racquet sports players (platform tennis, tennis, padel, and pickleball) train with its AI-enabled sports training machine.
Previous raise: $5.5M Series B
RacketPal
Founders: Robert Rizea
Website: https://racketpal.co.uk/
Location: London, United Kingdom
Year Founded: 2020
What they do: RacketPal is the leading racket sports app that helps people find local sports partners, coaches, and clubs, compete in local leagues, and track their progress.
Previous raise: Undisclosed Seed
Playtomic
Founders: Pablo Carro, Felix Ruiz Hernandez & Pedro Clavería Gonzalez
Website: https://playtomic.com/
Location: Madrid, Spain
Year Founded: 2017
What they do: Playtomic is Europe’s leading app and reaching worldwide for racket players and the largest sports booking app and SaaS for sports venues. Through the app, players can search and book courts for padel and tennis, meet new players, find rivals, join groups with other players, improve their level, or book lessons.
Previous raise: €56M Series C
Tennibot
Founders: Haitham Eletrabi & Lincoln Wang
Website: https://www.tennibot.com/
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Year Founded: 2015
What they do: Tennibot is an autonomous & intelligent robot that saves players and coaches time by eliminating the tedious task of collecting tennis balls.
Previous raise: Undisclosed Series A
Scope Sports
Founders: Laurent Isnard & Maximilian Stehling
Website: https://www.scopesports.io/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2022
What they do: Scope Sports is a platform that creates tangible relationships between fans and athletes through exclusive fan clubs. Fans can purchase member cards for their favorite athletes that grant them access to a limited fan club, where they can co-create with athletes on exclusive content, experiences, and direct interaction.
Previous raise: $500K Pre-Seed
Pingpod/Podplay
Founders: David Silberman, Max Kogler & Ernesto Ebuen
Website: https://pingpod.com/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2019
What they do: PingPod is a fully automated table tennis space, open 24/7.
Previous raise: $10M Series A
Pickleheads
Founders: Brandon Mackie, Max Ade & Ian Langworth
Website: https://www.pickleheads.com/
Location: Remote
Year Founded: 2022
What they do: Pickleheads is the #1 website and app for pickleball players. You can find nearby courts, games, and groups and connect with other players in your area.
Previous raise: $750K Pre-Seed
Pala De 7
Founders: Tarek Ashour
Website: https://palade7.com/
Location: Saudi Arabia
Year Founded: 2023
What they do: Pala De 7 offers the Padel community a user-centric platform, offering field registration, booking, and an enhanced user experience with the help of AI technology for game matching.
Previous raise: $1M Seed
Picklezone
Founders: Jude Thomas & Dan Brinker
Website: https://www.picklezone.com/
Location: Orlando, Florida
Year Founded: 2022
What they do: Picklezone streamlines the process of registering for and participating in tournaments, leagues, ladders, and teams making it easier for players to get involved and for organizers to run smooth and successful events.
Previous raise: Undisclosed
STRIKECO
Founders: Roy Daneman, Ori Levy, Danny Ruchman & Jonathan Wiland
Website: https://www.strikeco.io/
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Year Founded: 2022
What they do: STRIKECO is the first tennis simulator that lets you train with a real ball and your own racquet, all within the comfort of your home. Their AI-powered coaching keeps you on track, while our global community lets you compete and connect with fellow players.
Previous raise: $2.5M Pre-Seed
Fantium
Founders: Jonathan Ludwig
Website: https://www.fantium.com/
Location: Zug, Switzerland
Year Founded: 2022
What they do: Bridging the financing gap in sports, FANtium enables sports fans to invest in their passion, participating directly in the successes of athletes and clubs specifically in tennis.
Previous raise: $2M Pre-Seed
Zenniz
Founders: Sebastian Laine & Eero Kuusi
Website: http://www.zenniz.com/
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Year Founded: 2017
What they do: Zenniz is the world’s first affordable tennis tracking solution for tennis players and tennis centers.
Previous raise: Undisclosed
MATCHi
Founders: Daniel Ekman & Mattias Lundstrom
Website: https://www.matchi.se/
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Year Founded: 2012
What they do: The digital platform for racket sports. MATCHi offers your venue an easy online booking system, decreased administrative load, and personalized support.
Previous raise: Undisclosed
Slinger
Founders: Mike Ballardie
Website: https://slingerbag.com/
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Year Founded: 2017
What they do: The Slinger Bag is the most portable, affordable, and easy-to-use ball launcher in tennis.
Previous raise: $5.9M
