Episode
He Turned Pickleball Software into a $3M/yr SaaS
- Published
- Feb 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1521
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Summary
How do you turn a niche offline sports business into $3M in contracted ARR across 200 locations, while raising $8M and keeping pricing simple on a per-unit basis? Ben Borton is the Co-Founder of PodPlay Technologies, a vertical SaaS platform powering pickleball and racquet sport venues. What started as internal software for his own ping pong spaces is now a $3M contracted ARR business serving 200 locations and roughly 2,000 courts, with ACVs ranging from $10k–$15k and an $8M Series A completed in 2025. This business is interesting because it didn't start as software. Ben built PodPlay to solve utilization and operations inside his own physical venues, where courts generated $30 per hour at 70% utilization. The SaaS product is now growing faster than the brick-and-mortar business — proving that real-world operational pain can be the most durable GTM wedge in vertical software. You'll learn: — How Ben validated the SaaS by first using it inside a venue doing $100k–$400k in annual revenue — The exact per-court pricing model and why ACVs land between $10k–$15k for larger operators — How software-only contracts at $2k–$6k expand into $10k+ hardware-inclusive deals — Why 70% court utilization at $30/hour created the margin profile to fund early product development — How founder-led sales drove growth from first external customers in 2023 to $3M contracted ARR — The GTM motion behind signing 200 locations without a traditional enterprise sales team — How viral video sharing from players became an organic acquisition channel for physical venues — Why vertical SaaS embedded in real-world workflows wins over generic booking tools — How spinning out the software into a separate entity unlocked an $8M Series A — What operators should consider before raising capital versus compound…