Podplay Revenue & Funding (2025)

Podplay generated an estimated $3M in annual revenue in 2025.

Podplay reported approximately $3 million in contracted ARR as of the December 2025 interview, with co-founder Ben Borden telling Nathan Latka the figure was approaching that level. The company serves more than 200 locations and more than 2,000 courts on the platform.

Podplay had more than 200 locations signed on the platform as of the December 2025 interview, with more than 2,000 courts in total. The average number of courts per location was trending toward approximately 10, up from lower levels earlier in the company's history.

Pricing is structured on a per-court, monthly SaaS fee basis. Software-only clients typically have between 2 and 6 courts and pay in the lower tiers. Hardware-enabled clients, which represent more than 60 percent of the customer base, carry higher average contract values, with the host noting figures closer to $10,000 per year for those clients, though Borden did not confirm a precise ACV figure for hardware clients on the record. Borden described average revenue per location as sitting around $10,000 to $15,000 annually across the base.

City Pickle, which operates the pickleball facility at Central Park in New York City, was named as an early launch partner and lighthouse client. A free tier was not discussed in the interview.

Podplay generates revenue through monthly SaaS fees charged on a per-court basis. The company offers three tiers: software-only, software plus hardware, and a fully autonomous mode that adds door access control, security cameras, and remote monitoring by a team based in the Philippines. More than 60 percent of clients are in hardware-enabled tiers.

Software-only clients typically go live within one to two months of signing. Hardware-enabled clients face a lead time of four to six months due to a more involved onboarding process and a backlog on the hardware side. Borden described the business model as competing on ROI rather than price, with value drivers including enabling new revenue lines for clubs such as sponsor-monetized video replays, reducing labor overhead, and improving user experience.

Profitability at the Podplay level was not discussed in the interview. The company's stated approach to growth includes a virality component tied to video replay features that customers share on social media, as well as a founder brand and building-in-public strategy that Borden pursues through LinkedIn posts and the Podplay blog. The average revenue per hour used across PingPod's operating locations in 2020 was approximately $30, with pricing ranging from $20 to $50 per hour depending on pod type.

Podplay's tech team is led by co-founder Elliot Rifkin. Borden noted that approximately 90 percent of the technical team has ties to the Equinox mobile booking app and Nike Plus running app projects at agency RGA, reflecting a concentrated hiring strategy built around Rifkin's prior network. A total headcount figure for Podplay was not disclosed in the interview. PingPod's autonomous club model operates without full-time on-site employees at individual locations, with remote monitoring handled by a team in the Philippines for clients on the autonomous tier.