Pickleheads
Market Opportunity
Pickleball was the the fastest growing sport in 2021, with nearly 5 million players nationwide. It has universal appeal, with players aged 65+ representing the largest segment, but players younger than 24 representing the fastest growing segment. There is palpable energy for the sport and we believe this momentum will continue, as evidenced by the 1000% growth from 2019 to 2021 in Google searches for the phrase “pickleball near me”
Timeliness
As companies move away from being fully in-person, the relationship between employers, employees, and co-workers has weakened. The workplace has historically been an essential space for adult relationship to form, and without it, loneliness is on the rise. Sports bring people together and alleviate loneliness. Pickleball has several attributes which make it ideal for the present moment.
Team
Ardent has known founder Max Ade for years from working together during his last startup. He and his co-founders Brandon Mackie and Ian Langworth are multiple-time founders, and their experience building companies through thoughtful marketing gives us confidence that they are the right team to win in this space.