{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"He Turned Pickleball Software into a $3M\/yr SaaS","description":"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\u2013$15k and an $8M Series A completed in 2025. This business is interesting because it didn\u2019t 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 \u2014 proving that real-world operational pain can be the most durable GTM wedge in vertical software.   You\u2019ll learn: \u2014 How Ben validated the SaaS by first using it inside a venue doing $100k\u2013$400k in annual revenue \u2014 The exact per-court pricing model and why ACVs land between $10k\u2013$15k for larger operators \u2014 How software-only contracts at $2k\u2013$6k expand into $10k+ hardware-inclusive deals \u2014 Why 70% court utilization at $30\/hour created the margin profile to fund early product development \u2014 How founder-led sales drove growth from first external customers in 2023 to $3M contracted ARR \u2014 The GTM motion behind signing 200 locations without a traditional enterprise sales team \u2014 How viral video sharing from players became an organic acquisition channel for physical venues \u2014 Why vertical SaaS embedded in real-world workflows wins over generic booking tools \u2014 How spinning out the software into a separate entity unlocked an $8M Series A \u2014 What operators should consider before raising capital versus compounding through cash flow Ben\u2019s background spans fintech, hedge funds managing $300M AUM, and early-stage investing before launching his own venues in 2020. He opened PingPod during COVID, optimized for utilization and unit economics, and then spun out the internal software into PodPlay once external demand became clear. The capital raise was deliberate: sell 13\u201318%, accelerate distribution, and double down on category leadership. This episode is for founders building vertical SaaS, operators sitting on proprietary workflow data, and investors looking for software businesses born out of real revenue. If you\u2019re thinking about pricing per unit, founder-led GTM, or when to separate software from services, this is a masterclass in capital-efficient category creation. \u2022 Watch this episode on YouTube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SB8bmy8LylI  \u2022 Connect with Ben: https:\/\/podplay.app\/  \u2022 Connect with Nathan: FounderPath.com ","author_name":"SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, Founders","author_url":"http:\/\/getlatka.com","html":"