PodPlay Technologies Raises $8 Million Series A Led by Frontier Growth to Power the Future of Sports Venues

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Frontier Growth backs spin-out from PingPod to accelerate the expansion of PodPlay's vertical SaaS platform modernizing participatory sports clubs.

NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PodPlay Technologies, Inc., the fast-growing vertical SaaS platform for participatory sports venues, today announced its spin-off from PingPod Inc and the close of an $8 million Series A led by Frontier Growth. Frontier partner Dave Pandullo will join PodPlay's board.

PodPlay combines software, hardware, and automation to help sports clubs run more efficiently and deliver premium player experiences. Its full stack platform integrates reservations, memberships, coaching, events, and payments with proprietary technology for video replays, digital scoreboards, and autonomous access. Clubs using PodPlay have reduced labor costs by up to 66% while unlocking new digital revenue streams and social engagement.

Originally developed to power PingPod's autonomous table-tennis clubs, PodPlay has quickly expanded to meet demand in pickleball - the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. - and is now the preferred premium solution for modern, tech-driven venues. Today, PodPlay's platform powers many of the country's most innovative pickleball venues - including Pickleball Kingdom, CityPickle, Performance Pickleball, SPF, and St. Pete Athletic.

"PodPlay was built to make sports venues both more human and more autonomous," said Max Kogler, Co-Founder and CEO of PodPlay Technologies. "Our platform lets owners focus on community and experience while technology handles the rest. Operating independently and partnering with Frontier gives us the runway to accelerate product innovation and bring PodPlay to thousands of venues worldwide."

Frontier Growth's investment aligns with its long-standing thesis in vertical SaaS: backing platforms that combine operational depth with modern, scalable tech. "We partner with domain experts who are transforming their industries with modern vertical SaaS solutions that customers love," said Dave Pandullo, Partner at Frontier Growth. "Our diligence revealed an exceptional level of customer passion for PodPlay - operators who describe it as transformative for their venues and communities. That customer love underscores a significant opportunity to replace the dated, fragmented tools that exist in the market today with a modern, integrated platform purpose-built for participatory sports. We're thrilled to partner with a team whose deep domain expertise and technology leadership are redefining the category."

Ben Borton, Co-Founder of PodPlay, added: "The future of sports venues is connected, digital, and frictionless. Frontier's track record with vertical SaaS leaders will help us scale faster without losing what makes these communities special."

PodPlay's growth reflects a broader shift toward participatory, tech-enabled recreation. The company has tripled revenue year-over-year, served nearly one million users, and formed strategic partnerships across the fastest-growing sports categories. With new capital and independence, PodPlay will expand its engineering, sales, and customer-success teams to support rapid adoption and product expansion.

About PodPlay Technologies

PodPlay Technologies is the software and hardware platform for modern recreational venues. It integrates reservations, events, coaching, analytics, and payments with proprietary technology—digital scoreboards, instant video replays, secure access, and 24/7 remote monitoring. Originally built for PingPod, PodPlay now powers next-generation pickleball, padel, ping pong, pool, tennis, golf, and multisport facilities worldwide. Learn more at www.podplay.app.

About Frontier Growth

Founded in 1999, Frontier Growth is a growth equity investment firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina that specializes in partnering with founders of vertical SaaS companies to help them scale and reach new heights. By leveraging its deep experience helping growth-stage vertical SaaS companies scale to market leadership positions, Frontier provides tailored support and resources to help drive sustainable growth and scalability. Frontier's 'people-first' philosophy to investing is founded upon putting people before numbers – a belief that it's the people around the table collaborating together that make the difference in driving true innovation and growth. With over 15 years of experience investing in vertical SaaS, Frontier has completed more than 25 vertical SaaS investments since inception. Frontier typically makes initial equity investments of $5–30 million in mission critical vertical SaaS companies with $3–20 million of annual recurring revenue ("ARR") and +25% annual growth. For more information about Frontier, please visit www.frontiergrowth.com.

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