What PingPod does

PingPod operates a network of autonomous, app-driven table tennis venues across the United States, with the first location opening on Allen Street in New York City in 2020 and the network reaching 18–20+ venues across six US states plus international satellites in Bristol (UK) and Manila (Philippines) by 2024–2025. The company is founded on the premise that traditional, staffed table tennis clubs are economically unviable in dense urban markets, and addresses this by running 24/7 unmanned venues with contactless check-in, mobile-app booking, automated access control, digital scoreboards, and computer-vision-assisted video replay — all orchestrated by a proprietary operating system originally developed in-house and now housed at the spun-off entity PodPlay Technologies Inc.

The underlying platform technology, PodPlay OS, handles end-to-end venue operations including reservations, access, video capture/replay, and digital scoring, enabling staffing overhead near zero at the unit level. Revenue is generated through usage-based hourly table reservations ($20/hour), subscription memberships with discounted rates and priority booking, professional coaching and group classes, private/corporate event rentals (including the Corporate Cup Series), and franchise fees plus royalties from entrepreneur-operated locations (requiring $400K minimum liquid capital and $1M net worth). Customer segments span casual and competitive individual players, corporate clients seeking team-building venues, families and youth participating in structured programs, and franchisees/entrepreneurs expanding the network.

Go-to-market is product-led and app-first: consumers discover venues, reserve, pay, and unlock facilities entirely through the mobile application, while franchise expansion provides a capital-light distribution engine and the August 2025 spin-off of PodPlay Technologies positions the operating system as a licensable B2B SaaS platform for adjacent sports verticals such as pickleball, tennis, and golf. Key partnerships include Major League Table Tennis for SPINDEX ratings integration and JOOLA as exclusive equipment provider. The company is privately held, has raised approximately $14M+ in disclosed funding led by a Sequoia Heritage $10M Series A in March 2022, and is led by co-CEOs Ernesto Ebuen and David Silberman following Max Kogler's transition to head PodPlay Technologies.

Name

PingPod

Legal name

PingPod Inc.

Website

https://pingpod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PingPod operates a network of autonomous, app-driven 24/7 table tennis venues across six US states plus international locations, serving casual and competitive players, corporate clients, families, and franchisees. Revenue is generated through $20/hour usage fees, memberships, coaching, events, and franchise royalties on its PodPlay OS platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recreational Sports Venues

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (713120), Amusement Arcades (71312)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Coin-Operated Entertainment (Pinball, Crane/Claw, Jukebox, Darts/Billiards) (MPAEAJAF)

Keywords

• Autonomous recreation venues
• Table tennis facilities
• Venue operations platform
• Table tennis club network
• Sports franchise programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hourly Table Reservations: Core revenue stream from pay-per-use table time at $20/hour. Customers book via app and gain automated access to facilities.
2. Memberships: Recurring subscription plans providing members with discounted or unlimited table time, priority booking, and other perks.
3. Coaching and Training: Revenue from professional coaching lessons, private training sessions, and group skill-development classes.
4. Private and Corporate Events: Facility rental for birthday parties, corporate team-building events, tournaments, and other private gatherings.
5. Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fees and ongoing royalty structure from entrepreneur-operated PingPod locations. Requires $400,000 minimum liquid capital and $1,000,000 net worth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PingPod operates a network of fully autonomous, 24/7 table tennis venues powered by its proprietary PodPlay OS. Customers discover locations, book hourly table time ($20/hour), and unlock facilities entirely through the PingPod mobile app without on-site staff. The company also generates revenue from subscription memberships, professional coaching, kids programs, corporate events, gift cards, and franchise ownership fees.

Product overview

PingPod operates a network of fully autonomous, 24/7 table tennis venues across the United States and internationally. The core PingPod product offers on-demand table reservations, video replay technology, coaching services, membership programs, and community events. In August 2025, PodPlay Technologies was spun off as a separate B2B SaaS company to license the underlying autonomous venue operating system to other sports venues. The product portfolio includes the core venue service, the PodPlay SaaS platform for sports operators, plus add-on services including video replays, coaching, kids programs, corporate events, and a franchise model for expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PodPlay: Full-stack operating system for recreational sports venues providing mobile booking, automated video replays, digital scoreboards, and autonomous facility operations. Spun off from PingPod in August 2025.

Products and services

• PingPod Hourly Table Reservations Core pay-per-use hourly table reservations at $20/hour for individual table tennis players. Customers discover venues, book tables, and unlock facilities via the PodPlay mobile app with automated contactless check-in. Available 24/7 across all PingPod locations.
• PingPod Membership Recurring monthly subscription tiers providing members with discounted hourly table rates, priority booking access, and member-only perks for frequent PingPod users.
• PingPod Coaching Services Private lessons and group classes taught by professional table tennis coaches, available for all skill levels from beginner to advanced.
• PingPod Kids Programs Youth-focused programming including after-school classes, camps, competitions, birthday parties, and a dedicated kids' membership tier designed for children to learn and play table tennis in a safe, technology-enabled environment with professional coaching support.
• PingPod Corporate Events (Corporate Cup Series) Corporate team-building events and the Corporate Cup Series organized tournament format offered to companies seeking unique entertainment and team-building activities.
• PingPod Private Events & Birthday Parties Private venue rental for birthday parties, graduations, holidays, and other personal gatherings with flexible DIY format and friendly coaches available to assist.
• PingPod Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available for purchase, making PingPod an ideal gift for ping pong enthusiasts.
• PingPod Franchise Franchise opportunity allowing independent entrepreneurs to own and operate their own PingPod autonomous table tennis locations under the PingPod brand, leveraging the PodPlay OS technology platform.
• PingPod Replays (Video Replay Add-on) Video replay technology feature that allows users to record and review gameplay moments, order replays of specific shots, and share highlights. Gamifies the table tennis experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to $50 million revenue potential within 5 years (Fortune projection)

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Major League Table Tennis (MLTT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop and integrate SPINDEX ratings into PingPod venues. MLTT provides competitive legitimacy and a standardized skill metric, while PingPod provides MLTT with physical venues and a growing participant base for the league system.
• JOOLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive equipment provider partnership ensuring all PingPod locations feature JOOLA tables, balls, and accessories. JOOLA is a leading table tennis equipment brand, and the exclusive arrangement provides consistent quality and brand alignment across the venue network.
• PodPlay TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationPodPlay Technologies was spun off from PingPod as a separate company to own and license the PodPlay OS autonomous venue management technology. This enables the technology to be used by PingPod franchisees while potentially being licensed to other automated sports venue concepts.
• Ping Pong ParkinsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership supporting table tennis programs for Parkinson's disease patients. The initiative brings social impact positioning to PingPod while generating community goodwill and diverse customer traffic.
• Triple8 TTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional table tennis club or training organization partnership providing coaching talent and player community connections to PingPod locations.
• Smash CityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal table tennis community organization or training facility partnership extending PingPod's reach into existing player networks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• SPIN: SPIN is the best-known pay-per-play table tennis social club in North America, operating urban ping pong venues with food/beverage and event programming. It is the most direct head-to-head comparable to PingPod's pay-per-use model, although SPIN relies on staffed venues rather than autonomous operations.
• Pickleball Kingdom: Pickleball Kingdom is a franchise of indoor pickleball clubs that mirrors PingPod's venue-network and franchise-driven expansion strategy. It operates in a different sport but uses an analogous pay-per-use club model with centralized branding and standardized locations.
• Ace Pickleball Club: Ace Pickleball Club is a membership- and pay-to-play pickleball club chain with multi-court indoor venues. It is comparable to PingPod in offering app-enabled reservation, structured play, leagues, and corporate events in a similar price-point category.
• Chicken N Pickle: Chicken N Pickle operates multi-sport indoor entertainment complexes combining pickleball with food, drinks, and games. Comparable to PingPod for its pay-per-play venue model, group/corporate event focus, and rapidly scaling regional footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Topgolf: Topgolf is the largest tech-enabled recreational sports venue operator globally. It shares PingPod's core concept of pay-per-use game play in branded venues with technology-driven scoring and entertainment, but at significantly larger scale and with a golfing focus.
• Life Time Group Holdings: Life Time is a publicly traded premium fitness and recreation club operator that has aggressively expanded pickleball and group programming. Comparable as a broad recreation-club incumbent that competes for the same urban and suburban recreational spending wallet.

Emerging players

• Swingers: Swingers is an indoor crazy-golf and entertainment venue concept with food/beverage and group event programming. Comparable to PingPod for its adult-focused, urban, pay-per-play entertainment venue model targeting social and corporate groups.
• Puttery: Puttery is a tech-enabled indoor mini-golf and entertainment venue concept with digital scoring and curated food/beverage. Comparable to PingPod for combining technology-enabled recreational play with a hospitality-driven, group-oriented urban venue format.
• Andretti Indoor Karting & Games: Andretti Indoor Karting & Games operates multi-activity indoor entertainment venues combining karting with games, food, and events. Comparable to PingPod as a destination entertainment venue operator targeting groups, corporate events, and family outings in urban/suburban markets.
• Puttshack: Puttshack is a tech-enabled indoor mini-golf entertainment concept using ball-tracking and digital scoring to gamify play. Comparable to PingPod for its app-first, technology-driven, autonomous-feel venue experience targeting adults and corporate groups.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFfJMwKKdaY2iPgN8umwkog
• Facebookfacebook.com/pingpod
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pingpod-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/pingpod
• TikToktiktok.com/@pingpodnyc?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PingPod