Dink

What Dink does

Dink is a U.S.-based direct-to-consumer manufacturer of custom and personalized pickleball paddles, founded in September 2019 by Mike Hardy and headquartered in Paso Robles / San Francisco, California. The company operates an in-house precision-molded manufacturing facility in California, producing paddles in three material tiers — Composite ($48.99 sale), Fiberglass ($84.99 sale), and Carbon Fiber ($109.99 sale) — that meet USAP standards and ship with a limited lifetime warranty. Customers personalize paddles via a drag-and-drop design tool on dinkusa.com, selecting shape, colors, images, logos, and text without prior design experience, with same-day production and 1–3 business day lead times.

The product line extends beyond core custom paddles to include Personalized Paddles, Mystery Paddles (surplus/defect inventory up to 75% off), pickleball balls ($9.99), paddle sets ($199.99), protective covers, and digital gift cards ($10–$100). A dedicated wholesale and bulk channel serves teams, clubs, and corporate customers with 25+ unit minimums, 24-hour turnaround, professional design assistance, and color matching. Brand collaborations with T-Mobile, Pepsi, Lululemon, Mountain Dew, Walmart, Crunch Fitness, and others serve the corporate gifting and promotional merchandise vertical.

Dink generates revenue through one-time product sales across DTC e-commerce and B2B wholesale channels, with pricing tiers by material and bulk discounts at volume. The company has sold tens of thousands of paddles since founding and accumulated 10,000+ customer reviews, though it remains founder-led and appears bootstrapped, with 11–50 employees and no disclosed outside funding. The business model carries notable customer concentration in the brand collaboration vertical (where individual promotional deals can be material) but is anchored by a long-tail base of individual pickleball players, gift buyers, teams, and clubs.

Name

Dink

Legal name

Dink

Website

https://dinkusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dink is a U.S. direct-to-consumer manufacturer of custom and personalized pickleball paddles, producing composite, fiberglass, and carbon fiber paddles in California via a self-serve design tool for individual players, teams, clubs, and corporate brand gifting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pickleball Equipment

NAICS

Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Pickleball Equipment & Accessories Retail (CRAMAFAB)

Keywords

• Custom pickleball paddles
• Pickleball equipment
• Sports gear manufacturing
• Personalized sports accessories
• Made in USA paddles

Headquarters

HQ city

Paso Robles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Product Sales: E-commerce sales of custom and personalized pickleball paddles, balls, sets, covers, and accessories through dinkusa.com. One-time purchase model with tiered pricing based on material (composite, fiberglass, carbon fiber).
2. Wholesale/Bulk Orders: Bulk pricing for team, club, and corporate orders starting at 25+ units. Includes professional design support, color matching, and volume discounts.
3. Brand Collaborations: Custom paddle partnerships with brands such as T-Mobile, Pepsi, Lululemon, Mountain Dew, Walmart, and others for promotional, corporate, and branded merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dink designs, manufactures, and sells custom and personalized pickleball paddles built in California via an in-house precision-molded process. Customers use a drag-and-drop online design tool to customize paddles with shape, colors, images, logos, and text in three material tiers (composite, fiberglass, carbon fiber). The company also sells pickleball balls, sets, covers, gift cards, and bulk/wholesale orders for teams, clubs, and corporate brands.

Product overview

Dink is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce company specializing in custom and personalized pickleball paddles and accessories, built in California. The core product line consists of three customizable paddle types (Composite at $48.99, Fiberglass at $84.99, Carbon Fiber at $109.99) that customers can personalize with custom designs, colors, text, and logos via a drag-and-drop design tool with professional design assistance available. Supporting products include Personalized Paddles (pre-designed patterns with custom text), Mystery Paddles (discounted surplus/discount items), Pickleball Balls, Pickleball Sets, Paddle Covers, and Gift Cards ($10-$100). B2B offerings include Wholesale/Bulk paddles for teams and clubs (25+ units with 24-hour turnaround), Custom Corporate Paddles, and Custom Event Paddles for occasions like birthdays, weddings, and corporate events. All products are manufactured in California with same-day production and ship with a limited lifetime warranty and free shipping on orders $75+. The company operates exclusively through dinkusa.com with no physical retail locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Pickleball Paddles Fully customizable pickleball paddles built in California using a precision-molded process in three material tiers (Composite, Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber). Customers use a drag-and-drop design tool to choose shape, colors, upload images/logos/text, and personalize the paddle with their name. Available at $48.99 (composite), $84.99 (fiberglass), and $109.99 (carbon fiber).
• Personalized Pickleball Paddles

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day production and 1-3 business day lead times
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• T-MobileflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of T-Mobile's promotional and marketing campaigns.
• PepsiflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Pepsi's promotional merchandise and brand activations.
• LululemonflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Lululemon's athletic lifestyle brand marketing.
• Mountain DewcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles featuring Mountain Dew branding and design elements.
• WalmartflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles distributed or promoted through Walmart channels.
• Crunch FitnesscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles featuring Crunch Fitness branding for member promotions.
• StarryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Starry beverage brand marketing.
• SkrewballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Skrewball whiskey brand promotions.
• Louis XIIIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of luxury cognac brand marketing.
• USGAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles in connection with US Golf Association events and promotions.
• Targa ResourcescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate customer for branded paddles used as employee gifts or corporate event giveaways. Company testimonial: 'We love these paddles! Can't wait to present them to the winners.'
• Philadelphia Cricket ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate club customer for branded paddles with member names. Company testimonial: 'We purchased 50+ paddles branded by club member name. Everyone loves them!'
• Gravity GlobalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing agency customer for branded paddles as new hire gifts. Company testimonial: 'We purchased paddles as a gift for new hires. Mike and the team went above and beyond color matching the paddles to our logo.'

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Paddletek: Paddletek manufactures US-made pickleball paddles and is one of the longest-standing domestic producers. It overlaps directly with Dink on US manufacturing narrative, composite/carbon fiber construction, and tournament-grade positioning.
• JOOLA: JOOLA is a large, established table tennis and pickleball brand with a wide range of paddles at multiple price points. It competes directly with Dink across beginner through pro tiers and is a primary alternative for performance-oriented pickleball players shopping online.
• CRBN Pickleball: CRBN is a direct-to-consumer pickleball paddle brand known for carbon fiber, high-performance models. It competes with Dink's carbon fiber tier and shares a similar premium-DTC, online-first go-to-market motion.
• PB5star: PB5star is a direct-to-consumer pickleball paddle and gear brand offering custom and standard paddles online. It is closely comparable to Dink on e-commerce-led, custom-paddle positioning.
• Onix Sports: Onix produces pickleball paddles, balls, and complete sets across price tiers, with strong distribution in sporting goods retail. It overlaps with Dink on paddle and ball bundles and represents a broader-portfolio competitor in the same category.
• Selkirk Sport: Selkirk is a leading pickleball paddle brand offering premium paddles across multiple material tiers with strong professional endorsement. It is the most direct competitor to Dink in branded, performance-grade pickleball paddles, though it is more focused on standard designs and pro sponsorships than mass customization.
• Engage Pickleball: Engage is a US-based pickleball paddle manufacturer offering composite, fiberglass, and carbon fiber paddles at premium price points. It competes head-to-head with Dink across material tiers and shares a focus on performance-grade construction.

Broad incumbents

• Franklin Sports: Franklin is a large, established sporting goods company with pickleball paddles, balls, and sets sold through mass retail (including Walmart). It competes with Dink on price-point pickleball products and has substantially broader distribution and brand awareness.

Emerging players

• Volair Pickleball: Volair is a direct-to-consumer pickleball paddle brand offering performance paddles online. It is a smaller, emerging competitor in the same premium-paddle online channel as Dink.
• Holbrook Pickleball: Holbrook is a smaller, emerging pickleball paddle brand focused on premium, design-forward paddles. It overlaps with Dink on lifestyle/brand-driven positioning and online direct sales, though at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@dinkusa
• Xx.com/dink_usa
• Facebookfacebook.com/dinkusacom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinkusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Dink