Dink
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersPaso Robles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
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.
Dink firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Dink industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Dink is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paso Robles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dink business model
Business model- 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
- 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).
- Wholesale/Bulk Orders: Bulk pricing for team, club, and corporate orders starting at 25+ units. Includes professional design support, color matching, and volume discounts.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Pickleball Paddle - Composite |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Pickleball Paddle - Fiberglass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Pickleball Paddle - Carbon Fiber |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Personalized Pickleball Paddle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mystery Paddle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pickleball Balls (3-pack) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pickleball Set (Paddles and Balls) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk/Wholesale Pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Dink product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Dink
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Dink technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Dink partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- T-MobileflagshipBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of T-Mobile's promotional and marketing campaigns.
- PepsiflagshipBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Pepsi's promotional merchandise and brand activations.
- LululemonflagshipBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Lululemon's athletic lifestyle brand marketing.
- Mountain DewcoreBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles featuring Mountain Dew branding and design elements.
- WalmartflagshipBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles distributed or promoted through Walmart channels.
- Crunch FitnesscoreBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles featuring Crunch Fitness branding for member promotions.
- StarryminorBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Starry beverage brand marketing.
- SkrewballminorBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of Skrewball whiskey brand promotions.
- Louis XIIIminorBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles as part of luxury cognac brand marketing.
- USGAcoreBrand collaboration for custom pickleball paddles in connection with US Golf Association events and promotions.
- Targa ResourcescoreCorporate 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 ClubcorePrivate club customer for branded paddles with member names. Company testimonial: 'We purchased 50+ paddles branded by club member name. Everyone loves them!'
- Gravity GlobalcoreMarketing 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
Dink competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Dink social profiles
Digital presenceDink financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dink leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Dink funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dink M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dink
What does Dink do?
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.
Is Dink a public or private company?
Dink is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dink founded?
Dink was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dink based?
Dink is headquartered in Paso Robles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dink make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale/Bulk Orders and brand Collaborations.
Who are Dink's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Paddletek, JOOLA, CRBN Pickleball, PB5star, Onix Sports, Selkirk Sport and Engage Pickleball. Franklin Sports is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Volair Pickleball and Holbrook Pickleball.
Does Dink have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dink.
What industry is Dink in?
Dink's product category is Pickleball Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAFAB, Pickleball Equipment & Accessories Retail. Its NAICS code is 33992 and its SIC code is 3944.