Courtside

What Courtside does

Courtside, operating under the legal entity Playground, Inc., is a direct-to-consumer beverage brand founded in 2021 and headquartered at 2320 Ridgeview Avenue, Los Angeles, California. The company produces sparkling coconut water hydration beverages in three flavors — Mango Passionfruit, Coconut Lime, and Berry Lemonade — formulated with organic coconut water sourced from Southeast Asia and real fruit juices, positioned as a clean-label alternative to traditional sports drinks (no added sugar, no "natural" flavors, preservative-free). The company targets "everyday athletes" — consumers engaged in casual physical activity such as pickleball, dog walks, dance classes, hiking, and stretching — rather than elite performers, and sells apparel (t-shirts at $35, caps at $20) under the Courtside Goods sub-brand.

The company's commerce architecture is built on a Shopify-hosted online storefront at drinkcourtside.com, with Recharge Payments powering a subscription delivery service offering 10% savings and cadence options of every 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 weeks. Supporting infrastructure includes Klaviyo for email marketing (with a 10% newsletter-signup incentive), HubSpot for CRM, Zendesk for customer support, ShipStation for fulfillment, Google Analytics for web analytics, and Stockist for the "Find Us" store locator. Marketing is community-driven and organic-first, centered on Instagram (@drinkcourtside), TikTok, and Spotify, with lifestyle content featuring customers in various activities. The core product is the Home Team Pack, a 12-pack priced at $39.99 ($35.99 on subscription), supplemented by a smaller Tryout 6 Pack.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct e-commerce sales of beverages (one-time and subscription) and apparel, with a wholesale program available for retail partners via email inquiry. Distribution is exclusively domestic (United States). The company operates with 1–10 employees, has not disclosed any institutional funding, and has no disclosed leadership team beyond co-founder Austin Benzinger. Copyright and policy documents indicate a launch year of 2022, and no revenue, subscriber counts, or growth metrics are publicly disclosed.

Name

Courtside

Legal name

Playground, Inc.

Website

https://drinkcourtside.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Courtside, operating as Playground, Inc., is a Los Angeles-based direct-to-consumer beverage brand selling sparkling organic coconut water in three flavors, targeted at everyday athletes and active consumers via a Shopify storefront and Recharge-powered subscription service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Functional Beverages

NAICS

Bottled Water Manufacturing (312112)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Flavored/Enhanced Bottled Water Production (Essenced, Vitamin, Electrolyte) (AFAFACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Drinks & Hydration Beverages (CRADAHAK), Sparkling/Carbonated Bottled Water Production (AFAFACAE)

Keywords

• Coconut water beverages
• Sparkling hydration drinks
• Functional electrolyte beverages
• Direct-to-consumer drinks
• Natural sports hydration

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (One-time): Direct e-commerce sales of Courtside beverages and merchandise through the company's Shopify-powered online store. Customers can purchase individual items or bundles at listed prices.
2. Subscription/Recurring Sales: Subscription model offering 10% savings on regular deliveries. Powered by Recharge Payments, subscriptions allow customers to set delivery frequency (every 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 weeks) with automatic delivery and billing. Customers can modify or cancel subscriptions anytime.
3. Apparel and Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts and caps. Products include Sprint, Squat, Shimmy T-Shirt ($35) and Movers T-Shirt ($35) in various sizes, and Bounce Cap ($20).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Courtside produces and sells sparkling coconut water-based hydration beverages in three flavors (Mango Passionfruit, Coconut Lime, Berry Lemonade) packaged in 12-packs, marketed for everyday athletic and active lifestyle use. The brand also offers branded apparel merchandise including t-shirts and caps under the Courtside Goods collection. Sales are conducted direct-to-consumer through a Shopify-powered online storefront with an optional subscription delivery service offering 10% savings and customizable delivery frequency.

Product overview

Courtside is a direct-to-consumer beverage brand offering sparkling coconut water hydration drinks and apparel merchandise. The core product is the Home Team Pack, a 12-pack of sparkling beverages available in three flavors (Mango Passionfruit, Coconut Lime, Berry Lemonade), made with organic coconut water and real fruit juice. The company also sells apparel including t-shirts and caps under the Courtside Goods sub-brand. Courtside operates an e-commerce platform with a subscription service option for recurring deliveries, positioning itself as hydration for everyday athletes and casual fitness enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home Team Pack (Sparkling Coconut Water 12-Pack) A 12-pack of sparkling coconut water hydration beverages available in three flavors (Mango Passionfruit, Coconut Lime, Berry Lemonade). Made with organic coconut water sourced from Southeast Asia and real fruit juices. Contains no added sugar, no artificial flavors, and no preservatives. Priced at $39.99 for one-time purchase or $35.99 with subscription (10% savings). Each flavor contains 70-80 calories and 563-681mg of potassium per serving.
• Courtside Subscription Service Recurring delivery subscription for Courtside sparkling coconut water beverages, powered by Recharge Payments. Customers choose delivery frequency from every 2 to 12 weeks, with automatic billing and the ability to modify or cancel anytime. Offers 10% savings compared to one-time purchases.
• Sprint, Squat, Shimmy T-Shirt Unisex-fit t-shirt made from 100% recycled cotton. Available in Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large sizes. Priced at $35. Part of the Courtside Goods apparel collection.
• Movers T-Shirt Athletic t-shirt for everyday movement and activity, part of the Courtside Goods apparel collection. Priced at $35.
• Bounce T-Shirt T-shirt featuring the Courtside bouncing logo, part of the Play, Everyday. collection.
• Bounce Cap Dad hat featuring the Courtside bouncing logo, part of the Play, Everyday. collection. Priced at $20.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationShopify powers Courtside's online e-commerce store, providing the platform for product sales, payment processing, and order management. Courtside uses Shopify Audiences for advertising and customer targeting.
• Recharge PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationRecharge Payments powers Courtside's subscription and recurring billing functionality, enabling customers to set up automatic deliveries on customizable schedules (every 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 weeks) with subscription management capabilities.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Harmless Harvest: Premium organic coconut water brand emphasizing clean ingredients and non-GMO positioning. Closely aligned with Courtside's organic, no-added-sugar, preservative-free value proposition and target health-conscious consumer.
• Spindrift: Sparkling water made with real squeezed fruit, no concentrates or added flavors. Comparable to Courtside on the 'sparkling water + real fruit juice, no artificial ingredients' axis for everyday hydration occasions.
• C2O Pure Coconut Water: Coconut water brand with sparkling and still varieties in multiple flavors. Directly competes with Courtside on the sparkling coconut water format and clean-ingredient positioning.
• Vita Coco: The largest branded coconut water company in the US, selling still coconut water across many flavors and pack sizes. Directly comparable to Courtside as the dominant incumbent in Courtside's primary product category.

Emerging players

• Liquid Death: Canned water and sparkling water brand built on disruptive branding and a heavy social-first marketing playbook. Comparable to Courtside as a digitally native sparkling water brand that has scaled through community-driven social marketing.
• Olipop: Fast-growing sparkling tonic positioned as a healthier alternative to soda, with a clean-label, functional ingredient story. Comparable to Courtside as a venture-backed, modern DTC-first sparkling beverage brand chasing the same wellness-oriented consumer.
• Recess: Sparkling water with adaptogens and hemp, positioned for calm and focus. Comparable as a venture-backed DTC sparkling hydration brand targeting lifestyle-driven millennials and Gen Z consumers.
• Boxed Water Is Better: Packaged water brand built on sustainability and clean-ingredient positioning with strong retail and DTC presence. Comparable to Courtside as a modern, mission-driven packaged beverage brand targeting conscious consumers.
• Coco5: Coconut-water-based hydration beverage brand. Directly comparable as a smaller, coconut-water-focused competitor pursuing the same category with similar hydration positioning.
• PathWater: Reusable aluminum bottled water brand with sustainability-led branding and broad retail distribution. Comparable as a small, design-forward packaged beverage brand competing for the same everyday-conscious consumer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/drinkcourtside
• TikToktiktok.com/@drinkcourtside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drinkcourtside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Courtside