Racquet Up Detroit

Name

Racquet Up Detroit

Legal name

Racquet Up Detroit

Website

https://racquetup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Tennis & Racquet Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAE)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Academic support services
• Squash instruction
• College preparation programs
• Community youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The program is free for students, funded entirely through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations support students' education, health and wellness, college access, and career development.
2. Foundation Grants: Major grants from foundations including Fred & Barbara Erb Family Foundation ($2.1M), Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation ($120,000), Jamie and Denise Jacob Family Foundation ($70,000), Rite Aid Foundation ($15,000), and others supporting facility, programs, and college success.
3. Annual Fundraising Events: Double Down annual fundraiser raising over $720,000. Event includes squash tournament and pickleball tournaments with team captains and corporate sponsors.
4. Planned Giving: Bequests through wills/trusts, gifts of stocks and bonds, and gifts of retirement assets for long-term sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Racquet Up Detroit provides a long-term (8+ year), intensive, out-of-school youth development program for students in grades 5-12 in northwest Detroit, delivered free of charge. The core offering combines academic tutoring and literacy support, world-class squash coaching, community service, mentoring, cultural and college travel, nutritious meals, and transportation, culminating in a Graduate Success Program that supports alumni through college and early career with individualized coaching, internships, and direct financial assistance.

Product overview

Racquet Up Detroit operates as a single, unified youth development program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of three interconnected programs: the School Year Program providing year-round academic and squash instruction for 5th-12th graders, the Summer Program offering intensive camp experiences during summer months, and the Graduate Success Program extending support through college and early career. Apparel is sold as a supplementary merchandise line through a third-party partnership. All programs are delivered at the organization's 19,000 sq. ft. facility in northwest Detroit, which features classrooms, squash courts, and a college and career center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Year Program An intensive out-of-school program for students in grades 5-12 running September through early June. Students attend three weekly after-school practices combining academic tutoring, squash instruction, fitness, mentoring, community service, and travel/cultural exposure. Program is free for all participating students and includes transportation from school and nutritious meals.
• Summer Program A five-week summer camp for rising 5th-9th graders operating Monday-Friday from late June through late July, 9am-3pm. Includes academic enrichment, squash instruction, outdoor activities, and weekly field trips. Provided free of charge to participating students.
• Graduate Success Program An extended support program that continues RUD's engagement with graduates for seven years beyond high school graduation, providing individualized coaching, community events, job connections, internship opportunities, and direct financial funding for college attendance. Currently supports 61+ high school graduates pursuing college, vocational training, or early career.
• Racquet Up Detroit Apparel Branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, hats, bags, and water bottles, produced and sold through a partnership with CLOZTALK which handles order fulfillment and customer service at no cost to RUD.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of 8-year participants graduated from high school and earned admission to college
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Detroit Black-Owned Businesses (Good Cakes and Bakes, Kuzzo's Chicken and Waffles, Professional Racquet Services, Sherwood Forest Art Gallery, The Energy Zone, Three Thirteen, Times Square)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Student spotlight program where 7th and 8th grade students research, visit, and interview Black-owned businesses on Livernois Avenue ('Avenue of Fashion') to build business vocabulary and career exposure.
• Squash and Education AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Racquet Up Detroit is one of 21 member programs of the Squash and Education Alliance. SEA was founded in Boston 25 years ago and has supported 95% of students to graduate high school and enroll in college, with 65% completing degrees within 6 years.
• CLOZTALKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProduces and sells high-quality custom apparel (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bags, water bottles) for Racquet Up Detroit at no cost. Handles order fulfillment and customer service so RUD can focus on Detroit youth.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CitySquash: New York-based nonprofit providing long-term youth development through squash, academics, and mentoring for underserved students. Direct SEA-network peer with the same combined-academics-squash-service model and college-prep focus as Racquet Up Detroit.
• Squash Haven: New Haven-based SEA-network program combining academic tutoring, squash coaching, and college preparation for underserved youth. Comparable 8+ year engagement model and SEA-network affiliation.
• METROsquash: Chicago-based youth development nonprofit using squash, academics, and mentorship to serve students from elementary through college. Comparable Midwest urban footprint and identical program design.
• SquashBusters: Boston-based founding SEA-network program providing intensive squash + academic + mentoring programming for youth from 5th grade through college. Operates the same long-term youth development model and serves as the SEA network's flagship program.
• StreetSquash: Harlem-based SEA-network nonprofit combining academic enrichment, squash instruction, and college and career support for public school students. Closely comparable program model, target population, and graduate success infrastructure.
• SquashSmarts: Philadelphia-based SEA-network program delivering long-term academic and squash mentoring to Philadelphia public school students. Directly comparable program structure, urban context, and graduate support model.

Emerging players

• College Bound St. Louis: Nonprofit providing long-term college access support starting in middle school for St. Louis youth. Comparable long-duration college-prep mission and nonprofit funding model, but operates without a sport-based anchor.
• Detroit Promise: Detroit-region college scholarship and access program supporting Detroit high school graduates' post-secondary enrollment. Comparable college-access mission but lacks the sport-based engagement and K-12 cohort model.

Broad incumbents

• First Tee: National youth development nonprofit using golf as the engagement vehicle to build character and college/career readiness. Shares the sport-based youth development thesis with RUD but operates at much larger scale with a different sport.
• Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan: Large, established youth development nonprofit serving Detroit-area youth with academic, athletic, and mentoring programs. Adjacent in target population and youth-development mission but does not specialize in squash or the long-term cohort model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rudetroit
• Instagraminstagram.com/racquetupdetroit
• Xx.com/detroitsquash
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/racquet-up-detroit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Racquet Up Detroit