HOOPQUEENS

What HOOPQUEENS does

HOOPQUEENS is a Toronto-based private organization founded in 2020 that operates Canada's first paid women's professional basketball league alongside a vertically integrated youth development platform. The core product is a four-team professional league (Team Reign, Team Tide, Team Charge, Team Blaze) that plays a five-night double-header schedule at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, supported by a draft process, general manager–led roster construction, and financial compensation for athletes. Layered beneath this is JR HOOPQUEENS, a youth basketball development program and forthcoming 12-week House League for girls ages 4–14 launching October 2026, delivered through school and community partnerships across the Greater Toronto Area.

The business operates on a diversified, primarily consumer-facing revenue model with five streams: Eventbrite ticket sales for game nights, Shopify merchandise and streetwear-style drops, corporate sponsorship packages (anchored by Nike, Canada Basketball, Toronto Raptors, Red Bull, CBC, and TikTok), direct athlete sponsorship by individuals, and recurring youth program registration fees. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led — leveraging game nights, cultural moments, and youth clinics as acquisition and engagement vehicles, with marketing concentrated on Instagram, TikTok, earned Canadian media coverage, and email/newsletter.

The organization is founder-led by CEO Nakissa Koomalsingh with a small executive team (1–10 employees) and has no disclosed institutional equity backing; the only external funding on record is a $20,000 CAD grant from the William Young Growth Fund in 2021. Operations remain domestically focused on the Greater Toronto Area, with brand awareness extending nationally through media coverage and partnerships. The product portfolio — league, youth development, events, and merchandise — functions as an integrated pipeline: grassroots youth participation feeds the professional roster, while brand sponsorships and cultural programming underwrite both.

Name

HOOPQUEENS

Legal name

HoopQueens

Website

https://thehoopqueens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HOOPQUEENS is a Toronto-based private organization founded in 2020 that operates Canada's first paid women's professional basketball league (four teams) and the JR HOOPQUEENS youth development program for girls ages 4–14, monetized via ticket sales, merchandise, youth registration, and corporate sponsorships anchored by Nike and Canada Basketball.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Professional Basketball League

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Basketball Footwear & Apparel Retail (CRAMACAB)

Keywords

• Women's basketball league
• Youth basketball development
• Professional sports events
• Streetwear merchandise
• Athlete sponsorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Fans purchase tickets to league game nights, including double-headers at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Tickets sold via Eventbrite for the 2026 season.
2. Merchandise & Drops: Streetwear-inspired merch collabs and branded apparel sold through Shopify storefront (hoopqueens.myshopify.com).
3. Corporate Partnerships: Brands sponsor the league, teams, or individual athletes through custom activations, visibility, and impact reporting. Includes corporate partnerships, event partnerships, and merch collaborations.
4. Athlete Sponsorships: Individuals can sponsor a HoopQueen athlete directly, investing in the future of the women's game.
5. Program Registration: Youth programs (JR HOOPQUEENS House League) charge registration fees for structured skill-building and basketball development for girls ages 4–14.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HOOPQUEENS operates Canada's first paid women's professional basketball league featuring four teams (Team Reign, Team Tide, Team Charge, Team Blaze) competing at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, with a pro-style structure including General Managers, a player draft, and financial compensation for athletes. The organization also runs JR HOOPQUEENS, a youth development and house league program for girls ages 4–14 in the Greater Toronto Area, complemented by professional development workshops, cultural event programming, and branded merchandise sold via a Shopify storefront.

Product overview

HOOPQUEENS is a women's basketball platform, community, and league operating as a multi-product portfolio. The core offering is the Pro Women's League (The League) — Canada's first paid women's basketball league featuring four teams (Team Reign, Team Tide, Team Charge, Team Blaze) competing at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. This is supported by Jr. HoopQueens, a youth development and house league program for girls ages 4–14, and supplemented by Professional Development Workshops for coaches and athletes, a cultural Events program, and a Shop (merchandise/drops). Together these products form an integrated pipeline: grassroots youth development feeds into the professional league, all supported by community programming, partnerships, and brand commerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JR HOOPQUEENS: Youth development program for girls ages 4-14, offering skills and fundamentals basketball training with a 12-week house league launching October 2026.

Products and services

• Pro Women's League (The League) Canada's first paid women's basketball league featuring four professional teams (Team Reign, Team Tide, Team Charge, Team Blaze) competing at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, with a pro-style structure including General Managers, a player draft, advanced stats tracking, the Elam Ending format, and financial compensation for athletes.
• JR HOOPQUEENS Youth Development Program A youth basketball development program and 12-week House League for girls ages 4–14 across the Greater Toronto Area, offering age-appropriate coaching, skills development, leadership development, mentorship, and a welcoming team environment. Includes school and community partner programming.
• Professional Development Workshops Educational and skill-building workshops for coaches, officials, and athletes focused on personal and professional development, delivered in partnership with sponsors and community organizations.
• HOOPQUEENS Events (Culture Programming)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ athletes impacted across 6 years of operation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

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

• NikeflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNike is a flagship brand partner of HOOPQUEENS, providing athletic apparel and equipment support while aligning with the women's basketball movement. Nike's partnership signals major brand credibility for the league.
• Canada BasketballflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada Basketball is a foundational partner, supporting the league's mission to elevate women's basketball in Canada. New partnerships were announced to expand resources and visibility for women's basketball across the country.
• Red BullcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Bull is a brand partner supporting the HOOPQUEENS league and women's basketball programming in Canada.
• CBCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) provides media coverage and visibility for HOOPQUEENS games and the women's basketball movement in Canada, reaching national audiences.
• Toronto RaptorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToronto Raptors, the NBA franchise, is a key partner supporting the women's basketball league. Partnership expands resources and visibility for women's basketball across Canada.
• Justice FundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJustice Fund is listed as a brand partner supporting HOOPQUEENS and the women's basketball movement.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTikTok is a social media and platform partner for HOOPQUEENS, providing digital reach and content distribution for the women's basketball movement to younger audiences.
• SharkNinjaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSharkNinja is listed as a brand partner supporting HOOPQUEENS, contributing product partnerships for the league and community.
• Foot LockerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoot Locker is a brand partner aligned with the HOOPQUEENS movement, supporting women's basketball culture and merchandise collaborations.
• Skills For LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkills For Life is a community partner supporting HOOPQUEENS programming and the development of young athletes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WNBA: The Women's National Basketball Association is the dominant professional women's basketball league in North America. Direct comparability to HOOPQUEENS as a paid women's basketball league, though at vastly greater scale, geographic reach, and media-rights revenue.
• National Women's Soccer League (NWSL): The top-tier U.S. women's professional soccer league. Highly relevant precedent for women's sports league economics, sponsorship dynamics, and the cultural momentum HOOPQUEENS is attempting to capture in basketball.

Emerging players

• Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL): The PWHL launched as North America's paid professional women's hockey league with a comparable founding-era playbook: founder-driven, sponsorship-led, focused on filling a paid-play gap for female athletes in a male-dominated professional league's shadow.
• Toronto Tempo: The forthcoming WNBA expansion franchise based in Toronto. Represents the most direct competitive threat, as it targets the same Canadian athlete pool, Toronto fan base, and corporate sponsorship market that HOOPQUEENS currently owns.

Others

• BIG3: A U.S.-based professional 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Ice Cube. Adjacent in basketball-league structure and cultural positioning, though male-skewing and operating at a different competitive tier.
• Overtime Elite: A U.S.-based basketball league and development program paying elite teenage players professional salaries. Comparable in the youth-to-pro athlete pipeline model that HOOPQUEENS is replicating with JR HOOPQUEENS, though gender-segmented differently.

Regional players

• EuroLeague Women: The top-tier European women's professional basketball club competition. Comparable league-tier operation and pay-for-play structure, though geographic footprint is European and franchise structure is club-based rather than single-city.
• Women's National Basketball League (WNBL): Australia's premier women's professional basketball league. Comparable as a regional, paid women's basketball league with a domestic talent pipeline, though operating in a different geography and at a more established scale.

Direct peers

• Unrivaled: Unrivaled is a U.S.-based 3-on-3 women's professional basketball league paying players premium off-season salaries. Highly comparable operating model — paid women's basketball league with condensed season format and brand-led cultural positioning.
• Athletes Unlimited Basketball: Athletes Unlimited operates a women-only professional basketball league in the U.S. with athlete-led team selection and individual scoring. Directly comparable league structure (paid women's basketball, non-franchise model) to HOOPQUEENS' GM/draft format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hoopqueensto
• TikToktiktok.com/@hoopqueens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hoopqueens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 HOOPQUEENS