PlayMade
PlayMade is a London-based sports technology startup that operates a free mobile app for discovering urban parks and courts, paired with physical equipment pods that provide on-demand access to sports gear across UK cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What PlayMade does
PlayMade is a London-based, privately held sports technology startup founded in 2025 that operates a mobile-first platform connecting urban residents to public recreational infrastructure across UK cities. The company's core product is a free consumer mobile application distributed via the Apple App Store, which enables users to discover nearby parks, courts, and fields, access sports equipment on location, and connect with other players for shared physical activity. Complementing the app, PlayMade deploys physical Equipment Pods — on-site stations installed at partner recreational facilities that dispense sports equipment such as soccer balls, basketballs, tennis rackets, bocce sets, and padel rackets on demand. The platform targets young people and families seeking easier access to physical activity and recreational spaces, addressing pain points around awareness of nearby facilities, barriers to equipment access, and limited opportunities for community-based play in urban environments.
The underlying technology stack combines a location-based mobile application with physical hardware infrastructure, supported by aggregated usage telemetry (over 3.5 million minutes of play recorded on the platform). The app includes discovery, equipment access, and community-connection features that together cover the end-to-end user journey from finding a venue to playing. Marketing and acquisition run through the company website, email newsletter, and direct App Store distribution, reflecting a product-led growth motion aimed at self-serve consumer adoption. As of the available data, the platform supports multiple sport categories — basketball, tennis, football, volleyball, padel, bocce, ping pong, cricket, frisbee, and chess — positioning PlayMade as a multi-vertical recreational access layer rather than a single-sport product.
PlayMade's commercial model is not yet monetized in any disclosed way: the app is offered free to consumers with no pricing tiers, premium features, or advertising currently in place. Implied future revenue pathways include B2B partnerships with local councils, municipalities, and landowners for Equipment Pod installations and city activation programs, potential advertising or sponsorship inventory, and possible future premium consumer features. The company operates with 1-10 employees from its headquarters at 4-10 North Road, London, N7 9EY, and has completed one disclosed funding round of approximately $394,800 in November 2025. No management team, named customers, partnerships, or M&A activity are disclosed in the source material.
PlayMade firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PlayMade
- Legal name
- Play Made
- Website
- https://playmade.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2025
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PlayMade is a London-based sports technology startup that operates a free mobile app for discovering urban parks and courts, paired with physical equipment pods that provide on-demand access to sports gear across UK cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PlayMade industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recreational Sports Access
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Toy Rentals & Subscription Boxes (CRALAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early Childhood & Playground Equipment (Play Structures, Soft Play, Safety Surfacing) (EDAEAIAF)
Keywords
Where PlayMade is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
PlayMade business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Free App with Potential In-App Services: The app is offered for free to users. Revenue generation model is not explicitly disclosed in available sources but may involve future premium features, partnerships with local authorities, or advertising.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free App |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
PlayMade product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PlayMade operates a unified recreation platform that combines a free mobile application with physical Equipment Pods installed at parks, courts, and fields. The app enables users to discover nearby play spaces, unlock sports equipment on-site through the pods, and connect with other players for shared activities. Revenue is currently unmonetized at the consumer level (free app), with a dedicated partners channel supporting deployment at venues.
Product overview
PlayMade operates as a unified platform combining a mobile application with physical equipment infrastructure. The core offering consists of the PlayMade mobile app, which serves as the discovery and access layer for users to locate parks, courts, and fields with available equipment, and the Equipment Pods — physical stations deployed at partner locations that store and dispense sports equipment on-demand. Users download the app to find nearby play spaces and access equipment instantly through the pods, while the platform also facilitates community connections between players.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PlayMade Mobile App A free-to-download consumer mobile application that enables users to discover nearby parks, courts, and fields, access sports equipment on-site, and connect with other players for shared play. Designed for individual consumers — particularly young people and families — in the UK.
- Equipment Pods Physical equipment stations deployed at partner parks, courts, and fields that provide on-demand access to sports equipment such as soccer balls, basketballs, tennis rackets, padel rackets, bocce sets, ping-pong, frisbees, cricket bats, medicine balls, footballs, and volleyballs. Operated in conjunction with local authorities and venue partners.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,513,267 minutes of play recorded on the platform
Companies that use PlayMade
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
PlayMade technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
PlayMade partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PlayMade competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- JustPark: UK app for booking underused urban assets (parking spaces). Shares the same UK sharing-economy-in-public-infrastructure DNA and similar B2C mobile-app plus B2B partnerships GTM.
- Skiddle: UK events and leisure activity discovery/booking platform. Overlaps with PlayMade on helping UK consumers find local leisure activities via a mobile-first experience.
- Meetup: Community platform for organising in-person group activities. Comparable on the "Connect" social/matchmaking layer of PlayMade where users meet other players for shared play.
Broad incumbents
- Voi: European e-scooter operator with deep municipal partnership experience across the UK and EU. Closest cross-sector analog for PlayMade's city-by-city hardware-rollout playbook.
- Lime: Global shared urban mobility operator with city partnership deployments. Analogous in deploying physical urban hardware (scooters/bikes) under contracts with municipalities — a comparable go-to-market model at scale.
Others
- Splacer: Marketplace for booking unique venues and spaces. Adjacent in venue-discovery but operates in commercial real estate rather than public recreational infrastructure.
Direct peers
- Fat Llama: UK peer-to-peer rental marketplace for sports equipment and gear. Closest comparable on the equipment-sharing/lending model that underpins PlayMade's Equipment Pods, including bocce balls, rackets, etc.
- OpenPlay: Sports facility management and booking platform used by recreation centres and clubs. Comparable on the "discover + book sports facilities" loop that complements PlayMade's discovery layer.
- OpenSports: Recreation management software for parks and recreation departments. Overlaps with PlayMade on municipal recreation services and online facility registration/b booking flows.
- Playfinder: UK-based sports venue and facility discovery/booking marketplace. Directly comparable on the "find a park/court near you" use case, though Playfinder monetises booking transactions rather than equipment access.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PlayMade social profiles
Digital presencePlayMade financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PlayMade leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PlayMade funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PlayMade 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 PlayMade
What does PlayMade do?
PlayMade operates a unified recreation platform that combines a free mobile application with physical Equipment Pods installed at parks, courts, and fields. The app enables users to discover nearby play spaces, unlock sports equipment on-site through the pods, and connect with other players for shared activities. Revenue is currently unmonetized at the consumer level (free app), with a dedicated partners channel supporting deployment at venues.
Is PlayMade a public or private company?
PlayMade is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was PlayMade founded?
PlayMade was founded in 2025. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PlayMade based?
PlayMade is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does PlayMade make money?
One revenue line is on record: free App with Potential In-App Services.
Who are PlayMade's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are JustPark, Skiddle and Meetup. Broad incumbents are Voi and Lime. Splacer is listed as an others. Direct peers are Fat Llama, OpenPlay, OpenSports and Playfinder.
Does PlayMade have an API?
No public API is recorded for PlayMade.
What industry is PlayMade in?
PlayMade's product category is Recreational Sports Access. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAK, Toy Rentals & Subscription Boxes, with a secondary code of EDAEAIAF, Early Childhood & Playground Equipment (Play Structures, Soft Play, Safety Surfacing). Its NAICS code is 71394 and its SIC code is 7990.