The Grind

What The Grind does

The Grind Limited, operating as TheGround.io, is a Hong Kong-based software platform that helps amateur sports organizers, community hosts, coaches, and grassroots sports leagues manage events, collect payments, and engage members. Founded in 2020 during COVID-19 as an online training tool for professional athletes, the company pivoted in August 2025 to focus on grassroots sports community management and rebranded to TheGround.io. Its product portfolio includes TheGround.io (event discovery and organizer admin at admin.theground.io), a dedicated Coach Portal (coach.thegrind-app.com), a venue discovery site (Courts.TheGround.io, currently pickleball-focused), and SportSocial Club, an in-house sub-brand running casual sports meetups that doubles as a product showcase.

The platform is built around four functional pillars: RSVP automation (replacing manual Google Forms and spreadsheets), integrated payment processing (Stripe Connect for online plus FPS/PayMe/bank transfer for offline reconciliation), CRM with one-click member re-invites, and WhatsApp/Email-native notifications. Underlying technology is a web-based stack with native integrations to Stripe, WhatsApp, Email, and local Hong Kong payment rails. A planned mobile application is referenced in the December 2025 privacy policy but not yet launched. Distribution is self-serve and product-led, supplemented by a selective partner program (6-8 organizers receiving marketing sponsorship and operations support) and institutional backing from HKSTP, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Tech300.

The Ground generates revenue primarily through a 3% platform fee on paid tickets (in addition to Stripe's 3.4% + HKD 2.45 processing fee), while free events and offline payments carry no platform charge. The freemium model serves as a funnel from community organizers to paid-event conversion, with optional fee-pass-through to ticket buyers. Named customers are predominantly small grassroots organizers and communities (e.g., HK Pickleball Union, SportSocial Club, Agnis Cavars, Ladyrock Star, RISE) plus larger one-off tournaments like the 2024 HK International 3V3 Youth Football Challenge Cup (96 teams, 600 players). Revenue is not disclosed and the company appears bootstrapped with 1-10 employees based in Hong Kong Science Park, Sha Tin.

Name

The Grind

Legal name

The Grind Limited

Website

https://thegrind-app.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Grind (operating as TheGround.io) is a Hong Kong-based software platform that enables amateur sports organizers, coaches, and grassroots communities to manage events, automate RSVPs, collect payments via online and offline rails, and engage members through WhatsApp and email.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Community Management Software

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Neighborhood Community Platforms (MPACAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venue Booking, Ticketing & Event-Day Services (Box Office, Guest Services) (MPAKAEAO)

Keywords

• Sports community management
• Event registration software
• Community engagement platform
• Grassroots sports platform
• Group fitness booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Platform Transaction Fees - Paid Events: The Ground charges a 3% platform fee on paid events plus the standard third-party payment processing fee (Stripe fee of 3.4% + HKD 2.45 per ticket sold). Online payments processed via Stripe Connect with customizable payout schedules for organizers.
2. Free Events (Freemium): Free tier for events with $0 ticket price. Organizers can use RSVP tracking, automated waitlists, custom questionnaires, and WhatsApp invitation templates without paying anything. This serves as acquisition/lead generation for future paid event conversions.
3. Pass Fees to Buyers Option: Organizers can enable a 'Pass Fees to Buyers' toggle where the system automatically calculates transaction costs and adds them to the ticket price at checkout. This allows organizers to take home 100% of their listed ticket price while buyers absorb the combined platform and Stripe fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ground operates a social sports and wellness community management platform that enables sports organizers and grassroots community hosts in Hong Kong to manage events, RSVP tracking, payment collection, member CRM, and notifications in one place. The platform supports both free and paid events, integrates online payments via Stripe Connect as well as offline Hong Kong payment methods (FPS, PayMe, bank transfer), and connects organizers with participants through a marketplace. It is positioned as a growth partner for organizers ranging from elite athletes to local community groups.

Product overview

The Grind operates a platform portfolio consisting of TheGround.io as the core community management platform for sports organizers, supplemented by dedicated portals for coaches (coach.thegrind-app.com) and venue discovery (courts.theground.io). The company also runs SportSocial Club as a sub-brand for casual sports meetups. The original TheGrind App has been superseded by TheGround.io following a 2025 rebrand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SportSocial Club: A regular sports gathering group for young adults in Hong Kong, operated by the team behind TheGround.io, dedicated to creating an easygoing space for casual sports meetups.

Products and services

• TheGround.io Core social sports and wellness community management platform for managing, organizing, and growing sports communities in Hong Kong. Provides RSVP automation, payment processing, CRM, scheduling, notifications, and a marketplace for event discovery, targeting amateur sports organizers, coaches, tournament directors, and community leaders.
• Coach Portal (coach.thegrind-app.com) Dedicated platform for sports coaches and organizers to run their amateur sports communities, featuring customized RSVP forms, scheduling and timetable management, statistics and attendance tracking, payment collection, and automated notifications via WhatsApp and email.
• Courts.TheGround.io Venue search and discovery portal for sports facilities across Hong Kong, currently focused on pickleball courts, with listings including pricing, locations, operating hours, and booking links with exclusive offers.
• SportSocial Club Sub-brand operating regular pay-as-you-go casual sports meetups for young adults in Hong Kong, including basketball, badminton, and other activities, run by the team behind TheGround.io.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,200+ Active users with +23% monthly growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter of The Ground. The company is based in Hong Kong Science Park, Sha Tin. Nature of support appears to be ecosystem/incubator support rather than specific product partnership.
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter of The Ground. Nature of partnership not explicitly detailed in available sources.
• Tech300minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter of The Ground. Appears to be a tech startup support program.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe Connect is used for all online credit card payments. The Ground integrates Stripe for payment processing with 3.4% + HKD 2.45 per ticket processing fee. Organizers using Stripe Connect are responsible for their payment ecosystem and can customize payout schedules.
• Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Football UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Hong Kong International 3V3 Youth Football Challenge Cup 2024 with Sparta Rotterdam Asia Football Coaching Academy. The Ground played a supporting role in managing the event.
• Sparta Rotterdam Asia Football Coaching AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Hong Kong International 3V3 Youth Football Challenge Cup 2024 with Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Football Union.
• Art PieceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration for Hyrox Lite & Les Mills event. Art Piece provided venue (AP Academy and TeamX studios), coaches (Andy, Michael, Christie for Hyrox; Aaron for Les Mills), and sponsored refreshments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TeamSnap: TeamSnap provides team management, scheduling, and communication tools for amateur sports. It is comparable to The Ground in serving grassroots community organizers with member management and event coordination.
• Playtomic: Playtomic operates a sports venue booking and community platform for racket sports, particularly padel and tennis. Highly comparable to The Ground's Courts.TheGround.io pickleball discovery product and its broader community management focus.
• Meetup: Meetup is the leading platform for organizing local community groups and events. It directly overlaps with The Ground's grassroots sports community use case, particularly for organizers building recurring member-based activity groups.
• SportEasy: SportEasy is a sports team and club management platform popular in Europe. It overlaps with The Ground's coach portal and grassroots community management features including scheduling, attendance, and member communication.
• Wild Apricot: Wild Apricot is a membership management platform commonly used by sports clubs and recreation associations. Comparable to The Ground in providing member CRM, event management, and payment processing for community organizations.
• Heja: Heja is a team management and communication app for amateur sports clubs and organizers. It overlaps with The Ground's CRM, scheduling, and notification features for grassroots community organizers.
• Eventbrite: Eventbrite is the largest global self-service event ticketing and management platform. It directly competes with The Ground on ticketing, RSVP, and payment processing for events including sports and fitness categories.
• RSVPify: RSVPify is an online event RSVP and registration platform with payment processing. It is comparable to The Ground's core RSVP automation and ticketing features for organizers running paid community events.

Broad incumbents

• Active.com: Active.com is a major sports event registration and activity marketplace. It overlaps with The Ground's event ticketing, RSVP, and marketplace discovery functionality for sports organizers at scale.
• ClassPass: ClassPass is a global fitness and wellness class marketplace. While broader in scope, it competes with The Ground in connecting participants to wellness organizers and events, particularly in the casual sports segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thegrindapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thegroundio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Grind