How do you scale the fastest growing sport in America by building both the digital layer and the physical infrastructure it needs to grow?In this episode, Edoardo Grandi sits down with Daren Hornig, a New York real estate investor and technology entrepreneur who has become one of the most influential builders in pickleball. Daren is the founder and CEO of CourtsApp, the AI powered booking platform known as the Expedia of racquet sports, and the Principal behind SPORTIME Pickleball, one of the largest dedicated facility development projects in the United States.Daren explains how CourtsApp solves one of the sport’s biggest inefficiencies by connecting players to available courts in real time and by using Courtney, an AI assistant that automates scheduling, operations, and yield management for clubs. He also breaks down how his real estate background led to the creation of SPORTIME Pickleball, a joint venture that plans to open more than a dozen dedicated pickleball centers by 2027.We also explore the redevelopment of the historic Port Washington Tennis Academy, which Daren acquired and transformed into a modern pickleball hub with 12 dedicated courts after an 8 million dollar renovation. The conversation covers the economics of facility development, the digital infrastructure required for scalable participation, and why pickleball is becoming a long term real estate and technology opportunity.If you own, invest in, or operate around pickleball, this conversation will change how you think about facilities, technology, and the future of the sport’s infrastructure.What we coverHow CourtsApp was created and why the sport needed a digital booking platformHow the AI assistant Courtney improves scheduling, operations, and club managementThe strategy behind SPORTIME Pickleball and the plan to build dedicated centers across the NortheastThe redevelopment of the Port Washington Tennis Academy and its role in the sport’s growthHow real estate, technology, and participation trends intersect in pickleballWhere the next major infrastructure opportunities will emerge as the sport scales🎙️ Guest: Daren Hornig, Founder and CEO of CourtsApp, Principal of SPORTIME Pickleball🌐 CourtsApp: courtsapp.com📩 Interested in collaborating or appearing on The Sport Businessman Contact Edoardo at [email protected]🌐 Learn business models in sports and entertainment: sport-businessman.com

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