How our ping pong startup hit a $50M valuation in 5 years by tapping into automation

In 2019, I was working as an equity research analyst at UBS. I am an avid ping pong player, but when I moved to New York City I learned how difficult it was to find places to play. That’s when I had the idea for PingPod: 24/7 on-demand ping pong facilities that could operate without the need for full-time employees on-site. 

We live in a world where experiences are valued over goods—aka “the experience economy.” Today the majority of Americans prioritize experiences over goods and products. But it can be expensive and complex to deliver experiences to people, especially in urban areas. Our autonomous operating model offers the technological key to creating more ping pong supply in urban markets—and it works for other sports, as well.

We started with a single PingPod location in the Lower East Side of Manhattan—the template for the 18 (and counting) U.S. PingPod outlets that would follow.

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