In today’s AI-girlfriend world of online connections, people crave authentic offline experiences. They want to share a passion or activity in person—just look at the success of run clubs with the younger generation as a way to meet friends or date.
Humans have always connected through sports—Vivek is famous for saying that the arena is the new town square and cathedral. Even though I am an avowed non-sports fan, watching him and the Kings build downtown Sacramento into a welcoming, walkable, gathering place (with the arena as a centerpiece) has been inspirational.
So when we were introduced to GoodRec, a marketplace for pickup sports that’s making it easier to get outside and play, the idea clicked.
For sports like soccer and volleyball, GoodRec organizes the facility for the games, finds a “host” player who brings the ball, and gets bookings for the player slots to guarantee a full/good game. They’ve hosted over 100K games to date—a testament to them solving some of the highest friction points in getting people on the field. It’s a win-win-win model: a trifecta where the players, facilities, and GoodRec all benefit. The “managed” nature of the marketplace (vs. an open marketplace for games) ensures that games are guaranteed and high quality.
One of the most powerful dynamics in GoodRec is the organic growth, with about two-thirds of new players referred from existing players. Retention is impressive, too, especially once players get hooked on the platform past the first game. The stellar 4.9 Google and App Store reviews are testament to the customer response. People really do love sports?!
We see a lot of opportunities here: whether it’s exploring subscription models (game packs/leagues), allowing recurring groups, gamified matching based on skill levels or interests, and expanding to other sports. Not to mention the social elements.
I’ve been impressed by founders Lewis and Midori, who bootstrapped to $1M gross revenue in their first 9 months. All games were in NYC while they lived in London, staying up til 3 AM each night to fill games and run operations. By the way, they have an insane founder-market fit—they have collectively played in 100 games on GoodRec to date!!