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How Autonomous Technology Is Changing Sports Venues Forever w/ Ben Borton - Part One
Founders Unplugged
57 minutes 49 seconds
5 months ago
How Autonomous Technology Is Changing Sports Venues Forever w/ Ben Borton - Part One
Sponsored by FounderCatalyst
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In this episode, Greg McCallum is joined by Ben Borton—Co-Founder of PodPlay Technologies—to explore how autonomous, tech-driven venues are reshaping the way people play and connect through sports. Ben shares his unexpected journey from cultural criticism and hedge funds to building a vertically integrated SaaS platform powering venues like PingPod, Sharks, and more.
They dive into the origin story behind PodPlay, the explosion of pickleball, and why removing staff from sports clubs isn’t a drawback—it’s a strategic advantage. From self-service models to video-enabled replays and licensing out the platform, this is the future of sports infrastructure.
🎧 In this conversation:
How table tennis sparked a startup
The cultural importance of sports and shared stories
Launching a physical venue just before the pandemic
Why autonomous venues work better for customers
How pickleball became a nationwide phenomenon
Using tech to drive community, content, and scale
Why the “human touch” isn’t always a good thing
The early vision behind licensing PodPlay to other industries
This is a conversation about building something niche, sticky, and scalable—and doing it with purpose, creativity, and precision.
Follow Ben on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/borton/
Check out PodPlay:
https://podplay.app/
Book a free 1-hour advisory session with host Greg McCallum:
