How Autonomous Technology Is Changing Sports Venues Forever w/ Ben Borton - Part One
Update: 2025-05-26
Description
- 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:
- https://meetings-eu1.hubspot.com/meetings/gmccallum?uuid=c8f5cecd-0222-4c6e-92d1-ea9f224a60fd
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