AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 4, 2023 - Founders League, the nation's first pickleball league for founders and CEOs, kicks off its fourth season today at the Millbrook Pickleball Club in Austin. This season, 48 teams representing more than 75 companies will compete over six weeks, combining networking, wellness, and competition at one of Austin's most scenic historic properties.
Founded by Austin entrepreneurs Darius Fisher and Jesse Boskoff, the Founders League aims to provide an outlet for founders and CEOs to meet one another outside of traditional networking settings.
"As avid pickleball players, we were eager to merge our passion for the sport with our desire to build community with the founders and CEOs building exciting companies in Austin in a different setting than boozy happy hours and stuffy dinners and golf outings," said Darius Fisher, co-founder of Founders League. "It has been rewarding to see this vision resonate with so many people, and we are excited to continue growing our community throughout the country."
With over 125 players, Founders League is one of Austin's most popular pickleball events. The five-week regular season begins today and will take place each Wednesday until mid-November, when a single-elimination playoff tournament will be held, followed by a party for the community.
Due to the local success, Founders League will expand to other cities throughout the United States in 2024 and 2025 to become the first national amateur pickleball league for entrepreneurs and CEOs.
"The Founders League has been an amazing outlet for me to stay active, make new friends, and get to know people I'd want to work with," said Founders League player Justin Mares, founder of Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, Surely, and most recently TrueMed. "It's awesome to combine these elements into one activity and be part of this growing community, and hopefully shift the traditional notion of what 'networking' looks like in a more wellness-conscious culture."
Invented in 1965, pickleball became a favorite national pastime for over 36 million people across the United States in recent years, with a major popularity surge that began during the pandemic, when people were looking for safe ways to stay active and connected with friends and family. Austin ranks second in the country for the 'best city for pickleball lovers,' behind New York City, according to a recent ranking by Lawn Love.
Corporate sponsors of the fourth season of Founders League include Fidelity Investments, First Citizens Bank, Kemp Smith LLP, Builders.co, and Sport Court Austin.
ABOUT FOUNDERS LEAGUE
Founders League is the premier amateur pickleball league for founders and CEOs founded in Austin, Texas, in 2022. Founders League will expand nationally in 2024 to more than a dozen major cities, with local tournaments culminating in a national championship match held at Millbrook Pickleball Club at the historic Millbrook Estate in Austin. To learn more about Founders League, visit FoundersLeague.cc.
Media contact:
Debora Lima
debora@senseiadvisory.com
SOURCE Founders League
