Launched this week
PickleMatch
the dating app where your first date is pickleball
180 followers
the dating app where your first date is pickleball
180 followers
PickleMatch connects singles for pickleball dates. The app that helps you: • find people near you who also play • match based on skill level and where you play • turn that match into an actual game The first date is already planned, and it's pickleball. Time, place, and even doubles partners can be coordinated in the app. We launched in October on iOS and Android. Today we have 700+ active profiles, 1,500 people on the waitlist. People are already meeting every week.
minimalist phone: creating folders
I think if more apps (dating ones) were including common sports activities, it would be pretty cool because:
at least one hobby you have in common
you are doing something good for your body/health
you can see the reaction of the other side when loses the match, so you can see the behaviour in his/her pure nature (I know some people who take defeat tragically. :D)
Also, love how you found parallel between sport and copywriting "Match"
PickleMatch
@busmark_w_nika Yess!! I totally agree, especially with point number 3. There's a lot of research about what builds trust, and one of the biggest factors is repeated interaction over time. That's why hobbies make great foundations for new relationships :)
PickleMatch
After getting out of a nearly decade-long relationship, I got on the apps and burned out fast. It was admin, forced small talk, and first dates that felt like interviews.
Then I found a simple workaround.
I had recently gotten into pickleball, so started only swiping on people who played. It gave me an easy opener. "Want to play sometime?"
It worked. I skipped the small talk and started going on actually enjoyable dates.
Most dating apps solve for the match, then dump you in a chat with a complete stranger. PickleMatch solves for meeting IRL. Your first date is sorted, and it's pickleball. It's social, fun, and affordable. You do not have to carry the conversation the whole time. The activity does that for you.
Since launching in October, the app has taken off. We have 700+ active users organising pickleball dates every weekend and have been featured on Yahoo News, Nightline, and we were even roasted on Jimmy Kimmel.
@anneliese Staying focused on pickleball right now is the right call. Specificity is what creates density, and density is what creates real habits. That's exactly where most activity based concepts fall apart; they spread too thin before the behavior actually locks in.
The tension worth watching is timing. Expanding too early dilutes the thing that makes it work. Waiting too long risks getting permanently filed under the pickleball niche before the bigger story has a chance to land.
The signal that probably matters most isn't a usage metric. It's when users stop thinking I'm using a pickleball app and start thinking this is just how I meet people now. That's the shift in identity that makes expansion feel natural rather than forced.
How are you watching internally to know when that moment has arrived? If you're open to it, I'm happy to continue the conversation over email: copywizard8@gmail.com
PickleMatch
@copywizard 100%, this is one of our biggest risks/assumptions in our growth model. We have a model right now that shows required city density based on a number of assumptions. What we still need to decide is how to manage very low density villages/towns.
Hey @anneliese, congratulations on the PickleMatch launch!
The idea is smart. You plan the first date around pickleball. This takes away the pressure of what should we do?
I read your app description. One line is punchy: Skip the endless chatting, meet IRL on the court.
Many people are tired of texting for weeks and never meeting. One small thing I noticed. Your description says 700+ active profiles & 1,500 people on the waitlist. These are good numbers.
But it also says “100+ downloads” on the Play Store. There is a big difference between these numbers. A new user might feel confused. They may think: “If so many people are on the waitlist, why are downloads so low?”
I attached two screenshots to show what I mean.
I am curious.... how are you thinking about this? Is the waitlist mostly from iOS users? Or is something else happening?
PickleMatch
@taimur_haider1 ahh great question - we have 800+ users, but not everyone on the waitlist has downloaded because we aren't live outside of the US yet and have slowly been launching new cities in the US.
@anneliese The city-by-city rollout makes sense. It keeps things busy and strong in the cities where you are already live. Awesome. I noticed a couple of other small things on the app description. They might help when you expand later. I'll send them in a LinkedIn message. It is easier to share there.
PickleMatch
@taimur_haider1 thanks a lot Taimur, appreciate your support!!
@anneliese Glad to help, Anneliese. Dropped a couple more thoughts on LinkedIn... easier to share screenshots there.
CodeYam CLI & Memory
Congrats on the launch!
A few questions:
- Can non-single but ready to pickleball mingle players join?
- Is it all-levels friendly or more geared to competitive players?
- Is it live in Denver and/or NYC?
PickleMatch
@nseldeib thanks so much Nadia, I have so much love for the PH community
It's definitely open to any/all interests and orientations. there are folks on there that are married and just looking for new doubles partners or tournament partners. You can indicate your relationship status and interests on your profile.
All-levels friendly. 15% of the people who come to our events have never played before!
Our original launch markets are CO and LA, but we've now expanded to soft-launch nationwide!
CodeYam CLI & Memory
@anneliese amazing, thanks for the details. 15% being new players is incredible! I've dabbled a bit in pickleball but am probably at a 'relearn the rules' stage before I get back into it. Looking forward to trying this out! I could see SF and NYC being popular future cities.
PickleMatch
@nseldeib totally - our events are pretty friendly towards beginners, but we're also looking at ways to surface more beginner friendly sessions in the app.
And agree... NYC is going to be huge. We're raising a small angel round now to make sure we can put enough resources before we go big there.
Great idea Anneliese! Couple questions:
- I'm a tennis player OG who likes pickle (and other racket sports). Is it pickle specific or might you open it up to other racket sports (like Padel that is exploding right now)?
- Are you working in deals with Pickle establishments to get deals on courts, etc from within the app?
PickleMatch
@alex_nesic1 Thanks so much Alex!
Pickleball is the first frontier, but we're definitely planning to expand to other hobbies that have similar criteria (equally popular for men/women, viral growth, social and accessible)
Long-term we definitely want to add a membership model that would include this type of package - deals on clubs, access to events/parties, etc
Which countries are currently available? Only the US? In Europe, it’s hard to find a companion :(
PickleMatch
@natalia_iankovych we're currently only in US, but excited to expand into Asia and Europe soon (hopefully by end of year!)
Congrats on the launch! Two qs:
1) Can it be used for regular pickleball matches too? Not sure if it'll be a common ask, but I imagine people who just want to play might download the app. People who are already married, like me :)
2)I like the intentional geo rollout. BUT, i have a challenge... Launch internationally! You might get surprised with traction in places you never imagined?!
PickleMatch
@pedro_branco3 thanks so much Pedro!
It's definitely open to people looking to just play pickleball and seeking new doubles or tournament partners. You can indicate your relationship status and interests on your profile :)
I'm down!! How's the pickleball scene in Brazil??