Photo credits (facility renderings courtesy of Zach Hunter and Boca Paddle, Zach Hunter photo courtesy of Zach Hunter and Boca Paddle, Player photos courtesy of Palm Beach Royals)
Former University of North Carolina tennis player Zach Hunter initially dismissed pickleball as “fake tennis.” Today, he plays five days a week and has placed a sizable business bet on the sport’s continued ascent.
Hunter is co-founder and owner of software development and venture capital firm Hyperspace Ventures, the lead owner of the Palm Beach Royals. The Major League Pickleball expansion team has assembled an investor roster that includes Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, U.S. Open tennis champion Bianca Andreescu, and former UNC basketball players Tyler Hansbrough and Marvin Williams.
The Royals are also tied to one of South Florida’s most ambitious new racquet sports venues. Hyperspace Ventures invested over $1 million in Boca Paddle, while Boca Paddle investors received an ownership stake in the Royals and the team’s investors gained a stake in the club.
Scheduled to open in mid-November, Boca Paddle will become the Royals’ home facility and headquarters. The $20 million, semi-private club will feature 19 pickleball courts, six padel courts, locker rooms, saunas, cold plunges, a pro shop, and a restaurant and bar operated by Farmer’s Table. CityPickle, known for its pickleball operations at New York City’s Wollman Rink and in Times Square, will oversee the club.
“I could be a little bit biased, but I truly think it’ll be the nicest pickleball venue in the world,” Hunter says.
Technology will carry nearly as much weight as court count. PodPlay cameras and screens will allow players to record matches and save individual points. Players can send footage to PB Vision, an artificial intelligence platform that analyzes skills including serves, returns and movement toward the kitchen. Hyperspace Ventures has invested in PodPlay as well as Pickleball Inc., whose holdings include Major League Pickleball, Pickleball TV and pickleball.com.
Hunter sees Palm Beach County as an ideal market because of its crowded public courts, concentration of elite players and luxury identity. The county has become home to many of the world’s leading professionals, including Anna Leigh Waters, Ben Johns, and Anna Bright.
The Royals quickly established their competitive credibility, too. Entering their inaugural campaign as the league’s lone expansion franchise, they were projected to finish between 10th and 12th among 20 teams. They finished seventh and secured a playoff berth with a roster mixing veterans such as Tyson McGuffin and Tina Pisnik with Boca Raton-based players Casey Diamond and Sofia Sewing.
“We just see the growth as really just the first inning, even though it seems like it’s really exploded,” Hunter said. “We see that there’s a ton of room left to grow.”
Boca Paddle will also give the Royals a central base for youth clinics, senior programs, competitive events, veterans activities and monthly sessions with the Boys & Girls Clubs. Baptist Health serves as the team’s title sponsor, while a local television agreement with WPTV expands access to its matches.
Hunter is already contemplating a larger Palm Beach County stadium complex capable of seating 5,000 to 10,000 spectators alongside hotels and entertainment. For now, Boca Paddle gives his team a polished home where professional competition, recreational play, dining, wellness and technology can meet under one roof.
