Ben Borton — Co-Founder at PodPlay Technologies | Building Digital Tools for Physical Spaces

About Ben

Play is serious business. I build at the intersection of sports, technology, and IRL experiences. As Co-Founder of PodPlay Technologies, I lead go-to-market strategy and channel the ambition to make every club, court, and physical space more than just a site for a transaction. We’re crafting a platform that turns play into participation, content, community, and growth. Our mission is to increase the amount of fun being had in the world. In Oct 2025, PodPlay raised an $8 million Series A round led by leading vertical SaaS investor Frontier Growth to power the future of sports venues. Before PodPlay, I served as Head of Digital Fund Services at Figure Technologies (FIGR) where I led the business unit responsible for issuing blockchain native private fund interests. This role sharpened my ability to drive adoption of emerging tech. Previously I was a Partner at hedge funds Mountaineer Partners and at MM Capital and have been an active technology angel investor. At PodPlay we’re rewriting the playbook for analog venues in a digital age: Converting static courts into dynamic hubs of vibrant communities. A place to have experiences and the ability to frictionlessly share those experiences Equipping operators with vertical SaaS + hardware + content overlay that drives incremental revenue, creates magical experiences, and builds recurring habits. Partnering with influencers, brands, leagues and venues to surface extraordinary moments that generate micro-virality and long-tail value. Please reach out if you are: A club or operator looking to turn your space into a modern tech forward experience - let’s talk how PodPlay can elevate your offering. A+ talent (sales, marketing, content creation, product, growth) seeking to join a high-velocity growth venture in sports tech - I want to talk to, and trade ideas, with the best. An end customer with ideas on how to take the PodPlay user experience to the next level - we want your feedback! Why I write: I publish at podplay.app/blog about topics touching on Vertical SaaS, best practices for operators of venues in pickleball and other sports, content driven GTM, the impact of AI on SaaS business models, and the reasons behind PodPlay’s product choices. My mission: build in public, make it fun and entertaining, unlock participation in sports and other IRL experiences at massive scale, and turn that into sustainable business models. Let’s connect if you believe in the future of play, the growth of the IRL experience economy, or want an ecosystem where clubs, creators, and athletes win together.