South Florida has long been a launchpad for fitness trends, from Zumba to Orange Theory and Barry’s. Now, another wave is emerging, this time on glass courts. Padel, a racquet sport blending tennis and squash, is gaining traction, and a Miami-based startup is aiming to accelerate its rise.
Racquet 360 and its vision
Key Biscayne-based Racquet 360 has secured $9 million in funding from sports-focused investors such as Sunrise Padel Capital, Profluence Capital, and Taktika Equity. Founded in 2023 by Emiliano Abramzon, the company seeks to build a full ecosystem around padel in the United States. Abramzon explained his motivation: “I’ve always been passionate about sports, and I wanted to try something different.”
From education tech to sports innovation
Abramzon previously co-founded Nearpod, an edtech company sold to Renaissance Learning for about $650 million in 2021. With Racquet 360, his goal is to integrate different aspects of padel into one platform. The company operates four core businesses: the National Padel League, RacquetX festival, Racket Central e-commerce, and Racket Social Club facilities. “Each company is very different,” Abramzon said. “You have the e-commerce platform, where we add a lot of tools to improve the economics. The clubs are a brick-and-mortar industry, but there are a lot of tech-enabled tools behind them. And the trade show also uses technology to organize meetings and help people connect during the event.”
Miami as the hub of padel
South Florida has become the testing ground for Abramzon’s vision, with new clubs, tournaments, and even proposals for courts on parking garages. High-profile competitions like the Reserve Cup now feature prize pools exceeding $1 million. “Miami today is the absolute Mecca of padel in the U.S.,” Abramzon said. “I’d estimate that around 50 percent of the players in the country are here, and the concentration of clubs has no comparison.”
National expansion on the horizon
Despite its limited presence in mainstream America, Abramzon believes padel is poised for rapid growth. “Today it’s almost nonexistent in mainstream America,” he said. “But we expect padel to grow significantly in the U.S., and we want to be positioned to grow with the sport.”
Racquet 360’s ambitious plan reflects the growing momentum of padel in South Florida, with the potential to transform it into a nationwide phenomenon.
