Pickleheart community campaign Help fund Pickleheart in every public park that needs it.
We’re raising $100,000 through community loans at 6.5% fixed, $500 to $10,000 each. The money builds the app, stocks the shops, and keeps organized play running at Riverside, Central, and Carl Schurz. Here’s what exists today, what the money finishes, and the terms you’d be lending on.
What we've built
Not a plan. Not a pitch deck. Here's the record of what exists, for the people who are actually out there using it.
The app
Somebody’s standing at Riverside right now, phone out, checking whether it’s worth walking over. That’s the thing we built: live conditions, who’s there, whether your friends are around, before you leave the house. Built and feature-complete. Submitted to the App Store on August 4.
The Insiders Shop
LiveFor the volunteers setting up nets at 7am with nothing behind them, up to 30% off the gear they need to keep a park running. Apply, get reviewed personally within a business day, shop once approved.
Riverside Park's community shop
Launched, gear priced for the people who actually run that park, not a retail markup.
3 live park communities
Each one real, not a placeholder listing.
What's still undone
Here's what isn't finished. We're not going to pretend otherwise.
Chat — ships in September
Right now a community is holding itself together across four different group chats. Chat means one place instead.
Ratings and ladders
So games get fairer and easier to find as more people play. Still being actively designed.
Every park that isn't live yet
3 is the start, not the ceiling.
The ask
Nobody should have to play alone at their own park.
We're building the app, the shops, and the organized play that keeps a park running.
$35,000 of $100,000 raised. $65,000 to go.
Real terms, real repayment
Here's the part that might surprise you: this isn't a donation. It's an investment, with real financial terms and a repayment schedule, in a public-park community instead of a company.
The exact schedule is set in your promissory note, since it varies by loan size.
Bharat and Peter put $120,000 of their own money into Pickleheart’s first ten months before asking anyone else for a dollar. No outside equity, no shortcuts. What exists today was built on that.
Why patient capital, not a straight donation
Pickleheart runs on earned revenue, not fundraising. A fixed-return loan fits that discipline better than a donation would, and as a non-profit, we can’t offer equity in exchange for capital. Choosing a loan over a donation is a statement of confidence: mission and responsibility, together.
Nobody should have to play alone at their own park.
We're building the app, the shops, and the organized play that keeps a park running.
$35,000 of $100,000 raised. $65,000 to go.
Find your crew
Browse the parks and communities already on Pickleheart. If you don't have a crew yet, this is where you find one.
From the people running these parks
"Before Pickleheart, running open play here meant a group chat and a folding table, and hoping enough people showed up. Now people check the app before they leave the house, and I'm not doing this by myself anymore."
"Every park has someone holding it together for free. This is the first time anyone's actually built something for that person instead of asking more of them."
Perks
Each participation level includes Pickleheart swag and mission-aligned thank-you experiences, such as early membership access, exclusive apparel, paddles, and invitations to future community events.
These are expressions of appreciation and belonging, not financial incentives.
Partners
Pickleheart works with Franklin and ADV Pro to bring real gear to the Insiders Shop and community shops.
Revenue model
Pickleheart scales like no single venue ever could. While making everyone feel like they belong.
| Year | Parks | Users | Membership | Store | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 250 | 40K | $200K | $900K | $1.1M |
| 2028 | 900 | 125K | $500K | $3.0M | $3.5M |
Financial terms
- Total raise
- $100,000
- Return
- 6.5% annual fixed return
- Grace period
- 18 months
- Repayment
- Installments over 5 years, beginning after the 18-month grace period. Exact schedule set in your promissory note.
- Minimum
- $500
- Security
- Unsecured, no collateral
- Governance
- No ownership or control conveyed
All participants receive the same economic terms, regardless of loan amount. This is about shared mission, not preferential treatment.
Nobody should have to play alone at their own park.
We're building the app, the shops, and the organized play that keeps a park running.
$35,000 of $100,000 raised. $65,000 to go.
Understanding the risk
Real risk capital
The loan is unsecured. Repayment depends on operating success.
Key risk factors
Timing of adoption, revenue growth, and standard execution risk for an early-stage nonprofit initiative.
Questions, answered straight
Yes. It’s a loan with a fixed 6.5% return and a real repayment schedule, an 18-month grace period followed by installments over 5 years. The one thing it isn’t is equity: no ownership, no control, no share of upside beyond the fixed return.
Repayment begins 18 months after your loan closes and continues in installments over 5 years. The exact schedule is set in your promissory note, since it varies by loan size.
Every participation level includes Pickleheart swag and mission-aligned thank-you experiences — early membership access, exclusive apparel, paddles, and invitations to community events. See Perks above.
A way to fund public-park pickleball communities directly, with real financial terms instead of a donation ask. $500 to $10,000, 6.5% fixed return, and your money goes toward the app, the shops, and the parks themselves.
We will confirm this once Pickleheart’s entity and tax status is finalized. Talk to your own tax advisor about your own situation.
Ready to play?
Pickleheart is live on the App Store. See who's at your park, how busy the courts are, and whether your people are already there — before you leave the house.
Download the app