MarketingEntrepreneurshipSports Business

They Bet Everything on a Sport Nobody Took Seriously… Now It’s Worth $200M

Foundr
Foundr•Apr 30, 2026

Why It Matters

Selkerk’s meteoric rise shows that betting on under‑the‑radar sports can yield outsized returns, providing a playbook for founders targeting emerging consumer categories.

Key Takeaways

  • •Sold profitable airsoft business to focus on emerging pickleball market.
  • •Launched first 360 serialized paddles, emphasizing quality and warranty.
  • •Built brand through demo days and direct consumer product trials.
  • •Invested $1 M in R&D lab, avoiding cheap white‑label solutions.
  • •Revenue surged 1900% since 2019, valuing Selkerk at $200 M.

Summary

The Barnes brothers sold a thriving airsoft operation in 2014 to chase a niche sport—pickleball—then virtually unknown in the U.S. Their gamble birthed Selkerk Sport, now a premium pickleball brand valued at over $200 million.

Key to their ascent was a contrarian product strategy: they serialized the first 360 paddles, treating each as a prototype with warranty coverage, and poured $1 million into a dedicated R&D lab rather than re‑branding cheap white‑label goods. They also prioritized hands‑on demos, setting up tables at tournaments and sending paddles to hospitals to let consumers experience the product directly.

Rob recalls, “We knew we’d make mistakes, so we numbered every paddle,” underscoring their obsession with quality. Their demo‑first approach generated organic buzz, while strategic partnerships with online retailers expanded distribution. The brothers also embraced athlete sponsorships, noting that promotion accounts for 70 % of growth, not just endorsements.

Selkerk’s 1900 % revenue jump since 2019 illustrates how emerging sports can become multi‑billion‑dollar markets. The story offers a blueprint for entrepreneurs: identify low‑competition niches, invest in product excellence, and let the community drive adoption. As pickleball eyes Olympic inclusion, the brand is poised to dominate the world’s fastest‑growing racket sport.

Original Description

These two brothers sold a profitable airsoft business to bet everything on a sport most people had never heard of. In 2014, Rob and Mike Barnes founded Selkirk Sport in the pickleball space—back when the sport was small, the products were cheap, and the category felt entirely mom and pop. Eleven years later, the company is valued at over $200 million with revenue up 1,900% since 2019, and pickleball is closing in on tennis as America's most-played racket sport.
In this interview, the co-founders of Selkirk Sport break down how they built the premium brand in an emerging category—from serializing their first 360 paddles expecting mistakes, to investing $1 million into a dedicated R&D lab, to their contrarian take on athlete sponsorships and why signing a pro is only 30% of the work.
What you'll learn in this interview:
• Why they sold a profitable business to go all-in on a sport nobody had heard of
• How serializing their first 360 paddles shaped Selkirk's premium quality obsession from day one
• Why they invested $1 million in an in-house R&D lab instead of white-labeling cheap product like everyone suggested
• The four P framework (Product, People, Process, Promotion) that's driven Selkirk's growth from day one
• How they built an in-house marketing agency and cut all external agencies to move faster at lower cost
• Why athlete sponsorships are only 30% of the work—and why investing in promotion is what actually builds brand equity
• Their counterintuitive COVID strategy: reduce hours, keep every employee, and bet on the rebound
• Why they launched SLK by Selkirk as a separate sub-brand to compete at lower price points without destroying the premium brand
• How Selkirk Labs—a members-only experimental product program—created a real-time consumer feedback loop
• When and why they moved away from digital advertising and became one of the only pickleball brands buying linear TV
• How they identified the coming consolidation in pickleball and why they took on strategic investment from Bluestone Equity Partners to be part of it
If you're building a brand in an emerging category, navigating the tension between premium positioning and mass-market growth, or trying to turn a niche obsession into a category-defining company, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about brand building, product strategy, and timing your bets.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50. Start here → https://your.omnisend.com/foundr
WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → https://foundr.com/operators
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 and 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
Starting from scratch? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
Already have a store? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
CONNECT WITH SELKIRK
0:00 Two Homeschool Brothers Build a $200M Pickleball Empire
1:35 Spotting a "Mom & Pop" Sport With Premium Brand Potential
4:07 Why They Serialized Their First 360 Paddles Expecting to Fail
9:05 The Dad's Ultimatum: College or Start a Business in the Basement
13:03 Selling Their Profitable Company to Bet Everything on Pickleball
17:30 The 2016 Digital Strategy That Won Them Early Market Share
21:33 COVID Kills Sales Overnight — Why They Kept Every Employee Anyway
25:39 The 4 P's Framework Behind 1,900% Revenue Growth
29:08 Why the Sponsored Athlete Is Only 30% of the Sponsorship Work
34:03 Why They Invested $1M in R&D Instead of White-Labeling a Cheap Paddle
36:22 The Sub-Brand Strategy to Win Every Price Point Without Killing the Premium Brand
41:31 The Exclusive Membership Club That Turned Superfans Into R&D Partners
45:24 Why They Finally Brought in Outside Capital After 10 Years
49:48 The Biggest Threat to Pickleball's Future (It's Not a Competing Sport)
51:19 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Loading comments...