Hudle raises $2.5 million; CEO says, 'People love the sport once they try it'

Sports community platform Hudle has raised $2.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Sky Impact Capital, with participation from Physis Capital, Atrium Venture, Mahesh Bhupathi (12 Time Grand Slam winner and serial investor), Gaurav Kapur (TV presenter  and Producer) and founders of Blue Tokai (Shivam Shahi) and Nitro Commerce (Umair Mohammed).

Hudle said it will use the funds to fast-track product innovation, including frictionless booking, match discovery and performance tracking features to improve the player experience with a specific focus on pickleball and padel, the 2 fastest growing sports in India and globally.

The startup is also introducing what it calls India’s first-ever rating system in August to help players track progress and connect with players of similar skill levels. It also aims to expand its venue partner network across Tier 1/2/3 cities to meet the growing demand for community and recreational sports.

Founded by Suhail Narain (Founder & CEO), Arjun Singh Verma (Co-Founder & COO), and Sonam Taneja (Co-Founder & Head, Business Development), Hudle enables seamless discovery, booking, and participation across popular sports like badminton, pickleball, padel, football and box cricket.

The startup claims to have a network of 2,000 sports venues and 1.5 million. It claims to have reported 3.5x growth in gross transaction value and 2.5x growth in revenue over the last 12 months.

“At Hudle, we genuinely believe that playing sports should be as easy and normal as going out for coffee. That’s what drives us — making it easier for people across India to play, connect, and stay active. We’re adding over 300 pickleball courts every month; we’ve seen that people love the sport once they try it. This fundraise isn’t just about scale — it’s about doubling down on the experience, the tech, and the community,” said Suhail Narain.

“Hudle is rewiring India’s recreational sports economy. Its frictionless platform lets tens of thousands of sports enthusiasts discover and book courts in seconds, turning fitness into a social routine. Lifestyle diseases burden 300 million Indians each year and wellness spending already tops $98 billion, so the runway for growth is enormous. Over the last 18 months we have applied our value creation playbook to help Hudle scale,” said Aakash Sachdev, Founder & Managing Partner, Sky Impact Capital.