Blab Tech
USTA Ventures Invests in Rec Technologies to Digitize Public Tennis Courts
On 9 August 2026 the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) investment arm, USTA Ventures, announced a new minority stake in Rec Technologies, a software platform that manages court bookings, lesson registrations and coach discovery for public recreation facilities.
Rec Technologies has built an operating‑system‑style application that lets users search for available tennis courts, reserve time, and book lessons with certified coaches through a single interface. The company reports that it is already in use in nearly 100 U.S. cities, covering a range of sports including soccer, swimming and other community programs.
The investment follows USTA’s stated goal of reaching 35 million tennis players in the United States by 2035. According to USTA data, 27.3 million Americans played tennis in 2025, and about 40 percent of those players used public park courts. Rec’s platform addresses the friction that often prevents casual players from accessing those courts, such as paper sign‑ups, phone‑based reservations or a lack of visibility into local coaching.
“Technology for local recreation has become the biggest obstacle to play,” said Rachel Williams, co‑founder and president of Rec. “Search is hard. Booking is harder. The platform’s goal is to make both effortless, so that the decision to play tennis on a Saturday afternoon is as simple as pulling out a phone and tapping a few times.”
Rec’s AI‑driven tools are designed to streamline the reservation process, predict court availability, and match players with nearby certified coaches. The platform also offers a pipeline for coaches, allowing them to list their services within the same system that players use to book courts.
The USTA has indicated that it will explore integration of Rec’s system with its USTA Coaching program, which could extend the reach of nationally certified coaches to the public‑court player base.
Public parks are the primary venue for new players, according to USTA research. The organization notes that growth in tennis participation must come from the public‑court segment, not from private clubs, to achieve the 2035 target.
Rec’s broader focus on multiple sports positions it as municipal infrastructure rather than a niche tennis app. City and park departments are more likely to adopt a platform that supports several recreation categories, which in turn can increase the overall availability of courts for tennis.
The investment is part of USTA Ventures’ fifth funding round since the venture arm launched in 2023. While the amount of the stake was not disclosed, the partnership signals strategic alignment between Rec’s technology and USTA’s participation agenda.
Rec’s current footprint includes court‑management systems for nearly 100 cities, and the company has already demonstrated real adoption beyond a pitch deck. The platform’s AI capabilities are intended to make court discovery and booking as frictionless as possible, potentially lowering the barrier for first‑time players.
The partnership is expected to accelerate Rec’s expansion into additional markets and to deepen its integration with USTA’s coaching network. If successful, the combined effort could reduce the time and effort required for a player to find an open court, book a lesson and start playing.
The USTA’s broader strategy to grow tennis participation relies on public‑court access, and Rec Technologies provides a digital layer that could help meet that objective. The partnership remains in its early stages, and further details on the investment size, revenue sharing, or rollout timeline have not yet been released.
Tags: USTA, Rec Technologies, public tennis, court booking, AI, sports technology, tennis participation, US tennis, recreation tech, startup investment, sports infrastructure
Rec Technologies has built an operating‑system‑style application that lets users search for available tennis courts, reserve time, and book lessons with certified coaches through a single interface. The company reports that it is already in use in nearly 100 U.S. cities, covering a range of sports including soccer, swimming and other community programs.
The investment follows USTA’s stated goal of reaching 35 million tennis players in the United States by 2035. According to USTA data, 27.3 million Americans played tennis in 2025, and about 40 percent of those players used public park courts. Rec’s platform addresses the friction that often prevents casual players from accessing those courts, such as paper sign‑ups, phone‑based reservations or a lack of visibility into local coaching.
“Technology for local recreation has become the biggest obstacle to play,” said Rachel Williams, co‑founder and president of Rec. “Search is hard. Booking is harder. The platform’s goal is to make both effortless, so that the decision to play tennis on a Saturday afternoon is as simple as pulling out a phone and tapping a few times.”
Rec’s AI‑driven tools are designed to streamline the reservation process, predict court availability, and match players with nearby certified coaches. The platform also offers a pipeline for coaches, allowing them to list their services within the same system that players use to book courts.
The USTA has indicated that it will explore integration of Rec’s system with its USTA Coaching program, which could extend the reach of nationally certified coaches to the public‑court player base.
Public parks are the primary venue for new players, according to USTA research. The organization notes that growth in tennis participation must come from the public‑court segment, not from private clubs, to achieve the 2035 target.
Rec’s broader focus on multiple sports positions it as municipal infrastructure rather than a niche tennis app. City and park departments are more likely to adopt a platform that supports several recreation categories, which in turn can increase the overall availability of courts for tennis.
The investment is part of USTA Ventures’ fifth funding round since the venture arm launched in 2023. While the amount of the stake was not disclosed, the partnership signals strategic alignment between Rec’s technology and USTA’s participation agenda.
Rec’s current footprint includes court‑management systems for nearly 100 cities, and the company has already demonstrated real adoption beyond a pitch deck. The platform’s AI capabilities are intended to make court discovery and booking as frictionless as possible, potentially lowering the barrier for first‑time players.
The partnership is expected to accelerate Rec’s expansion into additional markets and to deepen its integration with USTA’s coaching network. If successful, the combined effort could reduce the time and effort required for a player to find an open court, book a lesson and start playing.
The USTA’s broader strategy to grow tennis participation relies on public‑court access, and Rec Technologies provides a digital layer that could help meet that objective. The partnership remains in its early stages, and further details on the investment size, revenue sharing, or rollout timeline have not yet been released.
Tags: USTA, Rec Technologies, public tennis, court booking, AI, sports technology, tennis participation, US tennis, recreation tech, startup investment, sports infrastructure
