Spikeball (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sporting goods |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Chris Ruder |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
Area served | United States, Belgium, Canada, Colombia |
Key people | Chris Ruder (founder) |
| Products | Roundnet equipment |
| Website | spikeball |
Spikeball Inc. is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in sporting goods designed for the game of roundnet. As the leading provider of roundnet equipment, the company also supports competitive events across various nations, including Belgium, Canada, Colombia, and the United States.
Established in 2007 by Chris Ruder and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Spikeball employs staff throughout the country. The Spikeball Roundnet Association's competitions began being televised on ESPN2 starting in May 2018.
History
Spikeball was incorporated in 2007 and commenced sales of roundnet gear in 2008. The sport itself was originally created during the 1980s by toymaker Jeff Knurek, who did not secure a patent for the game. Roundnet involves two teams of two players competing around a small net resembling a trampoline, with gameplay often likened to volleyball.
Ruder acquired a set when it briefly entered the market in the 1980s. Together with five friends, he raised $100,000 in initial funding to launch the business from his basement. He obtained the rights to the product and arranged for manufacturing to be done in China.
While launching Spikeball, Ruder maintained roles at Microsoft and Monster.com, and later worked on the advertising sales team at Live Nation, all while expanding his company. He left his corporate sales career in 2013 to dedicate himself fully to Spikeball, which at that time was generating revenues exceeding $1 million annually. That same year, retailers such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Big 5, and Modell's Sporting Goods began offering Spikeball products. In August 2014, the company secured a U.S. patent for the game.
In 2014, Ruder appeared on ABC's Shark Tank, proposing to sell 10% ownership. Daymond John offered $500,000 for a 20% stake along with control over licensing, production, and retail distribution. Although initially agreeing to the terms, the arrangement collapsed due to differing strategic visions before the episode aired.
By late 2017, Spikeball had sold over one million nets and reported annual sales of $15 million.
Tournaments and Spikeball Roundnet Association
During the early 2010s, Spikeball’s popularity grew among college students in Chicago before expanding nationwide. The company sponsored its first official roundnet competition in 2013 and launched the Spikeball Roundnet Association, which introduced a player ranking system in 2016.
The sport gained significant traction within Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Mennonite community. In 2013, Corey Heck brought Spikeball to his community after experiencing it at a Christian music festival. Alongside his brother Caleb, he fostered local engagement through regular games that evolved from weekly to daily sessions, created a Facebook group, and organized a local tournament. Recognizing this strong regional interest, Spikeball hosted events there in 2015 and 2016 before relocating tournaments to Philadelphia in 2017. Due to decreased participation in Philadelphia, events returned to Lancaster subsequently.
The first College Spikeball National Championship was held at Clemson University on April 29, 2017. In May 2018, a Lancaster tournament became the inaugural Spikeball event broadcast on ESPN2; this was followed by SummerSpike 2018 at Coney Island later that month. The Spikeball tour has also stopped in cities such as Boston, Jersey Shore, Dewey Beach (Delaware), Savannah (Georgia), Long Beach, San Diego, Santa Monica (California), and Washington, D.C. The inaugural World Championship was scheduled for Belgium in September 2020 but was postponed until September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.