When Fredrik Hoel started a padel hall in Borlänge a few years ago, he encountered an industry where digitization had not gone very far. As one of the founders of Simplitude, a company focused on digitalization, Fredrik saw new opportunities.
- It was clear that both players and hall owners needed a digital platform and that's when the first seed of Court22 was sown," he says.
In Sweden, there has been an over-establishment of padel halls and recently many halls have been forced to close. But the sport is still on the rise, both in Sweden and in many other countries.
- Globally, there are many millions of padel players. And our service works for all racket sports, so the market is huge," explains Fredrik, who wanted to create a multi-functional app from the start.
- "Many padel players use a bunch of different apps linked to their sport, so our goal is a digital player's lounge where you can socialize with other players, set up tournaments, buy equipment, book plans, check rankings and so on," explains Fredrik.
Neat and logical
After attracting several investors, Fredrik and his Simplitude colleagues formed the subsidiary Simplitude Bookings AB in February 2022. In parallel, the company also became part of Dalarna Science Park's incubator program, where the team was supported by business coach Jörgen Bond.
- "Among other things, he has supported us in matters of structure and leadership. Jörgen maintains a very high level, so it's fantastic that we have that expertise in Dalarna," says Fredrik.
Now it's time for Simplitude Bookings to leave the incubator and move on, both with the development of Court22 and with the continued launch.
- We want to build in many functions, and the challenge is to make the whole thing look good and logical. We can't develop all the ideas at the same time, some have to wait, so it's a balancing act that requires a lot of courage.
Flying start
The people who developed Court22 are partly within Simplitude and partly external suppliers. The number in the brand is taken from the date of Simplitude Bookings' formation: February 22, 2022.
This summer, Court22 was launched on the Swedish market and so far it has exceeded all expectations.
- Court22 has been very well received. The competition is tough, but our solution offers several added values. One example is that the hall owners receive their payments faster," says Fredrik.
The launch of Court22 in Germany, Finland and Denmark is next, followed by the US, Thailand and Australia. Thanks to the fact that Simplitude already has established retailers around the world, the start-up distance is short.
- We hope to reach break-even already in 2024," says Fredrik.
True entrepreneurial spirit
Dalarna Science Park's Jörgen Bond is a great believer in Simplitude Booking's innovative and sustainable idea. He believes that the team's ability to create added value is "outstanding".
- The team has the knowledge, skills and talent to both create and communicate value for their clients and investors. Here they really stand out from the competition.
- Success requires the right timing and the ability to creatively and energetically drive the business towards the right priority goals. In addition, a business model where both customers and investors see, understand and want what is created," he says, noting that Simplitude Bookings has identified needs in the market that competitors have not been able to solve effectively.
- By being strategically creative, the team not only adds value in a traditional way, but also creates value that their customers could not have imagined. It's true entrepreneurial spirit and if they continue in the same way, they will be the market leader, says Jörgen.
