Spikeball

Spikeball was born in 2008 when Chris Ruder bought the rights to a round-net toss game he had played on Chicago beaches. The concept was simple: four players hit a small ball off a trampoline-like net, rotating 360 degrees with every serve. Ruder started selling sets out of his apartment, relying on word-of-mouth and beach demos to build demand.

The business gained national visibility in 2014 when Ruder appeared on Shark Tank and secured a deal with Daymond John. The exposure accelerated distribution, but Ruder's bigger insight was that Spikeball could be more than a product—it could be a sport. In 2018 he launched the Spikeball Roundnet Association, creating tournament rules, college circuits, and a pro tour that turned casual players into competitive athletes.

By 2022 the company had surpassed $100 million in lifetime revenue without traditional outside capital, a point Ruder highlighted on the 2023 Advice Line episode of How I Built This. The Roundnet Association now sanctions hundreds of events annually, and Spikeball equipment is sold in big-box retailers and specialty sporting-goods shops worldwide. Ruder continues to lead the company while advocating for the sport's inclusion in broader athletic communities and even the Olympics.