What’s the deal? Munich-based startup The Padel City has raised €12 million in a Series A round led by French leisure group Compagnie des Alpes (CDA). The investment, made through CDA’s Urban Group subsidiary, buys a 33.9% stake and lifts the company’s valuation to about €65 million.
What does it do? Founded in 2022 by football coach Hansi Flick, Jonathan Sierck, and serial founders Marcus Englert and Sebastian Weil, the company operates padel facilities. It runs 24 sites with 190 courts in Germany and counts a community of roughly 300,000 active players.
The expansion: The Padel City plans to deepen its lead in Germany while pushing into Austria and Poland. It opened its first Warsaw site in May and is about to launch one in Innsbruck. Together with Urban Group, the partners run about 350 courts in Europe and aim to top 600 within a year.
Why now? Padel is among the world’s fastest-growing sports. Germany’s court numbers have grown at an average 81% a year since 2021, per Playtomic’s Global Padel Report, making it one of Europe’s most dynamic markets.
Why this investor? CDA operates ski resorts, theme parks, and sports venues, and through Urban Group is already one of France’s largest padel providers. “The synergy effects are enormously valuable for both sides,” said co-founder and managing director Sierck.
Before this round, more than €15 million had been invested in The Padel City, backed by figures including Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, and Tommy Haas. The company targets more than 40 German sites with about 350 courts by the end of 2026.
The signal: The round sits in the 91st percentile of all-time Series A rounds for German sports startups, a sign investors are betting on padel infrastructure. With a strategic backer rather than a pure financial one, The Padel City is positioning for scale as Germany races to join Europe’s top padel nations.
Read more: Munich Startup
Image credit: consiliumonline
