Now the startup is getting a new partner. Miton is investing several million Czech crowns into ACE and taking an equal stake in the company. Miton partner Tomáš Hodboď will join the company full-time as CEO, while founder Jiří Diblík will lead product and technology.
The two already know each other well. Both are padel players and have often played together. Hodboď previously built companies including Glami and Heureka as CEO and was also involved in the growth of Donio. Diblík is the founder of VOS.health, which was acquired by US healthtech company Spring Health, and today runs the TBA group of consumer apps. Miton was an investor in VOS.health.
“Over the past few years I’ve seen plenty of AI projects, but none with such successful distribution. Padel is growing faster than anyone can build the infrastructure for it. I want to give ACE several years of my time to make it the number one app for padel players,” says Tomáš Hodboď.
The problem is simple: finding three other players
Padel has one obvious problem that sports such as running don’t: you need four people to play a match. Finding three players of a similar level often means endless WhatsApp messages, Facebook groups and last-minute coordination. And even if you find someone, you might have no idea whether they are actually any good.
ACE is designed to solve exactly that. Players have their own rating and match history and can find opponents and partners based on their level. In practice, the app is becoming a kind of vertical social network for padel — or, as the founders describe it, “Strava for padel.”
And its early adoption has been unusually fast. ACE currently has around 9,000 users, according to the company, putting it at more than half of the estimated Czech padel player base. “I created ACE as a hobby project out of my love for padel. Over time, though, it became clear that it had the potential to grow into a major platform,” says Jiří Diblík.
“The more Tomáš and I talked, the more we realized how well we complement each other. I bring experience building global B2C apps to ACE, and Tomáš brings experience building and scaling successful companies. On top of that, I’ve already had a great experience with Miton in my previous startup.”
From finding players to running the clubs
ACE is now expanding beyond players. The company is also bringing FullClub, a booking and club-management platform, into the product. The plan is to offer the software to padel clubs for free. Clubs will be able to manage courts, tournaments and payments while also building and managing their player communities.
The bigger ambition is to connect the two sides of the market: players and clubs. For players, ACE becomes the place to find games, opponents and communities. For clubs, it can become the infrastructure through which they manage their courts and relationships with players.
“What’s great about ACE is that it’s built for padel. No off-the-shelf booking solution can offer you what this app does,” says Jan Ducháč of SK Padel Malšovice in Hradec Králové.
“For clubs, it’s a way to manage the community across all player levels, which matters a lot in padel and will matter even more in the future.”
The next target: outside Czechia
The Miton investment is intended to give ACE the resources and experience to expand internationally. Hodboď will focus on building the business and taking ACE into new markets, while Diblík remains responsible for the product and technology.
For Miton, ACE is another bet on a consumer product with the potential to build a strong network around a rapidly growing category. For ACE, the ambition is considerably bigger than becoming another booking app. The goal is to build the platform where padel players meet, play, track their progress and connect with their local club — first in Czechia, and eventually around the world.
