Entrepreneur Aahil Ayaz on his pickleball project

At an age when most youngsters are busy with studies and video games, 17-year-old Aahil Ayaz has chartered a new course to merge his sporting talent with business. Ayaz began his journey as a successful tennis player at 15, and won the gold in the world pickleball championship India series held recently. He was not only a semifinalist at the ITF Under-18 Tennis Championship, but also represented Karnataka in the national pickleball tournament, before transitioning to coaching. He recognised the potential for pickleball and saw an opportunity to combine his passion with promotion of this emerging sport. He founded Stryde Sports to make pickleball a community event in all corners of Bengaluru. At Stryde Sports, Ayaz not only organised pickleball events, but also offered coaching services and his efforts found support from the World Pickleball Association. Talking about his foray into the business side of sports, Aahil says, ”I noticed pickleball’s fast growth and a gap in quality events for its community. I wanted to bridge that gap and that is how Stryde Sports started. The idea was simple: create high-quality, community-driven tournaments that elevate the experience for players.” While many may see their lack of experience as a deterrent, Aahil says he always believed age was never a defining factor for anything. “Coming from a sports background, discipline and competition were already part of my mindset. I realised early on that I wanted to build something that created opportunities for others too. That drive pushed me to start young and keep executing instead of waiting for the right time.” “Sports taught me discipline, focus, and resilience - qualities that shaped how I approach business today. Coaching tennis and mentoring over 100 students, helped me see the bigger picture of leadership, teamwork, and impact beyond personal performance.” And while all this may seem quite overwhelming for most, let alone a teenager, Aahil says this is just the beginning. “We are building a platform where young founders can pitch their ideas where successful entrepreneurs invest, mentor, and back new visionaries. Talent is everywhere; it just needs the right stage. This isn’t a project. It’s a movement.” Published - December 25, 2025 03:07 pm IST

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