Why We Built Our Business in Cedar Falls

The Renauds, creators of the PicklePlay app, share what makes the Cedar Valley region so special.

By Rebecca Treon on December 27, 2023

Biggs Photography

Blake Renaud and her husband, Alex, are the creators of PicklePlay, a free app that allows pickleball players to locate courts, find pickup games, meet players at their skill level, and even create groups. From 15,000 users last year, the app now has over 70,000 and is tracking to reach 100,000 in 2023. 

The Renauds both grew up in small farming communities in Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). They loved the Cedar Valley region so much that they decided to stay, raise their family, and launch a business in Cedar Falls. 

With four young children, Blake Renaud wanted to use her background in business management and marketing to re-enter the workforce but needed something that offered her the flexibility to be at home with her kids. PicklePlay serves that purpose, while also serving players with a tool for an increasingly growing sport. 

In the region, those players can likely be found rallying at the outdoor courts at Orchard Hill Park in Cedar Falls or indoors at the Cedar Valley SportsPlex in Waterloo. 

Biggs Photography

What inspired you to create PicklePlay? 
We were in New York City, trying to find pickup basketball games, and there wasn’t a reliable way to find out where and when games were happening. We initially thought we might create an app for pickup basketball but then a friend introduced us to pickleball. We thought it was a game for older people until we realized how fun it was. Before long, our kids were playing, and we were traveling with our paddles in our suitcases! 

We realized there was a huge need for technology in this space. Since pickleball started in the 1970s, there hadn’t been much growth in that area. We looked at the pain points, like finding courts in the area, finding other players at your level, and even coordinating with your group of friends when and where to play without a long text thread. It’s a free app with an optional upgrade subscription, but we want to give people a resource without hurdles, to get people playing pickleball. 

What are some of the best resources available to entrepreneurs in the area? 
We take pride in using local companies. In our brainstorming phase, we used a friend who went to UNI with us to help develop our framework and logo. We have a local team that created our website, a lot of our video work and some of our social media content, and we’ve used local marketing companies to help with our advertising. We have an advisory board made of business executives from the area – five or six local businesses that have invested [in the app] or are in an advisory role. 

What advice would you give someone wanting to start a business in Cedar Falls? 
We have an extremely supportive community with opportunities for economic development through Grow Cedar Valley. There are tons of resources available and successful businesspeople who are easy to connect with and willing to offer advice; networking is very easy to do. We have such high-quality businesses to contract with, too, whether it’s design or video work – it’s a bonus that they are located right here.