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Taking a swing at a pickleball startup
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- DeepHorus
Stanley Anderson, a 1979 MIT graduate, has become CEO of Costa Pickleball, a Las Vegas-based startup selling high-performance paddles in decorative designs. The company aims to combine equipment performance with personal expression, allowing players to "bring their identity to the court," Anderson said. He is also developing a quieter paddle that he expects to give Costa a competitive advantage.
Anderson's path to the pickleball market was shaped by an unlikely background. Raised in Chicago, he spent his early years trying not to be recruited into gangs, getting shot at and watching friends get murdered. "I was fortunate to survive," he said, adding that he believed leaving was necessary to stay alive.
He later built a corporate career at HP, Intel and the Palo Alto Research Center. That management experience now underpins his leadership of a startup in the recreational sports market. Costa is betting that design-forward paddles and new technology can differentiate it from established competitors.
The startup faces a crowded and competitive pickleball equipment landscape. Anderson acknowledges that succeeding will be tough, but he argues that his background and training have prepared him. He points to an important lesson from MIT: "There's nothing you can't accomplish if you are willing to put effort into it."
Costa's quieter-paddle project reflects a broader push to solve player complaints about noise. If successful, the product could appeal to clubs, residential communities and venues with sound restrictions. Anderson sees that engineering angle as central to the company's strategy, not a side feature.
Reactions to Anderson's move underscore pickleball's expanding appeal beyond casual play. A technology executive entering the equipment sector signals confidence in premium, specialized products. Looking ahead, Costa must convert his expertise and design ambitions into sales, while the quieter paddle's timeline and reception remain uncertain.
