DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), the international rating system, announced Wednesday that it has secured $8 million in investments from some compelling names.

The company says it is also bringing on new board members and ownership. David Kass, real estate developer and Major League Pickleball team owner, will operate as the new owner and chairman.

Tito Machado will continue to lead the organization as its CEO. 

New DUPR board members and investors include:

• Tennis legend Andre Agassi
• Raine Ventures, an investment and advisory firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions
• Jay Farner, CEO of Ronin Capital Partners and former CEO of Rocket Companies
• Brian Yeager, Chairman & CEO, The Champions Companies
• R. Blane Walter, founder of InChord Communications

In an announcement of the news, Kass revealed some DUPR adoption details that show impressive growth for the rating platform.

“In just a few years, DUPR has experienced incredible adoption, with over 35 API partners and half a million users, ” he said.

"As an active, passionate pickleball player I know how important it is to play against players at your level for the ultimate enjoyment of the sport," said Andre Agassi, former world No. 1 tennis player, eight-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medalist.

For $50 off your first Pickleball Box, use code Dink50.

DUPR's status more solidified

If you've paid much attention to the pro pickleball wars from the past couple of years, you may already know that Major League Pickleball's founder Steve Kuhn had stepped down from his leadership role in late 2023 as MLP and the PPA Tour started to renegotiate a merger.

But with subsequent uncertainty as to whether or not the merger would go through, many have wondered: what will become of DUPR, which Kuhn said he'd be focusing all of his efforts on?

The recent round of investment in DUPR seems to suggest the company isn't going anywhere.

We're intrigued to see how DUPR will use this investment to build the product into something even bigger.