Break the Love CEO scores fellowship from Tory Burch Foundation

Trisha Goyal, CEO of New York-based sports booking platform for racket sports Break the Love, is the first recipient of the Sports Fellowship from the Tory Burch Foundation and the International Tennis Federation.

Why it matters: The aim of the program is to help women founders break into the sports business at a time when women only nab a small percentage of startup capital.

Details: Goyal will have access to the Tory Burch Foundation's other fellows, receive a $5,000 education grant, one-on-one coaching, and a trip to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals where she will meet tennis champion Billie Jean King.

• "Cost and convenience are some of the most significant barriers to people participating in recreational sports. What Trisha is doing with Break the Love has the potential to bring much-needed accessibility to the industry," says Laurie Fabiano, the foundation's president.
• She tells Axios that Break the Love in particular uses technology to solve the booking and space issues tied to recreational sports and facilitates personal and professional connections among women while doing so.

How it works: Break the Love was started in 2019, in tandem with the rise in racket sports like pickleball and padel, Goyal tells Axios.

• It's a platform for not only finding spaces to play but other people to play with, she says.
• It also provides messaging and community features to users and services companies as well as individuals, Goyal explains.

By the numbers: Already the service, in high demand post-pandemic, has grown from 20,000 users at the beginning of 2021 to 120,000, she says.

What they're saying: Goyal says that having a network of female founders to tap into is key to future success.

• "I don’t need to know everything, I can build a network to figure those things out," Goyal says.

The big picture: "There are countless benefits to women and girls playing sports at all levels. Sports teach valuable lessons, and it’s no accident that 94% of women who hold C-suite positions are former athletes," Fabiano says.

Zoom in: "We’ve worked with founders in a wide range of industries. But a clear trend emerged. Women in very male-dominated fields were either not applying for our Follows Program or needed a suite of services beyond what we could provide," she explains.

• "Now, we partner with leading organizations like the International Tennis Federation to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs in male-dominated fields," Fabiano adds.

One fun thing: It's been 50 years since King's famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match took place.