Key Takeaways
- Why Austin was the right city to introduce a new global sport
- How tennis helped Will Boyce create academic opportunities in America
- Why Will left investment banking to build PADEL39
- What makes padel more social and accessible than many racket sports
- Why many people struggle to make friends after moving to Austin
- How PADEL39 is combining sport, wellness, hospitality, and community
- Why great social spaces need programming—not just physical facilities
Meet the Guest – Will Boyce
Will Boyce is the founder and CEO of PADEL39, a fast-growing premium padel and lifestyle club platform based in Texas. Originally from France, Will moved to the United States to play collegiate tennis before earning a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
His background as an athlete, coach, and entrepreneur shaped his vision for building clubs that combine sport, hospitality, community, wellness, and entertainment. Under his leadership, PADEL39 has grown into one of the most recognized padel brands in the U.S., with a focus on premium facilities, high-energy events, and a strong member experience.
Will is passionate about making padel a major sport in America while creating clubs that feel like much more than just courts.
Connect with PADEL39
Show Notes
What if Austin’s next great social club isn’t a country club, a gym, or a bar…but a sport most Americans are only just beginning to discover?
In this episode of Austin Eras, Adam Flagg sits down with Will Boyce, founder and CEO of PADEL39, to explore why one of the world’s fastest-growing sports may have found its perfect American home in Austin.
But this conversation isn’t really just about padel.
It’s about how people build community. Why making friends as an adult can be surprisingly difficult. And how sports, hospitality, and wellness can come together to create places where people genuinely want to stay.
Will shares his journey from growing up outside Paris and coming to the United States through tennis to attending the University of Texas, building a successful digital marketing company, earning an MBA from INSEAD, and working in investment banking in New York City.
After watching padel explode across Europe and Latin America, Will left Wall Street, researched more than 20 American cities, and returned to Austin to build PADEL39.
Together, they explore:
- Why padel is growing so quickly around the world
- What makes the sport easy to learn, social, and addictive
- Why Austin was the right city to launch PADEL39
- How tennis opened academic opportunities for Will in America
- Why Will walked away from a successful career on Wall Street
- How PADEL39 combines sport, wellness, hospitality, and community
- Why many people struggle to make friends after moving to Austin
- How to build a lifestyle brand that is bigger than its founder
- Whether Austin could become one of America’s most important padel cities
The conversation also dives into entrepreneurship, career uncertainty, Austin’s international population, the importance of third places, and the mentor who changed Will’s life by helping him attend the University of Texas.
Whether you care about sports, entrepreneurship, community, wellness, or Austin’s future, this episode offers a fascinating look at how a global sport could help create a new kind of gathering place in the city.