Ohio native and former golf coach Riley Pratt didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur when he was looking at colleges. He set out to be a college basketball player – “But then I got accepted to Duke at early decision… so I retired my basketball career early,” he said.
While he never got to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski, he did – in a roundabout way – find the inspiration to start Leaderboard Golf, a New York-based technology company whose social golf app is now live. The app allows users to play on-course games, settle wagers and share experiences.
Pratt had a big connection at Duke – his grandfather, who lived in Durham and bonded with his grandson through golf. Pratt recalls many days hitting the links at Treyburn Country Club – memories that helped to inspire the startup he launched this year.
Upon graduation in 2014, Pratt’s trajectory was hardly a straight line. Pratt, who left Duke with a history degree and a certificate in markets and management, first wanted to work in marketing. He would later shift to finance – where he realized the data management reporting tools were what was really interesting.
“I realized I liked the technical stuff more,” he said.
Pratt learned to code and, while working at ADK Group, a company that developed apps for clients, the entrepreneurial itch began. Then the pandemic hit, putting it into overdrive.
“During the pandemic … the walls were kind of closing in on us,” he said. He let his apartment lease expire and moved in with his parents. He became addicted to Strava, an app that helps cyclists and runners record their treks. “I found that I loved the community aspect of it … the encouragement.”
The more he thought about it, the more he realized a platform like it didn’t exist in golf.
“There’s really no digital place of record for people’s participation in golf, so I set out to build that,” he said. “I was really itching to build something myself, and when that idea clicked I wanted to drop everything and start building. I realized there was a huge market opportunity for this, just building something that focused on what makes golf fun.”
Pratt partnered with DVx Ventures in New York (led by former Tesla President Jon McNeill), which provided him with the support to get started. Today he has team of three people.
While the startup is based in New York, he’s not opposed to someday moving back to Durham.
“We’ve thought about it,” he said.
If all goes as planned at Leaderboard Golf, the firm could be ready for a seed round in the next six to eight months.