AI for Growth: Lessons from Leaders Daren Hornig

Daren is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CourtsApp, the first AI-powered booking platform built for racquet sports like tennis, pickleball, padel, and squash. Launching fall of 2025 in the Northeast, CourtsApp is poised to become the go-to platform for court reservations, making it easy for players to book courts and for facilities to fill unused court time without changing a thing. Daren is also Managing Partner of Hornig Capital Partners, bringing over 35 years of real estate experience with a diverse background as a real estate broker, telecommunications entrepreneur, and real estate investor and developer. Since founding HCP in 2013, he has acquired and developed over $1 billion in properties across office, residential, retail, and industrial sectors. In 2023, he successfully acquired the famed Port Washington Tennis Academy and partnered with Sportime to establish Sportime Port Washington, home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. Following an $8 million renovation, the facility now features 13 tennis courts and 12 pickleball courts and 2 golf simulators. In 2024, Daren partnered with Sportime again to launch Sportime Pickleball, focused on expanding pickleball facilities throughout the Northeast. The company currently operates five clubs, spanning 160,000 square feet with 66 indoor dedicated courts, and is actively acquiring new properties through leases and acquisitions to expand further. A 1989 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor's degree in Business Marketing, Daren resides in both New York and Florida. When he's not building companies and buildings or opening new pickleball facilities, you can find him on the courts or the slopes.