James Ignatowich Falls In Love With Pickleball Again With New RPM Paddle Venture

James Ignatowich (L) poses with the Yello Club Director of Pickleball Lauren Giegowd and two of his new paddles.

Todd Boss

James Ignatowich strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn’t like to sit still.

Perhaps it is his well-known “hopping” motion that he does on the court before he serves the ball (a trick he picked up early in his pickleball career as a way to get his feet moving on the court). Or, perhaps it’s because Ignatowich conducted no fewer than seventy (70) clinics in 2024 while touring full time (20+ tournaments), an astounding number when you consider that he needs to be onsite at each event for at least four days and, you know, needs to have a life outside of his job.

Now, he’s turned that energy into something a bit more entrepreneurial in nature: he’s the co-founder and majority owner of a new paddle company RPM that just came out with its first line of paddles. The new gear incorporates best-of-breed technologies in the late-stage 3rd generation of paddles, and have been met in the industry with raves by Pros (listen to Travis Rettenmaier give props on his Bad Calls podcast), industry insiders (listen to John Kew’s interview with Ignatowich on his KewCast podcast for a really deep-dive into the tech behind RPM’s paddles), and regular players (he’s already sold out his first batch).

This being Forbes, I was interested in his approach and strategy with the new venture, so I sat down with Ignatowich and talked about the business side of building a company and building a paddle.

Ignatowich’s is not the first pro who has been involved in the making of paddles:

– Julian Arnold helped found Volair before stepping away and leaving it to his childhood friend Ryan Cohen (fun fact: Arnold and Cohen was the first ever interview I conducted after getting hired by Forbes to write about Pickleball).

– Callan Dawson was an early advisor to ProKennex pickleball before teaming up with the rest of his playing family (senior Pro parents Steve and Jennifer Dawson) to form Avoura Pickleball.

– Notable pros like Zane Navratil (with ProXR), Ben Johns (with Joola), and Anna Leigh Waters (with Paddletek) have provided input into the design of their signature paddles.

However, Ignatowich really is the first pro player to forage out on this path as the primary financial backer and decision maker, and has come out with a line of paddles that include technology and features that are unique amongst the thousands of options on the market. He backed this venture with capital he raised while keeping his hectic 2024 clinic schedule, confident he could make RPM work.

What kick started this journey? Says Ignatowich, “I wasn’t super happy about my previous equipment, and I wanted to make as good a paddle as possible. Starting in early 2025, I dialed back my clinic schedule, and began to shift that clinic time into free time. Then, I shifted that free time into engineering and research time, spending six hours a day studying materials science and the engineering behind paddles.”

His research led to an exhaustive design and testing phase. Working with his China-based manufacturers, Ignatowich tested and incorporated the strategic use of different foam types in different parts of the paddle, along with specialized glue to get the performance edge he sought. “We ended up testing 50 different prototypes. We have three different types of foam in the paddles, using a tri-density core with a honeycomb pattern and then adding ultra-high density foam at the throat, which gives a bit of flex on the swing that drives power. We use a very soft glue to connect the face layers of poly-carbon fiber; that glue impacts the amount of dwell time. Soft glue means a more plush feel, while adding to the rebound effect and adding more power. Lastly, we use thinner carbon fiber on the face, which gives more flex, also driving more power.”

He finishes up: “Lots of companies don’t pay attention at this level of detail; foam sourcing, thickness of the carbon fiber, the quality of the glue. We do.”

RPM paddles have tested at the current USAP PBCoR legal limit of for power, and are right at the threshold for spin testing as well, figures validated during his paddle’s certification with the NGB. He’s also pursuing UPA-A certification, starting with “blackout” certification on tour to avoid the larger marketing fee for now, with an eye towards paying the fee for 2026 as part of the next phase of his marketing strategy.

Side note: if you want a nice overview of what each paddle “generation” means and how RPM fits into the current state of pickleball construction, read this excellent article by the Kitchen’s Adam Forziata from March 2025 on the topic. The short answer is, “Gen-3” paddles are a generally a combination of the Gen-2 honeycomb internals, augmented with foam insertion to prevent delamination and destruction while adding stability and power. Earlier generation paddles were composite or wood-based, which seem like relics based on the advances we’ve seen in the industry in the last 2 years.

While researching the technology, Ignatowich partnered up with longtime friend Marwan Abaza to help launch the business. Ignatowich describes Abaza as his “glue-guy, helping when I can’t find time. He’s also coordinating with the supplier, managing the team, and liaising with everyone.”

However, it’s clear this is Ignatowich’s baby. He quickly took to this process, and began to draw upon his college experiences (James was an Economics major at Vanderbilt before turning pro in 2022) to really get into the business side of being a paddle manufacturer. Not surprisingly for any budding entrepreneur, Ignatowich is finding that the challenge of working on a start-up can be intoxicating.

“I’m finding this process to be more enjoyable and more meaningful than playing. Making RPM and being knee-deep in the process, working with suppliers, ambassadors, retailers, marketing. Every part of the process of being an entrepreneur has been so much more fun. I’m falling in love with the learning experience of starting up a business.”

Ignatowich is using China-based manufacturing, as are most leading manufacturers at present. “First off, they make the best handles. They pay more attention to detail. The Gen-3 style construction in China more refined. Lastly, it’s just cheaper there.” He plans on traveling to China next month to help refine his Quality Control process, to eyeball the factories, and to develop the relationship with his suppliers even further. Tariffs are constantly in the news in 2025, and Ignatowich (as a new-found importer of Chinese manufactured goods) has a tariff-management strategy in place, just one of the many business problems he’s had to solve on this journey. Like a typical entrepreneur, every company problem is his problem, from Sales to Logistics to Branding. We even talked about the joy of learning QuickBooks to help manage corporate finances.

RPM is pursuing more or less a guerilla marketing strategy for now, with James specifically not wanting to put his name front and center on the paddle. “You’ll notice the paddles do not have my signature on it; this is going to be bigger than just me. I don’t want to be ‘pro player white labeling a paddle from Alibaba and coasting on his name.’ We want this to be a major brand. I can push it myself, but if people love the paddle, people will buy it and play with it.”

Ignatowich’s time spent doing clinics nationwide gave him networking avenues that he’s now leveraging to help drive an initial Sales strategy. “I taught those clinics and banked a ton of capital, so now I have these connections and ties into clubs from a retail perspective. I was sending prototypes to clubs and teaching pros I knew, and as I iterated the feedback was great. So I said, well do you want to buy in bulk?” And buy they did; RPM has already sold out its first 1,000 run batch, and Ignatowich has already covered his initial start-up investment.

I got to witness the paddle in action, in the hands of its founder and creator, when Ignatowich came into my hometown in Richmond, Virginia last weekend to conduct a clinic at the Yello Club in the West End ahead of this weekend’s Virginia Beach Cup. Even though Ignatowich has fallen in love with building his new business, it’s still clear he loves doing clinics. At the end of the day, Ignatowich played a bunch of 2-on-1 and demonstrated the power and spin capabilities of the new paddle for the attendees who stuck around until the end of the day. Let’s just say that Ignatowich, who’s already known for being one of the more powerful players on tour, may have found his new secret weapon going forward.

Ignatowich will take his new paddle into action starting at this coming weekend’s tournament, and will look to get back to the podium. He made the Pro Doubles final at the Vintage Open in Sacramento two weekends ago playing with wood (aka “Generation 0”) equipment, and hasn’t medaled since November 2024. Perhaps he’s been distracted with the business, or perhaps he wasn’t playing up to his expectations with his prior paddle, but one thing’s for sure: Ignatowich certainly has a new avenue for his attention span going forward.