Growing up, Chris Clark’s passion for sports provided him with more than exercise and entertainment; it gave him a real community. While he loved all sports, it was tennis that brought Chris friendships, mentorships, and the values that define him today. After years in the corporate world, Chris felt something was missing day-to-day: his passion and joy for sport and a sense of community.
In 2020, Chris acted on his passions and opened Toss and Spin, a mobile racket sports club with an emphasis on building community through lessons, classes, and live events. Toss and Spin regularly hosts mobile pop-ups around Chicago and the country with the mission of giving others the sense of community racket sports provided for Chris growing up. Toss and Spin also partnered with SPF in 2023 to host joint lessons, classes, and events in downtown Chicago.
“I always say, how do we make the most fun entry point to racket sports worldwide? How do we connect and put as many paddles and rackets into as many people’s hands as possible?” Chris said. “Our programming and what we do focuses a lot on fun at scale for the community.”
Shortly after opening, Chris was approached about a partnership with Shake Shack after a Shake Shack employee attended a Toss and Spin class. This meeting resulted in a ten event deal series with Shake Shack. Since then, Toss and Spin has partnered with numerous brands from Dick’s Sporting Goods to Nike, providing pickleball courts in the parking lots of new store locations.
In 2024, Chris received a small business loan from Allies for Community Business (A4CB) that provided the capital needed to support start-up costs for a contract with AARP, one of Toss and Spin’s many partnerships. Later that year, Chris returned to A4CB for additional capital to help manage fluctuating revenues due to the seasonality of his sales for a business that provided outdoor sporting activities.
As Chris grew his business, he continued to seek other services from A4CB. In 2025, Chris participated in A4CB’s Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab (NEL), a 3-month cohort-based accelerator program that pairs community business owners with strategists and advisors who provide intensive support for a business growth initiative. Each entrepreneur also receives a $20,000 grant to help execute their growth plan.
Upon completion, Chris used his NEL funding to scale the mobile side of Toss and Spin, which now also supplied mobile pickleball courts to events outside of Chicago, including an event with Google in New York City. The NEL funding also enabled Chris to invest in technology to create a Toss and Spin phone app where users check class availability and book sessions.
Chris continues to rely on the connections made in NEL by partnering with other members of his cohort who provide product samples at Toss and Spin events. When searching for grants and other funding opportunities, Chris credits the support of his mentors at A4CB.
“They [A4CB] have always been helpful,” shares Chris. “And then I was part of this cohort and really got to know the team…it’s a group of people who are just willing to help.”
Today, Chris has a team of five full-time employees and over twenty-five contractors. Toss and Spin continues to focus on community with the goal of opening a brick-and-mortar location, ideally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Chris also hopes to eliminate the need to navigate the seasonality of outdoor sports and provide year-round programming. A base in Chicago will allow Chris the opportunity to scale while staying true to his commitment to providing local communities with fun memories on the courts for years to come.
