Hardware Podcasts

Marucci Sports - Kurt Ainsworth

How I Built This · 16 Dec 2024 · 1h 10m

What this episode covers

Kurt Ainsworth, co-founder and CEO of Marucci Sports, explains how he and partners Jack Marucci and Joe Lawrence built a wooden bat company in his backyard after his MLB pitching career ended due to injury. The company faced a critical near-death experience in 2012 when the NCAA decertified their aluminum bats for testing above performance limits, forcing a costly recall and melt-down of inventory. Ainsworth details the strategic pivot to regain trust, the acquisition of Victus, and the eventual sale to Fox Factory, leading to Marucci becoming the official bat of Major League Baseball in 2025.

Most relevant to

founders before launch and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Marucci Sports, Louisville Slugger, Victus, Fox Factory, Compass
Also
NCAA, MLB, BBCOR

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