We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ransley Carpio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ransley below.

Alright, Ransley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Broadly speaking as a consumer brands investor and advisor, I’m seeing shifts to community and “fourth places” that are centered around passion/purpose-driven social clubs – places that are engineered for connection and growth. Specific to what we’re building with Miami Racket Club, we’re witnessing a meaningful shift: the game is evolving from a performance-focused sport into a cultural signifier, much like golf, running, or cycling have over the past decade. Today, people want more than a court. They want a community, an aesthetic, and an identity to match.

I created Miami Racket Club in the summer of 2023, and over time, it’s become a platform that taps directly into these movements. We’re not just organizing matches. We’re curating experiences for members who crave meaningful connection, all grounded in shared values. From our apparel to our events, every touchpoint is designed to feel modern, elevated, and culturally fluent.

We’ve been intentional from day one. With 100 members and a waitlist of over 600, our focus is on depth over scale. We’re thoughtful about who joins, what we host, and how we engage. The result is a redefinition of tennis as a lifestyle. A community where people show up not just to play, but to belong.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ransley Carpio. I’m an investor and advisor to consumer brands, and the founder of Miami Racket Club (MRC), an invite-only tennis and social club that sits at the intersection of sport, culture, and community. My career has been shaped by helping build and scale brands in the consumer space, particularly in categories like luxury, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle. I’ve always been drawn to businesses that evoke emotion; brands that create connection, not just consumption.

When I moved to Miami in 2022, I found it difficult to find my footing. That changed when I joined a local tennis league where I found community, routine, and belonging. It was a reminder of the power of sport, but also a realization: there were plenty of places to play, but few that celebrated the culture around the game. That insight inspired me to create MRC.

At MRC, tennis is the entry point, but our offering goes far beyond the court. We host high-level matches, curate elevated member events, collaborate with culturally relevant brands, and release limited-edition apparel that reflects our aesthetic point of view. We also recently established a nonprofit foundation that supports the next generation of tennis talent through scholarships, equipment, and access to competitive opportunities. We will soon be launching an elevated Player Challenge app to integrate the broader tennis community in Miami with MRC.

What sets us apart is how we blend performance with lifestyle. We’re not trying to recreate the traditional country club. We’re creating something that feels modern, intentional, and aspirational where athletes, creatives, and tastemakers coexist. With just 100 members and a waitlist of over 600, every element of what we do is curated, from who joins, to how we engage, to what we build.

I’m most proud of the cultural movement we’re shaping. We’ve created a space where competition meets creativity, and where the rituals of sport are reimagined for a new generation. I want people to know that MRC isn’t just a club, it’s a lens through which we’re redefining tennis, hospitality, and community in Miami. And for the young players we support, I hope it becomes a launchpad to something greater than they thought possible.

If you’re just discovering us, know this: we’re building something rooted in excellence and designed with care. Miami is our home, but the ethos we represent speaks to a global audience who sees tennis not just as a sport, but as a way of life.

How did you build your audience on social media?

We built our social media audience the same way we built the club itself: deliberately, authentically, and with a strong point of view. From the beginning, we weren’t trying to be everything to everyone. We focused on telling a very specific story, one rooted in culture, aesthetics, and community around the game of tennis.

Instead of chasing trends, we created a visual and narrative identity that felt elevated and timeless. Every post, every caption, and every piece of content had to serve a purpose: either inspire, inform, or invite someone into the world we were building. We also leaned into quality over quantity. The goal was never vanity metrics but instead it was to build resonance with the right audience. The result has been a 14% month-over-month growth since we started the page in earnest in January 2024.

My advice for anyone just starting: treat your social media as a brand, not just a channel. Be consistent in voice and visuals. Create content that reflects your values and that your ideal audience would want to share. And don’t try to “hack” your way to growth. Build slowly, but build with intention. The right people will follow when the story is clear, the aesthetic is cohesive, and the mission is felt.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

From day one, my wife and I have personally funded Miami Racket Club, including being the first donors to launch our nonprofit arm. It was important to us that the foundation be built with intention and clarity of vision. We weren’t looking to raise capital just to grow, we wanted to build something meaningful, something that served a purpose.

Our members also play a vital role. Their dues help offset operational costs, but more importantly, they allow us to reinvest into what makes the club special: elevated experiences, high-level matches, community activations, and access for the next generation of players. Everything that comes in – and more – is funneled back into the community we’re building.

Looking ahead, we know that to fully bring our vision to life, we’ll need a physical platform… a home for Miami Racket Club that reflects the culture we’ve created. At that point, we will be exploring the right investor partners to help us scale in a way that protects what makes MRC unique while unlocking greater impact. That includes permanent courts, hospitality infrastructure, and expanded nonprofit initiatives.

We’re not building fast but we’re building thoughtfully. But we believe what we’re creating deserves a lasting footprint, and we’re excited to bring the right people into that journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themiamiracketclub.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miami_racketclub/

Image Credits

Ben Everden, Paul Ayala