Introduction by Miguel, Founder of NKORT

Hello, I am Miguel from NKORT, the creator of FLIPP, the only tennis ball picker and hopper that also works for pickleball. The same design serves both sports—how cool is that? As we gear up for launch, I’ll answer the top questions I’ve been receiving.

When Are You Launching?

👉 LAUNCH DATE IS SET TO SEP 16th, 2025

You back our Kickstarter campaign → HERE.

We plan to launch as soon as possible, depending on building a waitlist large enough to ensure our Kickstarter project funds within the first 24 hours. Rapid funding boosts the project’s visibility on Kickstarter’s main page, attracting more backers and potentially raising more money. We aim to raise $100,000 to $150,000 to cover industrial design, manufacturing, and shipping costs. While we could set a lower goal to guarantee funding, our target ensures most production costs are covered.

Why Are You Launching on Kickstarter?

Kickstarter, along with platforms like Indiegogo, allows entrepreneurs and companies to validate new products and raise funds for manufacturing. I’ve created a working prototype of FLIPP that people love, but it’s the only unit in existence. To produce more, I need to invest in industrial design to refine its appearance, select durable materials, and ensure proper engineering. This involves hiring firms for design and engineering, finding suppliers for a minimum order of 500 to 1,000 units, and managing manufacturing, quality assurance, and shipping from overseas to a U.S. warehouse. Kickstarter validates demand by allowing interested buyers to fund the project before production, unlike traditional investor funding, which doesn’t confirm market interest.

Why Are You Charging $1 for VIP Reservation?

To launch a successful Kickstarter campaign, we need to gauge buying intent beyond general interest from email sign-ups. Charging a $1 VIP reservation fee identifies those genuinely interested in purchasing FLIPP. VIP members secure the product at the best price—currently set at $99 instead of the $159 retail price, saving $59. This price may adjust based on final manufacturing costs, but the VIP deal ensures significant savings.

When Will You Deliver the First Units?

Once the Kickstarter campaign funds, production involves several steps: industrial design, supplier selection, manufacturing 500 to 1,000 units, testing, packaging, and shipping. This process typically takes six to ten months. Ideally, we’ll deliver units before next summer, in time for tennis, pickleball, or paddle court seasons.

How Much Will It Cost?

The target retail price is $159, though this may vary depending on manufacturing costs and market factors. FLIPP offers great value, as it’s the only product I know that picks up both tennis and pickleballs efficiently. For example, if you’re paying $60 for a tennis class and spend 30% of it picking up balls, that’s $20 wasted per session. FLIPP can cut that time by 50%, saving money and effort, especially for those with ball machines or back issues who value time and comfort.

Does It Work for Pickleball?

Yes, FLIPP works for pickleball. Initially designed for tennis balls, which are smaller and easier to squeeze, I modified the mechanism after requests from the pickleball community. The adjusted design now picks up tennis balls, pickleballs, baseballs, and even pop cans—anything with a diameter between 2.5 and 3 inches, spherical or cylindrical. To my knowledge, FLIPP is the only product with a single design accommodating both ball types.

Is It Going to Look Like This?

This is a prototype, built with off-the-shelf components in my Vancouver, Canada workshop after seven iterations. Previous versions ranged from a simple crate with holes to a modified European stroller, but they were bulky or costly. The final product, designed by a skilled Italian industrial design firm, will look polished and manufacturable while retaining the same functionality and capacity (80 tennis balls or 60 pickleballs). It will convert from a picker to a hopper and fold for easy transport. I’ll share design concepts as they become available.

Will It Work on Clay or Har-Tru Courts?

FLIPP works on clay courts and should perform well on Har-Tru, though I haven’t tested it on the latter due to limited access in British Columbia. It functions on hard courts, clay, and paddle courts with synthetic carpet-like surfaces. The only limitation is court bumps larger than half an inch (12 mm), which could interfere, but such surfaces are generally unsuitable for play. Grass courts with short blades should also be compatible, though untested.

How Many Balls Can It Hold?

FLIPP holds 80 tennis balls or 60 pickleballs. Pickleballs, being larger, take up more volume, reducing capacity. I kept the size manageable for easy carrying—fully loaded with 80 tennis balls, it weighs about 10 to 15 pounds (6 kg). A larger version would be harder to transport. The industrial design firm is working to make it even lighter while maintaining durability.

What Is Your Background?

I have a mechanical design degree from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where I graduated with honors and received the mechanical design award. I’ve always loved building things, from Lego as a child to contraptions like a pole-climbing camera system for recording soccer games and a soccer-themed board game. My career spans running an animation studio for over a decade, developing apps, working in IT for a television studio, and shooting commercials and music videos. This diverse skill set, combined with my passion for hands-on projects, enabled me to build FLIPP. Originally from Bilbao in Spain’s Basque Country, I’ve lived in Canada for 27 years and speak Spanish and some Basque.

Why Did You Make This Hopper?

I created FLIPP to solve the tedious task of picking up balls during tennis practice, a problem I encountered when I started playing seriously during the pandemic. After playing soccer my whole life, I fell in love with tennis but found classes inefficient due to time spent collecting balls. Existing solutions like wire baskets, tubes, and hoppers were inadequate, so I used my mechanical design skills to create FLIPP. My goal is to see FLIPP on tennis, pickleball, and paddle courts worldwide, helping players spend more time playing and less time picking up balls.

How Does the Ball Picking Mechanism Work?

The mechanism is the “magic sauce” that makes FLIPP unique, allowing it to pick up balls of different diameters quickly—up to 60 balls in under two seconds. It’s not battery-powered, and its simple, reliable design is patent-pending. I won’t reveal the details now, but buyers will see how it works firsthand. Its speed and versatility set it apart from other tools.

How Durable Will It Be?

The prototype has picked up over 50,000 balls in two years and remains functional, despite not being as clean as it once was. It’s sturdier than typical wire baskets, which are unstable in hopper mode, and more reliable than pickup tubes or rollers. The final product, designed with professional input, will be even more durable, outlasting many existing tools.

Where Will You Ship First?

We’ll ship first to the United States, a large market with millions of tennis, pickleball, and paddle players, particularly in Florida. U.S. consumers are also familiar with crowdfunding. While anyone worldwide can back the project, initial shipments will prioritize the U.S., likely from a factory in China or Vietnam to a U.S. port.

How Much Will Shipping Cost?

Shipping costs vary by location and tariffs and are not included in the product price. Expect shipping to cost 15–20% of the product’s price (e.g., $24–$32 for a $159 retail unit). I’ll ensure transparency about shipping costs so backers know the total cost to their doorstep. Unlike Amazon Prime, free shipping isn’t feasible for this crowdfunded product.

Is It Really Much Faster?

FLIPP is three to twenty times faster than traditional methods like wire baskets, which require repetitive motions and can pick up only a few balls at a time. FLIPP’s design, with forks to grab balls from court edges and corners, excels in realistic scenarios where balls cluster. I’ve picked up 60 balls in under two seconds, and even with scattered balls, it’s significantly faster and less effort-intensive.

Is It Going to Come with a Lid?

Yes, FLIPP will include a lid to prevent balls from spilling if it topples or is stored in a trunk. The industrial design firm is incorporating this feature.

Is It Going to Be Made of the Same Materials?

The final product will likely be a plastic crate, similar to the prototype, but we’re exploring options like ballistic nylon for a lightweight, collapsible design. Regardless, it will look better, maintain or improve functionality, and remain durable.

Will the Forks Get Stuck in the Fence?

The forks can get caught if driven directly into a wire fence, but this can be avoided by steering carefully, much like driving a car within lanes. The industrial design firm is developing a fork design less likely to snag, and I’ve successfully used FLIPP near nets and court edges without issues, as shown in my videos.

Will It Be Able to Hold 200 Pounds?

FLIPP isn’t designed to hold 200 pounds—that’s an unrealistic expectation for any product. However, it will be more durable than existing tools like wire baskets or pickup tubes, withstanding normal use and outlasting flimsier alternatives.

Is It Easy to Dump into a Hopper?

Yes, FLIPP is designed to easily dump balls into a tennis ball machine or another hopper. You can fold it in half or use the handle to pour balls efficiently, making it an ideal companion for ball machines.

Will It Fit in a Sedan Trunk?

At about 18 inches high, FLIPP fits in most sedan trunks, including those with limited height like the Tesla Model 3. This ensures easy transport for most users.

Are You Planning Other Products?

NKORT is the umbrella brand for future products. If FLIPP succeeds, I plan to develop a simpler version that only picks up balls, without hopper functionality, for use with ball machines or large training carts. It would feature a telescopic handle for quick ball collection. My goal is to make NKORT a recognizable brand in racquet sports, creating tools to help players improve.

Closing

Thanks for watching! If you have more questions, comment below or email me at miguel at nkort.com. Stay tuned for the Kickstarter launch to back FLIPP and make it a reality.

Play more, suffer less!

Join the Launch Waitlist → HERE.