This interview feature of Jonathan Azouri is part of Exeleon Magazine’s annual issue – The 100 Most Dynamic Leaders. Check out the Full Listing of Exeleon’s 100 Most Dynamic Leaders of 2025.
Access to recreational sports has often come with barriers; from unavailable rinks to inconvenient booking systems that discourage participation. For Jonathan Azouri and his sister Maya Azouri, growing up playing hockey in Toronto made those challenges clear. What if finding and booking a facility could be as seamless as booking a flight or hotel room?
That idea led to the creation of CatchCorner, a sports facility booking platform that has grown into over 15 North American markets and partnered with Sports Illustrated to fuel its expansion. In this interview, Jonathan Azouri, CEO of CatchCorner, shares the story behind the platform, the challenges and advantages of working with a sibling co-founder, and his vision for the future of recreational sports
What sparked the idea for CatchCorner, and how did you both decide to turn it into a business?
Jonathan Azouri: Growing up in Toronto, my sister Maya and I played a lot of hockey and other sports, but one of the biggest challenges was always finding an available rink or facility nearby. It struck us that if booking a flight or hotel is so seamless on platforms like Expedia, why couldn’t the same be true for sports facilities? At the time, there really wasn’t anything like this on the market, so we knew we had to fill this gap. After a lot of development and testing, our app CatchCorner launched in 2019, intended to make access to sports facilities as seamless as possible.
CatchCorner has expanded into over 15 North American markets. What factors guided your market expansion strategy?
Jonathan Azouri: Early success stories in Toronto helped demonstrate the value of the platform, which in turn made it easier to enter new markets. We fine-tuned a formula that has proven to add value for our facility partners, as well as for customers who value convenience.
Our strategy has always been guided by community needs. We look for markets with strong sports cultures where people are eager to play but often struggle with access. Partnering with Sports Illustrated, the most trusted name in sports, in 2021 gave us the opportunity and the resources to move into big US markets like New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
As sibling co-founders, how do you both divide responsibilities and decision-making?
Jonathan Azouri: This is a question I get often, and I think it’s because sibling relationships, by nature, are intertwined and can make it difficult to find your own footing. That was especially true for us in the beginning, when there were no clearly defined roles in the company. Who would design the UI? Who would map out the UX? What would the company even be called? These were all unknowns at first. Over time, we realized that we didn’t both need to do everything — we just needed to both understand everything. Much like it was when we were growing up, as business partners we relied on a mix of trust, guidance, and raw honesty to figure everything out.
Our strengths naturally complement each other. I’m detail-oriented and a planner — both in personality and in my role as CEO. My sister Maya is drawn to people and social dynamics, which has always been her strong suit. That balance, combined with a genuine friendship, honest feedback, and an incredible team around us, is what has allowed us to work so well together. There are days when we’ll argue a point until it feels moot, but we’ve also learned when to step back, take a breather, and return to it with a clearer perspective.
How do you see technology further transforming the way people access and experience recreational sports?
Jonathan Azouri: People value convenience. Every successful business seems to be built on that pillar. Technology has transformed the way people expect to access services. It’s why we can now order a ride, groceries, or a hotel room instantly from our phones. Sports should be no different. On-demand access is what drives CatchCorner: the ability to find a facility, see real-time availability and rates, and book it in seconds.
But as technology evolves, we’re always looking for ways to make the user experience even more seamless. Our recent collaboration with Google is a great example of that. The new integrated “Book Online” button allows users to book any courts, fields, and ice rinks within our markets directly from Google Search. We are always looking for steps forward in removing friction, ultimately transforming the way people access recreational sports.
What advice would you give to other founders who are trying to disrupt legacy industries?
Jonathan Azouri: From my experience, the best advice is to build solutions that make life tangibly better and surround yourself with a resilient, adaptable team. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but if you stay consistent, hold true to your values, and remain open to feedback, you’ll create an impact that lasts. Ultimately, it’s less about chasing disruption and more about building something people can’t imagine living without.
What’s next for you and CatchCorner? With nearly $50 million in annual bookings, where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth in the next 2–3 years?
Jonathan Azouri: We see the biggest opportunities in expanding rapidly into new geographic markets where demand is strong but current options are limited. Over the next few years, our goal is to make CatchCorner a household name in every city across North America.
By scaling our reach, we’ll be able to introduce our platform to a much wider audience and deepen our presence in each individual market. This means more people will be able to discover the facilities they want and enjoy greater access to sports in every community we serve.
