Amazing Athletes vs 9Round

Amazing Athletes is the stronger opportunity, and the decisive dimension is timing. A 9% unit growth rate versus a 29% contraction tells you everything about where the energy is. Selling into a shrinking system means fighting for fewer new deals and facing churn-risky incumbents who are cutting costs. Amazing Athletes is actively adding locations, which creates a steady stream of greenfield implementations where there’s no legacy software to displace. That momentum also makes the franchisor more receptive to vendor partnerships that promise to standardize and support new owner onboarding.

The tradeoff is terrain, and it’s meaningful. Amazing Athletes runs a franchisor-controlled procurement model, which means you’ll have to sell through corporate gatekeepers and likely endure a longer, more political sales cycle. 9Round’s approved-supplier model is far friendlier for direct selling to individual franchisees. But that advantage is hollow when the system is bleeding units. A restrictive sales environment inside a growing brand beats an open one inside a collapsing one every time.

Budget is also a quiet differentiator. Amazing Athletes’ franchisees invest far less upfront ($75K–$101K) and generate a known $258K AUV, leaving meaningful room for a software line item relative to their total operating cost. 9Round’s investment range stretches up to $390K with no disclosed AUV, which signals a capital-intensive model with less predictable cash flow for tech spend. You’re selling into healthier unit economics on the Amazing Athletes side.

Verdict: Target Amazing Athletes — the unit growth and healthier unit economics outweigh the friction of a controlled procurement model.