Play Share

A simple idea with big potential

Play Share is a Los Angeles-based startup using connected technology to help people make the most of shared public spaces. The company was founded by co-founder Michael Zou after a simple but memorable experience: at a company picnic in a local park, no one had brought a ball to play with. That moment sparked the realization that shared equipment could transform public spaces into more engaging, active, and enjoyable environments.

The Play Share locker was designed with simplicity at its core. Families, friends, or individuals visiting a park can quickly borrow everything from basketballs and volleyballs to tennis gear, horseshoes, or even ring toss sets. The lockers make it easy for anyone to get active, without needing to carry gear from home.

By offering accessible, on-demand equipment, Play Share helps municipalities make parks more inviting and usable, while giving residents more reasons to come together, stay active, and enjoy their communities.

Challenge: A new way to unlock recreation

Public spaces are valuable assets for cities, but managing on-site equipment rentals has historically been a challenge. Municipalities want to encourage residents to enjoy recreation facilities, yet staffing and maintaining rental services is often costly. This has limited availability mostly to high-revenue equipment like paddle boats, leaving everyday activities underserved.

For smaller parks, in particular, the lack of easy access to recreational gear can mean missed opportunities for families and communities to connect. Carrying equipment from home is inconvenient, and once people are at the park without it, they often simply go without.

Play Share identified this gap and set out to design a solution that could offer on-demand rentals without the need for staff or constant supervision. The challenge was to create a system that was simple for users, secure enough for public environments, and easy for municipalities to maintain.

Solution: Smart lockers for everyday play

The Play Share smart locker works much like a vending machine: users select the gear they want, borrow it for as long as they like, and then return it when finished. The process is intuitive and quick, ensuring accessibility for families, kids, and casual park visitors.

Behind the scenes, however, the system integrates sophisticated technology. User identity and payment details are verified through the app, and built-in machine vision helps confirm that returned items match what was borrowed. The lockers themselves are designed to operate unattended for long periods, with robust physical security that makes them reliable for municipalities.

By combining ease of use with advanced monitoring and secure design, Play Share creates a win-win scenario: parks are able to offer expanded services with minimal effort, and communities gain a fun, low-cost way to get the most out of their shared spaces.

Why Soracom: Connectivity that just works

Connectivity was a critical design decision for Play Share from the earliest prototypes. Parks and open spaces often don’t have reliable Wi-Fi, and deploying public networks comes with coverage limitations, security risks, and complex interdepartmental hurdles.

Cellular connectivity solved these challenges immediately. With Soracom Air providing built-in multicarrier coverage, each locker operates as a self-contained unit. No additional hardware or setup is required, and lockers can be placed in a variety of environments without worrying about network reliability.

Soracom’s management console adds another layer of value by giving the Play Share team full visibility into all lockers in the field. This means they can manage connectivity centrally, respond quickly to any issues, and continue to scale operations without adding complexity.

Future Plans: Unlocking even more opportunities

Initial deployments in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area have been met with strong positive feedback from both municipalities and park-goers. With early success proven, Play Share is now exploring expansion across California and beyond, aiming to bring its lockers to parks of all sizes nationwide.

The team also sees potential far beyond recreation. The same model of shared-access, unattended lockers could apply to workplaces, shopping centers, and residential buildings. Imagine being able to borrow tools, laptops, or even portable battery packs from a secure, connected locker – all without needing staff on-site.

As Play Share grows, the mission remains clear: to use connected technology to make public and shared spaces more engaging, convenient, and community-driven. Whether it’s a soccer ball in a park or a toolkit in a dorm, Play Share is proving that the right equipment, available at the right moment, can unlock real human connection.