Evolution Tennis Academy and Racket Matrix aren't hobbies. They are real businesses, built by real students, through one of the most distinctive entrepreneurship programs in the western United States. This page explains how that works — and why it matters for our community.
We believe you have a right to understand exactly how this organization works, who is building it, and what equips them to do so. We welcome every question. We respect every questioner.
Owen and Eliott McPeak are college students. They are also business founders. Those two things aren't in conflict — they're by design. Boise State's Venture College exists specifically to help students launch real companies while earning their degrees. ETA and Racket Matrix aren't side projects — they are the coursework, the capstone, the career.
We're publishing this page so that parents, coaches, investors, community members, and other young entrepreneurs can see the full picture. If the transparency inspires a question, good. That's working.
In 2024, Eagle Tennis Club — the cathedral of community tennis in Eagle, Idaho — closed its doors unexpectedly. For the McPeak family, it wasn't just a business closing. It was where Eliott, Owen, and their father Todd had built their lives around the sport. It was where Lucy Merrick grew up. It was where hundreds of families found community, purpose, and joy during their toughest years.
KTVB News came to document the moment. Eliott and Owen appeared on camera — two young men trying to articulate what had been lost. Their message was clear: this community deserves better.
When the cameras left, they went to work. Not because they had a business plan. Because there was a hole in their community that needed filling, and nobody else was stepping forward.
Eliott, Owen, and Lucy are working full time, studying full time, and exhausting themselves in service to their community to try to fix a problem which they personally experienced as devastating. All they've ever known is closures. Perhaps they can be forgiven for trying to start something of their own.
If someone has a better plan for keeping our families playing together and interacting with love — we'd genuinely like to hear it. Until then, these young people are the ones showing up.
Three connected ventures, one purpose: bring tennis investment back to the Treasure Valley.
This isn't a classroom exercise. Every one of these resources feeds directly into the businesses Owen and Eliott are building for this community.
BSU's flagship pitch competition — students compete for $50,000+ in total prizes. Real investors. Real feedback. Real funding potential. Held each spring.
boisestate.edu/iec →Structured startup mentorship — intensive business-building support, peer community, and expert advising designed to take student ventures from concept to launch.
BSU's centralized business hub opened a new Venture College Incubator in January 2026, complete with workspace, mentorship, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program.
Read the announcement →Free business consulting through Boise State's Small Business Development Center — SBA loan guidance, lease negotiation, financial planning, and market research.
Ongoing guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and business faculty who serve as formal advisors to student ventures — not guest speakers, but committed mentors.
Access to Boise's angel investor community, established business leaders, and alumni founders through Venture College's deep local connections.
Pitch competition held during Boise's Treefort Music Fest — an opportunity to present to a diverse audience of technologists, investors, and community builders.
Learn more →Academic rigor applied to customer discovery, financial modeling, and competitive analysis. Not guesswork — data. Not wishful thinking — tested assumptions.
Learn more about Boise State's Venture College — its mission, programs, competitions, and the ecosystem it has built for Idaho's next generation of founders.
boisestate.edu/venturecollege →Every step is public. Every milestone is documented. This is what building in the open looks like.
The unexpected closure of the Treasure Valley's most storied tennis community. KTVB covers the story; Eliott and Owen speak on camera about what was lost. The Idaho Business Review, BoiseDev, and the Eagle High School newspaper document the impact.
Todd McPeak, Percy Chan, Jim Brown, Michael Zitterkopf, Owen McPeak, Eliott McPeak, and Lucy Merrick commit to keeping community tennis alive. Eagle Tennis Academy is born.
Rather than treat tennis as a side project, they make it the center of their education. BSU's Venture College provides the academic framework, mentorship, and competitive validation for two real ventures: ETA and Racket Matrix.
The first summer exceeded every expectation. Over 140 players from across the Treasure Valley. Six USPTA-certified coaches. A proof of concept that the community was hungry for structured tennis — and willing to show up.
The name evolves to reflect a bigger vision — serving every city, every school, every player in the valley. Same coaches, same courts, bigger ambition.
Boise State opens a physical incubator with workspace, mentorship, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program — a new resource available to student founders like Owen and Eliott.
Registration building. Curriculum refined. Coaching staff expanding. The goal: serve even more families across the valley while continuing to pitch and develop Racket Matrix through Venture College competitions.
Owen and Eliott compete for funding, validation, and exposure. The IEC offers $50K+ in prizes. Hackfort Tech Challenge, Bronco Venture Competition, and regional events provide additional opportunities.
11 weeks (May 25 – Aug 6), Monday through Thursday. Junior clinics, adult evenings, private lessons, college prep. Every registration strengthens the community foundation and feeds the path toward year-round infrastructure.
The endgame for Idaho's winter gap in tennis: a permanent indoor facility with tennis courts, MultiBall training walls, pickleball, golf simulators, and strength & conditioning. ETA's permanent year-round home.
Owen and Eliott's mission through Venture College is bigger than any single season or facility. They are working to build an enormous community of families, stakeholders, coaches, and investors who believe the Treasure Valley's kids deserve sustained access to structured tennis development — not just in summer, but year-round. Not just at one school, but across every community.
ETA is the community foundation. Racket Matrix is the permanent infrastructure. The Venture College program is the academic backbone that ensures this is built with rigor, accountability, and real institutional support — not just enthusiasm.
Every coach on our staff, every family that registers, every investor who engages — you're all part of building something that didn't exist before 2025, because it didn't have to. And now it does.
If you're a student at Boise State or anywhere else and you're thinking about starting something — we want you to see exactly how this works. No gatekeeping. No mystery.
We know people have questions about young founders running a community program. Good. Here are the ones we hear most.
They're enrolled in Boise State's Venture College — a program specifically designed to help students launch real companies with academic mentorship, business advising, and competitive validation. ETA and Racket Matrix aren't class projects — they're the real-world ventures at the center of Owen and Eliott's education. They also work alongside USPTA-certified coaching professionals with decades of experience. They're learning by doing, with institutional support and experienced mentors at every step.
They're not leading instead of professionals — they're building alongside them. Percy Chan is the head coach and program director. Todd McPeak is the academy director. Jim Brown and Michael Zitterkopf are senior pros. The coaching and curriculum is led by experienced USPTA professionals. What Owen and Eliott bring is the organizational energy, the community-building, and the entrepreneurial infrastructure that turns a seasonal tennis program into something permanent. They're the ones who said "this can't just be a summer thing" — and enrolled in the university program that could make year-round a reality.
This isn't a school project that ends with a grade. Owen and Eliott are building their careers here — ETA and Racket Matrix are their professional futures. The entire structure is designed to outlast any one person: a professional coaching staff, a documented curriculum, community relationships, and a physical facility (Racket Matrix) that will provide permanent infrastructure. Venture College taught them to build something sustainable, not something dependent on any single founder.
No. Registration fees pay for court time, coaching staff compensation, equipment, and program operations. Period. Owen and Eliott pay their own tuition. Venture College is part of their existing university enrollment. The businesses are separate legal entities from their education — but informed and strengthened by the academic resources Venture College provides.
The most powerful thing you can do is participate. Register your player for summer programs. Come to adult clinics. Tell another family. If you're interested in Racket Matrix founding memberships or investment opportunities, reach out — we welcome every conversation. The community that shows up is the investment. That's how 140 players became a movement in year one.
Every family that registers, every coach who shows up, every community member who asks a question — you're part of the foundation. We're building this in the open because it belongs to all of us.