Simone Tabellini · co-founder and CMO of play2match · Bologna
I build things with people in them. And I tell you what it's really like, as it happens.
A founder's diary, projects, sports challenges and vibe coding experiments. No heroics, no gurus: just a regular founder trying to do things right, and getting it wrong every now and then (often, let's be honest).
Right now
- play2matchgetting people who've never met to play together, across Bologna, Turin, Milan and Rome 🔥
- HYROX Veronamy first solo race, in January. Right now I'm at the peak of the running block (my legs say thanks, sort of 😅)
- Bologna Startup Networkthe next meetup for anyone building startups in Bologna: we get the whole balotta (Bolognese for the gang) together, no hype
- This websiteI'm building it in public, one piece at a time. Yes, even while you're reading it
Projects
All
play2match
Co-founder and CMO
The social sports platform for meeting new people by playing together. You show up alone, play on a team of strangers and leave with friends: strangers, teammates, friends.
It's my main job (and a bit of an obsession). Today we play in Bologna, Turin, Milan and Rome, and here on the site you'll find the diary of what it's like to build it.
Sprintaly
Co-founder and CMO
An association from Turin that runs hackathons for social innovation: young talent, a few days, one real challenge facing the country, picked together with citizens. If change doesn't come from the top, we'll make it from the bottom up.
After Chivasso in 2023, on school dropout, and Val Pellice in 2024, on polluted air in cities, March 2026 brought Connessioni di Quartiere to Turin, a hackathon for under-30s.
Startability
Co-founder, together with Benedict Aleh Ogadinma
A project for green founders built around a podcast, Startability Stories, with the stories of 19 Italian green economy startups.
The podcast ran from June 2023 to January 2025. All the interviews are still out there to listen to.
The rest of the site
Founder's DiaryMy blog: real days as a founder and my best LinkedIn posts, on startups, community and Bologna.ExperimentsThe things I build for myself with vibe coding. As a beginner, and I'm not ashamed to say it.SportThe challenges I set myself, and how they turn out. Spoiler: it hurts.Come and play
Just moved to a new city, your friends don't play anymore, or you simply fancy meeting new people? With play2match you book a game, show up even on your own, and by the end of the evening you've got teammates. Who often become friends. Strangers, teammates, friends.
Check out play2matchWrite to me
Want to build something together, bring play2match to your sports centre, organise an event in Bologna or just have a chat? Drop me a line, I reply personally.
simone.tabellini@gmail.comFAQ
Who is Simone Tabellini?
Simone Tabellini, known to everyone as Tabba, is co-founder and CMO of play2match, the sport-social platform for meeting new people by playing together. He lives in Bologna, where he runs the Bologna Startup Network with Nicola Mei. He is also co-founder and CMO of Sprintaly and co-founded Startability, a podcast about green economy startups.
What is play2match?
play2match is a sport-social platform for meeting new people through sport. You book a game, you can even come on your own, and you play on a team with strangers who are your teammates by the end of the evening, and often become your friends. You can find it at play2match.it.
What can I find on simonetabellini.net?
The Founder's Diary about what it's like to build play2match, the projects Simone is working on, his sports challenges such as HYROX, his vibe coding experiments and a few guides on how to build a community.
How can I contact Simone Tabellini?
Write to simone.tabellini@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn, at the profile simone-tabellini-play2match. He answers personally.