Peripheral, an AI research lab developing spatial intelligence technology for live sports media, has raised $8.7 million in new seed funding to accelerate the development and deployment of immersive sports experiences.
The round was co-led by Inovia Capital and Deloitte Ventures, with follow-on participation from existing investors Khosla Ventures and Entrepreneurs First. The latest investment brings Peripheral’s total funding to $12.5 million.
Founded in 2024 and headquartered in Toronto, Peripheral is developing technology that transforms conventional multi-camera sports broadcasts into interactive, navigable 3D environments using artificial intelligence.
Peripheral Targets the Future of Interactive Sports Media
The new funding comes as sports leagues, broadcasters and rights holders increasingly look for ways to make live sports more immersive and interactive.
Peripheral’s technology is designed to turn standard camera feeds into game-like 3D environments, allowing viewers to experience sports replays from different perspectives and interact with reconstructed scenes.
The company’s platform combines AI-based reconstruction, neural rendering, volumetric video and player biomechanics to create new possibilities for sports broadcasting and fan engagement.
“The demand for immersive, interactive sports experiences is accelerating, and the infrastructure to deliver them at scale doesn’t yet exist,” said Kelvin Cui, Co-founder and CEO of Peripheral.
Cui said the company believes its new investors bring significant expertise in both sports media and technology, supporting Peripheral’s ambition to establish a new category in immersive sports.
NBA Summer League Demo Highlights Peripheral’s Technology
Peripheral’s latest funding follows a significant demonstration of its technology during the 2026 NBA Summer League.
As part of the NBA Launchpad program, Peripheral demonstrated its technology to NBA and WNBA officials. The program is designed to identify and test emerging technologies that could transform professional basketball’s business and fan experience.
During Summer League, several videos showcasing Peripheral’s technology were also published through Toronto Raptors social media accounts, with the clips generating millions of views.
The exposure provided Peripheral with an opportunity to demonstrate how AI-generated spatial environments could change the way basketball highlights and replays are consumed.
How Peripheral’s AI Spatial Intelligence Technology Works
Traditional sports broadcasts rely heavily on fixed camera angles. While multiple cameras can provide different perspectives, viewers generally remain limited to the viewpoints captured during the original broadcast.
Peripheral is attempting to change that model.
Its AI-based reconstruction technology processes feeds from multiple cameras and converts them into a navigable 3D representation of the sporting environment.
This can enable:
- Immersive sports replays
- Interactive 3D viewing
- High-fidelity player tracking
- Biomechanics analysis
- New camera perspectives after the event
- Game-like sports environments
- Interactive content for younger audiences
The technology could potentially allow leagues and broadcasters to create more interactive content without requiring viewers to rely solely on traditional broadcast angles.
Neural Rendering Cuts Volumetric Capture Costs
One of Peripheral’s key technology advantages is its neural rendering system.
According to the company, the system can reduce installation costs by more than 90% compared with legacy volumetric capture systems.
The technology also reduces the number of cameras required to create immersive content.
Lower infrastructure requirements could be significant for sports organizations because traditional volumetric capture systems can require substantial camera installations and specialized equipment.
By reducing the hardware burden, Peripheral aims to make volumetric and spatial sports content more practical for leagues, broadcasters and stadium operators.
Deloitte Ventures and Inovia Capital Back Peripheral
The $8.7 million funding round was co-led by Inovia Capital and Deloitte Ventures.
Deloitte Ventures sees growing demand for immersive sports experiences and believes Peripheral’s approach to volumetric capture could make high-quality immersive content more accessible to sports organizations.
Jon Wolkin, Managing Director at Deloitte Ventures, said Peripheral’s technology could help leagues, broadcasters and rights holders expand the possibilities of sports media.
Inovia Capital Partner Karamdeep Nijjar also highlighted the company’s work in real-time volumetric video and biomechanics.
The latest investment gives Peripheral additional resources to expand its engineering organization and accelerate commercial deployments.
Peripheral’s Founders Bring Experience in Autonomous Systems
Peripheral was founded in 2024 by Kelvin Cui and Mustafa Khan.
The founders bring experience from highly technical fields including autonomous vehicles, aircraft and racing technology.
Their previous work includes experience at companies and institutions such as Huawei, Tesla and the University of Toronto.
That background has influenced Peripheral’s approach to spatial intelligence, combining computer vision, artificial intelligence and 3D reconstruction to create real-time representations of physical environments.
The company’s goal is to apply these capabilities to sports, where understanding player movement, physical space and biomechanics can create applications beyond conventional broadcasting.
New Biomechanics Basketball Lab Expands Sports Applications
Peripheral has also expanded into sports performance technology through a partnership with the Quantum Sports and Learning Association (QSLA).
The partnership aims to create North America’s first biomechanics basketball shooting lab.
The initiative could provide another application for Peripheral’s spatial intelligence technology, allowing detailed analysis of player movement and shooting mechanics.
This positions the company’s technology not only as a media and entertainment platform but also as a potential tool for athlete development and performance analysis.
Peripheral Plans Consumer Sports Replay Platform
Peripheral plans to use the new funding to expand its engineering team and accelerate deployments with sports leagues and stadiums.
The company is also preparing to launch its first consumer-facing product later in 2026.
The planned platform is a browser-based replay system designed to bring Peripheral’s interactive sports technology directly to consumers.
A browser-based experience could significantly expand the potential audience for the company’s technology by reducing the need for specialized hardware or applications.
The Growing Market for Immersive Sports Experiences
Sports consumption is increasingly shifting beyond traditional television broadcasts.
Younger fans are accustomed to interactive digital experiences, gaming environments, short-form video and personalized content. Sports organizations are therefore exploring technologies that can combine the excitement of live competition with the interactivity of digital platforms.
Peripheral is positioning its technology at the intersection of these trends.
Instead of simply watching a replay, fans could eventually be able to explore a play, view it from different angles, examine player movements and interact with reconstructed game environments.
For leagues and broadcasters, this could create additional opportunities for content distribution, fan engagement and monetization.
What Peripheral’s Funding Means for Sports Technology
Peripheral’s $8.7 million seed round is another indication of growing investor interest in technologies that could reshape sports media through artificial intelligence and spatial computing.
With $12.5 million in total funding, partnerships involving the NBA ecosystem and a planned consumer launch, Peripheral is moving from research and demonstrations toward broader commercial deployment.
The company’s ability to reduce the infrastructure costs associated with volumetric capture could be particularly important as sports organizations evaluate how to scale immersive content across leagues, venues and broadcasts.
If successful, Peripheral could help establish a new model for sports replay—one where fans are no longer restricted to the camera angles selected during the original game.
About Peripheral
Founded in 2024 by Kelvin Cui and Mustafa Khan, Peripheral is a Toronto-based AI research lab focused on bringing spatial intelligence to live sports media.
The company’s AI-based reconstruction technology transforms standard multi-camera feeds into navigable 3D environments, enabling immersive replays, player tracking, biomechanics analysis and interactive sports experiences.
Peripheral is backed by Inovia Capital, Deloitte Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Entrepreneurs First and other investors. Its technology is currently being tested by the NBA through the NBA Launchpad program.