Toronto-based AI research lab Peripheral has raised $8.7 million in seed funding to expand its spatial intelligence technology for live sports media. The round was co-led by Inovia Capital and Deloitte Ventures, with additional participation from existing investors Khosla Ventures and Entrepreneurs First. The financing brings Peripheral’s total funding to $12.5 million as the company works to make interactive, three-dimensional sports viewing more practical for leagues, broadcasters, and venues.
Building Interactive Sports Experiences
Founded in 2024 by Kelvin Cui and Mustafa Khan, Peripheral develops technology that converts conventional multi-camera sports footage into navigable 3D environments. Its AI-based reconstruction system allows viewers and media partners to access immersive replays, detailed player tracking, and interactive perspectives that resemble experiences typically associated with video games. The company is targeting growing demand from sports organizations seeking new ways to engage audiences accustomed to more personalized and interactive digital content.
Peripheral says its neural rendering technology substantially reduces the infrastructure required for volumetric video production compared with traditional systems. By relying on standard camera feeds and AI-based reconstruction, the platform is designed to lower installation costs while reducing the number of specialized cameras required at sporting venues. This approach could make advanced immersive content accessible to a wider range of leagues, broadcasters, stadium operators, and rights holders.
NBA Testing Expands Peripheral’s Visibility
The latest funding follows Peripheral’s participation in the NBA Launchpad program, an initiative through which the league evaluates technologies that could influence professional basketball operations and fan experiences. Peripheral recently demonstrated its system to NBA and WNBA officials during the 2026 NBA Summer League, providing an opportunity to showcase its capabilities in a live sports environment. Videos featuring the technology were also shared through Toronto Raptors social media accounts and generated millions of views, according to the company.
The startup has also been developing applications beyond broadcast entertainment, particularly in athlete analysis and biomechanics. Earlier in 2026, Peripheral announced a partnership with the Quantum Sports and Learning Association to create what it described as North America’s first biomechanics-focused basketball shooting lab. The project illustrates how the company’s spatial intelligence technology could support both audience-facing experiences and more detailed analysis of athlete movement and performance.
Investors Back Spatial Media Opportunity
Inovia Capital and Deloitte Ventures are joining Peripheral as new investors as the company begins moving from technical demonstrations toward broader commercial deployments. Inovia Partner Karamdeep Nijjar highlighted the company’s ability to combine real-time volumetric video with biomechanics analysis through technology designed to operate at scale. Deloitte Ventures Managing Director Jon Wolkin similarly pointed to increasing demand for immersive sports experiences and the potential for Peripheral’s approach to make sophisticated content production more practical.
Peripheral’s founders bring experience from autonomous systems and engineering environments, including work connected to Huawei, Tesla, and the University of Toronto. That technical background has shaped the company’s approach to reconstructing physical environments and human movement from multiple camera feeds using artificial intelligence. Peripheral is applying those capabilities to sports as leagues and media companies experiment with new viewing formats and richer data-driven experiences.
Funding Supports Expansion
Peripheral plans to use the new capital primarily to expand its engineering organization and accelerate deployments with sports leagues and stadiums. Increasing engineering capacity is expected to support further development of the company’s reconstruction infrastructure while helping it handle larger-scale commercial implementations. The funding also gives Peripheral additional resources to convert early testing relationships into production deployments across the sports industry.
The company is also preparing to introduce its first consumer-facing product later in 2026. The browser-based replay platform is intended to give users greater control over how they explore moments from live sporting events, extending Peripheral’s technology directly to fans rather than limiting it to professional partners. Its launch will represent an important test of whether interactive 3D sports experiences can gain traction beyond demonstrations and specialized industry applications.
Peripheral’s $8.7 million seed round positions the Toronto startup to expand its spatial intelligence platform at a time when leagues and broadcasters are experimenting with new forms of interactive sports media. Support from Inovia Capital, Deloitte Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Entrepreneurs First gives the company additional resources to scale engineering, stadium deployments, and its upcoming consumer platform. With testing already underway through the NBA Launchpad program, Peripheral is now focused on turning its AI-powered reconstruction technology into infrastructure that can support a broader generation of immersive sports experiences.