Peripheral Labs lands $8.7M seed to turn live sports into interactive 3D
What's the deal? Toronto-based Peripheral Labs has raised $8.7 million in seed funding co-led by Inovia Capital and Deloitte VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with follow-on participation from Khosla Ventures and Entrepreneurs First. The round brings the AI research lab's total funding to $12.5 million.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2024 by Kelvin Cui and Mustafa Khan, Peripheral uses AI-based reconstruction to turn standard multi-camera feeds into navigable, game-like environments. It says the technology enables immersive replays, high-fidelity player tracking, and interactive viewing experiences aimed at younger fans.
Why now? The funding follows Peripheral's demo for NBADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and WNBADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → officials at the 2026 NBA Summer League, part of the NBA Launchpad program. Clips of the technology posted on Toronto RaptorsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → social media accounts drew millions of views.
The company claims its neural rendering system cuts install costs by more than 90% versus legacy volumetric capture systems, largely by reducing camera requirements. Earlier this year it partnered with the Quantum Sports and Learning Association to build what it calls North America's first biomechanics basketball shooting lab.
What's the money for? Peripheral plans to expand its engineering team and speed up deployments with sports leagues and stadiums. It will debut its first consumer-facing product — a browser-based replay system — later this year.
"They are doing something no one else has cracked: delivering real-time volumetric video and biomechanics from a platform that works at scale," said Inovia partner Karamdeep Nijjar. DeloitteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Ventures managing director Jon Wolkin said the approach could make "high-quality immersive content more practical for leagues, broadcasters, and rights holders."
The signal: The raise sits near the top of its class — larger than roughly 99% of all-time seed rounds for deep learning startups in Canada, based on a sample of 76. It points to growing investor appetite for AI-driven sports media as leagues test more immersive fan experiences.
Read more: Morningstar
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
