Peripheral Labs raises $8.7M for sports spatial AI

Peripheral was founded in 2024 by Kelvin Cui (CEO) and Mustafa Khan (CTO), both University of Toronto robotics graduates who previously built self-driving racecars. The startup is developing a large reconstruction model that converts 2D camera footage into navigable 3D video in real time, a capability rooted in autonomous vehicle perception.

In May, Peripheral partnered with the Quantum Sports and Learning Association to build North America's first biomechanics basketball shooting lab in Toronto. The company also demonstrated its technology to NBA and WNBA officials during summer league basketball through the NBA Launchpad program. The Toronto Raptors have posted videos of Peripheral's tech on social media that the startup says drew millions of views.

Peripheral relocated from San Francisco to Toronto in 2025. Cui said Deloitte Ventures offers "deep visibility into where sports media is heading," while Inovia has helped build "category-defining companies" across North America and the EU.

The new capital will go toward expanding the engineering team and speeding up deployments with sports leagues and stadiums. Peripheral plans to launch its first consumer-facing product, a browser-based replay system, later this year.