Top Global Sports Innovator ai.io Selects Indiana for U.S. Expansion, Joins Sports Tech HQ Collective

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — ai.io, an award-winning leader in AI-powered sports analytics, today announced it is expanding its footprint to the United States with a strategic presence in Indiana that will include both operational and R&D functions. As part of this move, ai.io will join the Sports Tech HQ Collective, a curated network of more than 40 sports tech companies benefiting from Indiana’s world-class sports infrastructure, talent pipeline, and collaborative innovation ecosystem.

Founded in 2017 by Darren Peries in London, ai.io is redefining the future of athlete discovery by removing geographic and economic barriers to scouting— empowering overlooked talent through AI-powered tools that bring professional evaluation to any smartphone, anywhere in the world. Its flagship technologies — aiScout, a mobile app that transforms any phone into a professional scouting platform, , aiLab, portable AI-driven performance centers — enable their customers to evaluate talent globally, instantly, and equitably and 3DAT an AI platform for markerless motion capture which takes ordinary video footage and extracts biomechanical data to analyze human movement.

Backed by Premier League Club Partners, Trusted by Global Programs

Operating with a global team that includes engineers, data scientists, and sports scientists, ai.io has worked with more than 50 professional club collegiate and federation level programs across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Its close partnership with Chelsea FC includes an on-site aiLab at the club’s Cobham Academy, where ai.io teams work shoulder to shoulder with coaches to evaluate youth talent, benchmark athletic potential, and integrate biomechanical and performance data into the club’s recruitment strategies.

ai.io’s revolutionary approach has also earned recognition and collaboration with FIFA, the global governing body for soccer. As part of the FIFA Innovation Programme, ai.io validated that using their 3DAT technology in a smartphone can identify talent. This process of scouting by a mobile phone has now been adopted by the MLS which is enabling athletes to complete standardized drills via the aiScout app and analyze their performance using AI, ai.io is helping national federations and clubs identify talent across regions previously underserved by traditional scouting.

In 2025, ai.io was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Sports, joining an elite list that included Adidas, the WNBA, Cosm, and WSC Sports. In 2024, it received the STA Award for Best Technology for Athlete Skill Development and Performance. In 2023, it was honored with DataIQ’s award for Most Innovative Use of AI.

Strategic Growth Through Sports & Academic Integration

Indiana will serve as a U.S. launchpad for ai.io’s next phase of growth across North America, chosen for its unique convergence of assets: a thriving ecosystem of professional and youth sports, and a robust network of universities driving research and workforce development. 

“Expanding into Indiana gives us an edge — it’s where innovation meets sports infrastructure and the entire sports tech ecosystem across Indiana has really impressed us,” said Richard Felton-Thomas, COO at ai.io. “This move allows us to tap directly into critical sports environments and pioneering university research, accelerating the impact of our AI solutions on athletes and teams across North America.”

“This news is a powerful signal that Indiana isn’t just keeping pace — we’re leading,” said Jeffrey Hintz, Executive Director of Sports Tech HQ. “ai.io’s decision to grow here underscores the strength of our ecosystem and our commitment to cultivating talent, technology, and transformative ideas.”

ABOUT ai.io 

Headquartered in London, ai.io is a ground-breaking, award-winning AI technology and data company, that develops AI technology solutions to analyze, evaluate & enhance human performance. ai.io initially developed three main products available today:

3DAT is the world’s most advanced markerless motion capture AI analysis tool that can analyse any human, in any scene, performing any movement from any historical or live video – even from a mobile phone. 3DAT’s use cases are extensive – ranging from scouting and developing potential football players to healthcare, education, training, and even analyzing astronauts in space.

aiScout, is an AI app-based platform that was initially developed to support the football industry by analyzing individuals using advanced in-house AI tools such as 3DAT for talent ID, scouting, and developing players all via a mobile phone.

aiLab is an AI based platform that connects third party sports science equipment to provide real time analysis, reporting and data insights to the athlete and staff. The aiLab software can be an added product to any current facility or delivered in state-of the-art turnkey solutions provided by ai.io.

ABOUT SPORTS TECH HQ

Sports Tech HQ is a nonprofit organization fueling Indiana’s transformation into a global hub for sports technology. Home to a world-class sports infrastructure, Indiana provides the foundation for entrepreneurs to advance innovations that elevate the game for fans, athletes, and teams. Sports Tech HQ attracts companies from around the world to join its collective, positioning them at the forefront of an industry projected to reach $100 billion by 2030. Discover how these companies are driving the future of sports through Indiana’s robust ecosystem of partners at sthq.org.