Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 15, 2026) - DRIVE, the Vancouver-based sports technology company building a smart arena network for hockey analytics, today announced the launch of major milestones, where Sports AI is taking shape using real performance data. A $100,000 government AI grant from the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) was just awarded to DRIVE to bring sports AI to market, building on its proprietary data collection network. In parallel the appointment of technology leader Kevin Martin as Chief Experience Officer will help support this implementation.
Kamloops, BC. DRIVE Hockey analytics pilot with Kamloops Blazers, May 2026.
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This announcement is on the heels of DRIVE's continued growth in amateur hockey analytics, with 2026 boasting more players tracked by June then the total players tracked in all of 2025. The uptake reflects both the growing demand for performance data among hockey families and the increasing confidence of leagues and associations in DRIVE's deployment model. The company's hybrid infrastructure, which supports both portable event-based deployment and permanent arena installation, has enabled rapid expansion across new markets and age groups.
NRC-IRAP Invests $100K in DRIVE's Sports AI, totaling $210K Grants in 2026
The NRC-IRAP grant, Canada's leading innovation support program for technology companies, will fund the development of a Coach AI tool, an intelligent system designed to translate the deep fitness, skill, and tactical performance data DRIVE captures into actionable, personalized coaching recommendations for players and coaching staff.
DRIVE's tracking system captures deep performance data via lightweight sensors mounted on player shoulder pads, paired with precise positional data across its Smart Arena sensors, similar to the concept deployed in pro sports. The Coach AI feature will serve as the intelligence layer on top of this rich sensor data foundation, providing a personalized athlete experience that coaches and players can act on immediately.
The IRAP grant adds to $30,000 previously received from CanExport and an expected $80,000 SR&ED tax rebate, bringing DRIVE's total government innovation support to over $210,000 in 2026.
DRIVE's Sports AI initiative will be led by Krishant Akella, DRIVE's lead applied data scientist and a multi-patent author whose work underpins the company's proprietary tracking and performance analytics architecture. Akella has emerged as one of the rising voices in sports technology data science, with patents covering key elements of DRIVE's sensor and analytics methodology. His work bridges the statistical rigour of performance science with the practical needs of coaches and players on the ice.
Kevin Martin Joins as Chief Experience Officer
DRIVE has appointed Kevin Martin as Chief Experience Officer to lead the design and delivery of its next-generation athlete intelligence platform.
Kevin brings more than 25 years of experience building technology products, teams, and data-rich platforms across AI, mobile, and user experience. His work spans fortune 500 companies, along with experience in sports technology and AI-enabled products.
Kevin joins DRIVE from a previous role with a dynamic-growth fintech providing AI-powered financial and background verification services to the rental property sector, where he served as VP Product. He previously co-founded Pixel Tours, a Toronto-based design and development consultancy that he scaled to more than $1.6 million in annual revenue across fintech, healthcare, and consumer technology.
"DRIVE is capturing performance data that has not previously been available to athletes at this level. My focus is to turn that intelligence into an experience that is intuitive, actionable, and motivating. Data alone is valuable, but paired with an exceptional user experience, it becomes a game changer." - Kevin Martin, CXO, DRIVE
As Chief Experience Officer, Kevin will help translate DRIVE's data science capabilities into a compelling experience for athletes and coaches as the company advances its IRAP-funded Coach AI initiative. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Mathematics with Honours in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.
About DRIVE
DRIVE is a Vancouver-based sports technology company deploying sensor-powered Smart Arenas that bring NHL-caliber analytics to amateur hockey. Its proprietary, patented system combines biomechanical and positioning sensor fusion with AI, capturing what video can't see, to deliver a comprehensive performance data layer for players, coaches, and organizations. DRIVE supports both permanent arena installations and portable tracking systems. The company holds patents pending on its core tracking architecture in North America and Europe.
Contact
DRIVE Hockey Analytics
Burnaby, British Columbia
info@drivehockey.com
drivehockey.com
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Source: Drive Hockey Analytics
