OWL AI hires Relo Metrics CEO Jay Prasad to scale sports intelligence

Prasad's appointment signals a shift from technical development to aggressive commercialization for AI-driven sports production. By hiring a leader with deep roots in sponsorship and media data, OWL AI is positioning its computer vision stack as an 'intelligence layer' for rights holders rather than just a narrow officiating tool. This reflects a broader industry trend where computer vision data is increasingly integrated into the live broadcast workflow to create real-time analytics and automated viewer experiences. Watch for OWL AI to announce its first multi-year league integration outside of the X Games by the end of 2026 to validate its global scaling mission.

The sports officiating market is project to grow at a 20.5% CAGR reaching $24.66 billion by 2035, per Research Nester in February 2026. This growth is driven by the integration of semi-automated technologies like those deployed at the 2026 World Cup, where 16 tracking cameras per stadium and ball sensors provide real-time spatial reconstructions for offside calls, per GeekWire in June 2026. While FIFA maintains that human oversight remains central, the technical infrastructure has shifted from simple vision models to deep neural networks trained on millions of labeled images to improve accuracy.

Institutional interest in this space was underscored by OWL AI's $11 million seed round led by Bill Maris’s S32 in June 2025. The company’s core technology was optimized using Google Cloud’s Gemini models to handle nuanced, subjective judgments in sports like snowboarding, which traditionally rely on human panels, per Forbes in June 2025. Competitors such as Stats Perform and Genius Sports are also expanding their computer vision footprints; for instance, Genius Sports is currently using skeletal tracking to generate real-time 3D recreations for fan engagement, per Mastercard in February 2026.

Prasad’s previous firm, Relo Metrics, pioneered the use of computer vision for sponsorship intelligence, replacing manual tallying with real-time tracking of brand exposure in live broadcasts. Under his leadership, the company scaled to serve major leagues including the NBA, MLB, and English Premier League, according to Sports Business Journal. His transition to OWL AI suggests a strategic focus on expanding vision AI beyond pure officiating and into the broader 'live intelligence' segment, where data captured for referees can be repurposed for broadcast graphics, betting feeds, and automated production workflows.