SportsBrain, the Caribbean's AI sports intelligence platform founded by Adrian Dunkley, received a Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) Ignite grant to accelerate the development of sports AI technology in Jamaica. The grant, awarded through the DBJ's BIGEE (Boosting Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems) programme, supports SportsBrain's Sports AI Lab in building technology that puts world-class sports science in the hands of Jamaican and Caribbean athletes.
What the DBJ Ignite Programme Does
The DBJ Ignite programme fosters entrepreneurship and innovation among micro and small enterprises in Jamaica. Under the Ignite IV round, grant funding of up to J$7 million was available for successful applicants across two channels: Ideation (J$3 million) and Commercialisation (J$7 million). The programme is funded through a Government of Jamaica loan agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and a non-reimbursable grant from the European Union, aimed at building a robust entrepreneurship ecosystem in Jamaica.
SportsBrain's application fell squarely within the Technology category, which the DBJ prioritized as a key growth sector. The programme has already assisted more than 70 local businesses receiving grant funds totalling J$250 million across previous rounds.
What SportsBrain Is Building with the Grant
The DBJ Ignite grant funding is supporting SportsBrain's Sports AI Lab, a purpose-built facility applying artificial intelligence to Jamaican and Caribbean sport. The lab's core work covers six areas: AI talent discovery from primary school level upward, real-time performance analytics using wearable and video technology, an AI assistant coach system for football and track and field, predictive injury prevention, personalized sports nutrition, and anti-doping biological passport monitoring.
Adrian Dunkley, SportsBrain's founder, described the vision at launch: "It is an entire framework that goes from finding the talent in primary and prep schools up to the national teams, training them effectively so that they are the best in the world in a limited amount of time." The DBJ Ignite grant provides the capital to turn that vision into deployable technology.
Why Government Investment in Sports AI Matters
The global AI sports market is projected to reach $27.6 billion by 2030. Caribbean nations that invest in sports AI infrastructure now will have a compounding advantage over the decade ahead. The DBJ's decision to back SportsBrain through the Ignite programme signals Jamaica's recognition that sports technology is economic development: it creates local AI jobs, retains sports science talent in Jamaica, and builds the infrastructure for Jamaican athletes to compete globally with data-driven support.
For a nation whose athletes punch far above their weight in global competition, from world sprint records to international football, having an AI sports lab backed by public funding is not a luxury. It is national infrastructure. The DBJ Ignite grant is a first but significant step toward making that infrastructure permanent.
What Comes Next for SportsBrain
With the DBJ Ignite grant secured, SportsBrain moved into active development of its technology stack throughout 2022 and into 2023. In April 2023, the company hosted the inaugural SportsBrain Youth Football Combine at the Barbican mini turf in Jamaica, the first AI-powered youth talent identification event in the Caribbean. The combine was endorsed by the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) and partnered with the Game of Life Foundation.
SportsBrain's technology is also expanding beyond football into track and field, cricket, netball, and multi-sport applications. The Sports AI Lab continues to develop tools specifically designed for Caribbean athletes, Caribbean climates, and Caribbean sporting cultures, with government funding providing the foundation for technology that will serve Jamaican sport for generations.
"The same island that gave the world the fastest man alive can give the world the smartest sports system on the planet. The DBJ Ignite grant is proof that Jamaica believes in that vision."