Real-world deployment at one of sports’ highest-visibility events validates ADIO®’s engagement infrastructure and sets the stage for a vertically integrated athlete monetization platform addressing the $2.75 billion collegiate NIL market and the broader $97 billion global sports sponsorship industry
PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / April 24, 2026 / Datavault AI Inc. (“Datavault AI” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:DVLT), a provider of data monetization, credentialing, digital engagement, and real-world asset (“RWA”) tokenization technologies, today announced the deployment of ADIO®, its proprietary athlete engagement platform, currently underway at this year’s NFL Draft – one of professional sports’ highest-visibility events and a direct pipeline to the next generation of NFL talent. The activation, executed in partnership with the NFL Alumni Health initiative, is generating significant engagement across prospective draftees, alumni, agents, and league personnel, providing real-world validation of ADIO®’s core technology and its scalability within a high-demand, high-profile environment.
ADIO®’s performance at the Draft underscores the platform’s commercial viability: the technology is driving measurable, organic engagement in a competitive environment, demonstrating both the appetite for intelligent athlete-facing tools and Datavault AI’s ability to execute at the league level.
Building on this momentum, Datavault AI is advancing toward the launch of DataVault NILX [as previously announced], its NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) exchange platform, targeting a rapidly expanding athlete monetization opportunity. According to Opendorse’s “NIL at Four: Monetizing the New Reality” report (July 2025), the U.S. collegiate NIL and revenue-sharing market is projected to reach $2.75 billion in 2025-26 – up from approximately $918 million in the first year of NIL – and on a trajectory toward $3.15 billion by 2028-29. That collegiate segment sits alongside a global sports sponsorship industry valued at approximately $97 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $185.9 billion by 2035 at a 7.1% CAGR, with athlete endorsement identified among the fastest-growing activation categories, per Business Research Insights’ “Sports Sponsorship Market Report” (April 2026). Together, these markets define a multi-billion-dollar addressable opportunity for platforms that can reliably capture engagement and convert it into revenue for athletes, teams, and brands.
“What Datavault AI has built with ADIO® is the real deal – the engagement it’s generating at the Draft is genuine, and the reaction from players and league stakeholders speaks for itself. Add NILX into the equation, and you have a platform that doesn’t just serve athletes; it creates lasting value for everyone in the ecosystem. I’m looking forward to watching this company grow.”
– Billy Davis, NFL Veteran & Sports Technology Advocate
“The engagement we are delivering at the NFL Draft reflects exactly what Datavault AI has built and where we are headed. ADIO® is performing in a real-world, high-stakes environment, and the market response has been unambiguous. We are focused on execution – on delivering platforms that enable verifiable engagement and monetization at scale. NILX is the natural next step, and together these platforms create a revenue infrastructure that the sports and entertainment industry does not yet have. We are building it.”
– Nathaniel T. Bradley, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT)
Datavault AI is actively advancing toward the commercial launch of NILX while continuing to expand ADIO®’s footprint across the NFL and sports entertainment sector. The Company’s pipeline includes additional league-level partnerships, expanded athlete onboarding, and platform integrations designed to accelerate both user acquisition and revenue growth. Investors and strategic partners interested in learning more are encouraged to contact the Company’s investor relations team directly.
About Datavault AI
Datavault AI™ (NASDAQ:DVLT) is leading the way in AI-driven data experiences, valuation, and monetization of assets in the Web 3.0 environment. The Company’s cloud-based platform provides comprehensive solutions with a collaborative focus in its Acoustic Sciences and Data Sciences divisions.
Datavault AI’s Acoustic Sciences division features WiSA®, ADIO®, and Sumerian® patented technologies and industry-first foundational spatial and multichannel wireless, high-definition sound transmission technologies with intellectual property covering audio timing, synchronization, and multi-channel interference cancellation. The Data Science division leverages the power of Web 3.0 and high-performance computing to provide solutions for experiential data perception, valuation, and secure monetization.
Datavault AI’s platform serves multiple industries, including high-performance computing software licensing for sports & entertainment, events & venues, biotech, education, fintech, real estate, healthcare, energy, and more. The Information Data Exchange® enables Digital Twins and the licensing of name, image, and likeness by securely attaching physical real-world objects to immutable metadata, fostering responsible AI with integrity. The Company’s technology suite is fully customizable and offers AI- and machine-learning-based automation, third-party integration, detailed analytics and data, marketing automation, and advertising monitoring.
The Company is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Learn more about Datavault AI at http://www.dvlt.ai.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and other securities laws) about Datavault AI Inc. (“Datavault AI,” the “Company,” “us,” “our,” or “we”) and our industry that involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words, such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “shall,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “goal,” “objective,” “seeks,” “likely” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. The absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future events, the anticipated commercial launch, timing, and market reception of DataVault NILX; the expected size, growth, and addressable opportunity of the U.S. collegiate NIL and revenue-sharing market, the global sports sponsorship industry, and the broader athlete monetization ecosystem; the expected commercial viability, scalability, and market traction of the ADIO® athlete engagement platform; the anticipated expansion of the Company’s partnerships with the NFL, NFL Alumni, NFL Alumni Health, and other league-level and institutional partners; expected athlete onboarding, user acquisition, platform licensing, transaction volume, and revenue growth attributable to ADIO® and NILX; the Company’s vertically integrated platform strategy and its ability to own both the engagement and monetization layers for collegiate and professional athletes; and the Company’s overall business plans, strategy, and objectives, are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company and its management, are inherently uncertain.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these and other forward-looking statements contained herein.
Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the following: the timing and success of the commercial launch of DataVault NILX; the Company’s ability to attract and retain athletes, brand partners, agents, collectives, leagues, and institutional partners on the ADIO® and NILX platforms; competition in the NIL marketplace and athlete engagement technology sector, including from established platforms and emerging entrants; the Company’s ability to execute its go-to-market strategy across the sports and entertainment ecosystem; the successful integration, performance, and scalability of the ADIO® and NILX platforms; market acceptance of the Company’s products and services; the Company’s liquidity, capital resources, and ability to raise additional financing when needed; evolving regulatory, NCAA, state-law, and professional-league frameworks affecting NIL, athlete compensation, revenue sharing, data monetization, digital engagement, and real-world asset tokenization; changes in market demand for Datavault AI’s services and products; changes in economic, market, or regulatory conditions; risks associated with technological development and integration; and other risks and uncertainties as more fully described in Datavault AI’s filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and other filings that Datavault AI makes from time to time with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov, and could cause actual results to vary from expectations.
The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Datavault AI undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
Datavault AI may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Datavault AI’s forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments it may make.
Industry and Market Data
Within this press release, we reference information and statistics regarding the market for our products, including data from Opendorse’s “NIL at Four: Monetizing the New Reality” report (July 2025) and the Business Research Insights “Sports Sponsorship Market Report” (April 2026). We have obtained some of this information and statistics from various independent third-party sources, including independent industry publications, reports by market research firms, and other independent sources. Some data and other information contained in this press release are also based on management’s estimates and calculations, which are derived from our review and interpretation of internal surveys and independent sources. Data regarding the industries in which we compete and our market position and market share within these industries are inherently imprecise and are subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties beyond our control, but we believe they generally indicate size, position, and market share within this industry. While we believe such information is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information. While we believe our internal company research and estimates are reliable, such research and estimates have not been verified by any independent source. In addition, assumptions and estimates of our and our industry’s future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors. These and other factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from our assumptions and estimates. As a result, you should be aware that market, ranking, and other similar industry data included in this press release, and estimates and beliefs based on that data, may not be reliable.
Trademarks, Trade Names, Service Marks, and Copyrights
We own or have rights to use various trademarks, tradenames, service marks and copyrights, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws, including WiSA®, ADIO®, Sumerian®, Information Data Exchange®, and IDE®. This press release also contains trademarks, tradenames, service marks, and copyrights of other companies, including references to the National Football League (“NFL”), NFL Alumni, NFL Alumni Health, and the NFL Draft, which are, to our knowledge, the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, certain trademarks, tradenames, service marks and copyrights referred to in this press release may appear without the ©, ®, and ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, tradenames, service marks and copyrights. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, tradenames, service marks or copyrights to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.
Media Contact:
Investor Contact:
Edward Barger
VP, Investor Relations
[email protected]
[email protected]
SOURCE: Datavault AI Inc.
