StretchSense secures £1.7m to roll out XR training glove with stretch sensors
This article covers StretchSense, a data startup, which has secured £1.7m in external funding to accelerate the international rollout of its XR Train haptics-enabled training glove. The investment aims to support deployment of controller-free, measurable virtual training tools for sectors including healthcare, aviation, defence and large employers.
StretchSense, a data startup based in Edinburgh, has secured fresh external backing to accelerate international rollout of its XR training glove — a haptics-enabled device designed to capture detailed hand movement for simulated, hands-on training. The move matters because organisations from healthcare to aviation are increasingly looking for controller-free, measurable virtual training tools that translate to real-world skills.
Why it matters
Training and simulation vendors, defence contractors and large employers are investing in tech that shortens learning curves and records measurable outcomes. StretchSense’s glove targets that need by tracking fine-grained hand motion and adding haptic feedback to reinforce muscle memory. The wider virtual training and simulation market is projected to reach about £198bn by 2030, making accurate, scalable input devices a strategic piece of infrastructure for XR training deployments across enterprise and government.
Inside the product
The XR Train glove builds on nearly a decade of hand-data capture work. It uses stretch sensors to map finger and hand movement and integrates haptic actuators that provide vibration-based sensations when users interact with virtual objects. The design removes external controllers, aiming to make interactions feel more natural for tasks such as simulated clinical procedures, maintenance drills or cockpit workflows.
StretchSense keeps its software, marketing and management teams in Edinburgh while hardware and manufacturing are based in Auckland, New Zealand. The XR Train glove is manufactured by TPK, a Taiwan-headquartered company known for touch-based hardware work with Apple and Tesla; TPK is also a shareholder in StretchSense. The company maintains a satellite office in the Bay Area to support commercial and licensing discussions, including consumer gaming opportunities.
Relevant commercial experience sits in the leadership team: CEO Chris Chapman previously co-founded ElekSen, a global wearables business backed by Logitech and Siemens that later listed on AIM. The company has also hired Philip Jamison as chief revenue officer; Jamison helped grow XR business Avantis Systems in the US to over £18.7m in revenue while serving as VP of sales and commercial operations.
Who are the investors?
The round totals £1.7m ($2.3m) and was led by PXN Ventures with support from Scottish Enterprise. The funding continues a financing sequence that has taken StretchSense to almost £14.9m ($20m) raised through three external rounds to date. The investment follows earlier support and involvement from Par Equity and includes strategic backing from TPK, the company’s manufacturing partner and shareholder.
In the announcement, Paul Munn, Executive Chair of PXN Ventures, said:
We are pleased that PXN is able to continue the investment in StretchSense started by Par Equity, as the company is poised to expand in the burgeoning virtual reality training market. The appointments of Chris and Philip bring a global perspective and track record of delivery that will power StretchSense forward as it scales its industry leading glove technology.
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Founder perspective
The company recently appointed Chris Chapman as CEO; he had been an investor director at StretchSense and brings leadership experience from wearables and animation markets across the US, Europe and Asia. Philip Jamison joins as chief revenue officer to lead growth and commercial partnerships.
In the announcement, Chris Chapman, CEO at StretchSense, said:
StretchSense gloves bridge the gap between human and machine interaction. When you put on our Reality gloves you step into the future, and explore new ways to interact with hands-on learning. And, we do this by removing controllers and their clunky interfaces from the equation.
In the announcement, Chris Chapman, CEO at StretchSense, said:
The XR Train glove powers scalable, truly immersive training, delivering intuitive interaction, measurable outcomes, with deployment across enterprise and government environments.
In the announcement, Paul Atkinson, Chair at StretchSense, said:
StretchSense is perfectly placed to become one of Scotland’s most successful technology businesses, with a global footprint aligned with significant market opportunities worldwide.
In the announcement, Chris Chapman, CEO at StretchSense, said:
With fresh investment, StretchSense is looking ahead to 2026 with the aim of scaling breakthroughs that will shape the next generation of XR training - making XR training physical as well as virtual for better learning experiences.
The bigger picture
The deal underlines growing commercial interest in hardware that improves the fidelity of XR training. For the UK and European ecosystem, companies that combine sensor data with haptics and enterprise-grade deployment models are becoming valuable partners for hospitals, defence organisations and industrial trainers. The StretchSense round also highlights the role of public and specialist investors, such as Scottish Enterprise and sector-focused venture funds, in taking hardware-heavy startups from regional R&D to global markets.
As XR and training budgets grow across Europe, expect more activity around hand-tracking hardware, licensing deals for consumer gaming, and partnerships that tie sensor-rich devices to enterprise learning platforms.
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