37. XR Therapeutics

XR Therapeutics merges VR and XR technology with CBT methods to help people overcome anxiety disorders, phobias, and other mental health conditions.

Founders: Morag Maskey and Jeremy Parr
Year founded: 2020
Website:XR Therapeutics

The lack of available support for our mental wellbeing is an ongoing problem in the UK. In 2025, there were around 1.7 million people on the NHS’ mental health waiting list. Moreover, with over eight million people living with anxiety disorders, access to counselling services and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is more crucial than ever.

While studying at Newcastle University, founders Morag Maskey and Jeremy Parr wanted to look into how therapy for anxiety disorders could be more effective for autistic people.

The duo discovered that pairing CBT with specific technologies could improve success rates to above 50%. And, seeing the extraordinary difference technology could make to outcomes, Maskey and Parr launched XR Therapeutics in July 2020.

Through virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) technology, XR Therapeutics provides immersive, virtual therapy sessions that combine exposure techniques with CBT to treat anxiety and phobias.

The results are impressive. XR Therapeutics launched its remote therapy platform Boundless in 2024, allowing people to access treatment virtually. This has helped clinics improve capacity, reduce the number of sessions, and cut down waiting times for patients.

“Not only do we focus on patient outcomes, we also focus on scalability and accessibility, ensuring that therapy isn’t limited by location, long waiting lists, or overstretched healthcare systems,” says Maskey.

Expanding on its mission to revolutionise mental health treatment, the North East-based company will carry out additional R&D on projects including psychosis and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), to grow its offerings further.

XR Therapeutic’s Boundless software was also recognised by the National Innovation Accelerator (NIA) last year – another noteworthy achievement to bring home.

These strides have seen the startup jump an impressive 57 places to number 37 in our Index this year. As for the future, there’s a lot that XR Therapeutics plans to do.

On top of expanding its services to more NHS trusts and the European market, the company also plans to keep improving its technology through ongoing research – ensuring that treatments stay clinically effective and applicable across a range of conditions.

View the full Startups 100 Index for 2026

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Written By

Helena Young Deputy Editor

Helena is Deputy Editor at Startups. She oversees all news and supporting content on Startups, and is also the author of the weekly Startups email newsletter, delivering must-know SME updates straight to their inbox.

From interviewing Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK.

With a background in PR and marketing, Helena is particularly passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. That’s one reason she manages the Startups 100 Index, our annual ranking of new UK businesses.

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