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. Written by Helena Young Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Founders: Morag Maskey and Jeremy ParrYear founded: 2020Website: XR TherapeuticsThe 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. Not only do we focus on patient outcomes, we also focus on scalability and accessibility. 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 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. Lenkie Technologies11. Userled12. Hoxton Farms13. Rensair14. PulpaTronics15. TradeKart16. 32Co17. Carmoola18. cheqd19. Sightline Analytics20. Adamo Foods21. Bold Bean Co22. Beams Renovation 23. Pan Galactic24. Capi Money25. Spotted Zebra26. ANTHROTEK 27. Unravel28. Perci Health29. Untap Health30. Hair Syrup31. Connect Earth 32. spacebands 33. Unfabled34. Lightning Reach35. STOCKED36. Embeddable37. XR Therapeutics38. Literal Labs39. Scooch40. Openr41. Fibe Limited42. Inicio AI43. Peachies44. Better Nature 45. Ctrl Alt46. Resting Reef47. Nila48. ROXFIT49. Finmile50. NavLive51. Volunteero52. Inntelo AI53. Zonova54. A&B Smart Materials55. Ethicronics56. Treeapp57. kennek58. Soil Benchmark59. Vox Aeris60. Asan Cup61. Nuuri62. Mindstone63. MYNDUP64. Enbiosis Biotechnology65. JUX Food66. Danu Robotics67. Wylde Market68. Air Aware Labs69. Mimicrete Ltd70. ALYVE71. Happl72. Living Things73. Grub Club Pets74. Mealia75. PetProov76. Lylo Products77. Chest78. ZIM Connections79. Uptime Labs80. Teal81. Zero Fintech82. Micro Thermal Energy 83. Kanjo 84. Merlin Cloud85. My Skin Feels86. Eleria87. Cashblack88. RevvedUp89. Cosysense90. SuperFi91. Loom92. Legacy Compass93. Meshed94. SWURF95. Main Squeeze96. Sampl Technologies97. Over the Moo98. Pioneering People99. Bikebook100. Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 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. Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.