Ultraleap

Bristol, United Kingdom Spatial Computing / Human-Machine Interface Acquired

Ultraleap is a UK-based deep-tech company specializing in mid-air haptics (using focused ultrasound to deliver tactile sensations without physical contact) and optical hand tracking for AR/VR/XR, automotive, digital out-of-home, and industrial applications. The company was formed in 2019 when Ultrahaptics (a 2013 University of Bristol spinout founded by Tom Carter, Benjamin Long, and Sriram Subramanian) acquired Leap Motion, the pioneering US hand-tracking company, and rebranded the combined entity as Ultraleap. Its products include the Leap Motion Controller 2, Stereo IR 170 camera modules, Gemini hand-tracking software, and STRATOS mid-air haptic modules. In November 2025, Ultraleap was acquired by music technology company ROLI, with its haptics and XR patent portfolio sold separately to SIM IP and exclusively licensed back to ROLI; Co-founder and CEO Tom Carter joined ROLI as CTO and board member.

Acquired

Ultraleap has been acquired

Acquired by Leap Motion (acquired by Ultrahaptics) May 30, 2019 $30M

This company is no longer available on our private secondary market.

Overview

Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.

Founded

2013

Employees

51–200

Total Funding

$165.4M

5 rounds

Funding

Total raised $165.4M across 5 rounds

Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.

Last updated 06-25-2026

Latest Round

Type

Series D

Date

November 2021

Amount

$82M

Valuation

Lead Investors

Not disclosed
DateRoundAmount RaisedValuationLead Investors
November 2021 Series D $82M Not disclosed
November 2018 Series C $44.8M Mayfair Equity Partners
2017 Series B $23M Not disclosed

Leadership

  • Tom Carter

    Co-Founder & CEO (became CTO of ROLI post-acquisition, Nov 2025)

  • Steve Cliffe

    Former CEO (retired; predecessor to Tom Carter)

Competitors

Competitor list is illustrative and may be incomplete, stale, or erroneous.

  • Meta (Reality Labs)

    Meta develops first-party inside-out hand tracking on Quest headsets, directly competing with Ultraleap's hand-tracking offering for XR headset OEMs.

  • Qualcomm (Clay AIR)

    Qualcomm acquired hand-tracking firm Clay AIR and integrates hand-tracking into its Snapdragon XR reference platforms used by competing headset makers.

  • Emerge

    US startup developing ultrasound-based mid-air haptics for social VR and metaverse touch experiences, the closest pure-play competitor to Ultraleap's haptics business.

  • bHaptics

    South Korean haptics company producing wearable vibrotactile haptic suits, vests, and gloves for VR, competing with Ultraleap on tactile feedback (though via contact rather than mid-air).

  • HaptX

    US haptic glove maker offering microfluidic tactile feedback gloves used for enterprise VR training; competes with Ultraleap on high-fidelity touch in XR.

  • Apple (Vision Pro)

    Apple's Vision Pro uses proprietary inside-out hand and eye tracking, defining the high end of natural-input XR interfaces that competes with Ultraleap's hand-tracking platform.

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Data collected with AI, which can make mistakes. Please double-check this information.