GLEECHI AB

Their core work

Gleechi AB is a Stockholm-based technology startup that develops software for realistic, real-time hand-to-object interaction in virtual and augmented reality environments. Their core product — VirtualGrasp — is an SDK that enables virtual hands to naturally grasp, hold, and manipulate 3D objects without manual animation authoring, solving one of the most persistent realism problems in VR development. They sell this capability to game studios, industrial simulation companies, medical training developers, and anyone building immersive experiences that require believable hand interaction. Their work sits at the intersection of computer graphics, biomechanics, and real-time simulation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Gleechi's H2020 portfolio is narrow but intentional: both projects carry the same VirtualGrasp name and the same mission, spanning 2018 to 2021. The absence of early-versus-late keyword divergence is itself informative — this is not an organization that pivots or diversifies its research agenda. Instead, they deepened the same technological bet over three years, moving from a Phase 2 SME Instrument grant to a larger SME-2b blended finance instrument, which suggests growing commercial traction justified further EU backing. There is no visible topic drift; the trend is vertical intensification of one core product, not horizontal expansion.

Gleechi is deepening, not broadening — they are betting entirely on VirtualGrasp becoming infrastructure-level technology for the XR industry, and their funding trajectory (from standard SME-2 to blended-finance SME-2b) suggests the market is validating that bet.

How they like to work

Gleechi operates exclusively as a solo coordinator — both projects were run under the SME Instrument, which funds individual companies rather than consortia. There are no recorded consortium partners across either project, meaning they have not used H2020 as a networking mechanism and have no documented co-development relationships within the EU project system. This is typical of product-focused SMEs that use EU funding to accelerate their own R&D roadmap rather than to build research networks. A potential partner should expect a vendor or licensing relationship rather than a co-investigator dynamic.

Gleechi has no recorded consortium partners from their H2020 participation, as both projects were solo SME Instrument grants. Their collaboration network within the EU project system is effectively zero — any partnerships they maintain exist outside the CORDIS record.

What sets them apart

Gleechi is one of very few European SMEs to have built a commercially deployable SDK specifically for procedural hand-object interaction in VR — a narrow problem that most XR developers either ignore or solve badly with manual animation. Their back-to-back EU grants for the same product line suggest they achieved defensible technical differentiation, not just a prototype. For a consortium needing XR interaction technology as a component, Gleechi offers a ready-made, externally validated solution rather than basic research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• VirtualGrasp (SME-2b)
  At €2,043,038, this is one of the larger SME Instrument Phase 2 blended-finance grants, signaling that EU evaluators judged the technology commercially viable enough to warrant equity-linked funding alongside the grant.
• VirtualGrasp (SME-2)
  The earlier Phase 2 grant established the commercial case for the product and was the prerequisite that unlocked the subsequent larger blended-finance award.