Contour Labs closes $15M to ship real-time prototyping hardware 'HoloBoard Pro'

Design · 5 min read

Contour Labs announced a $15 million seed-plus round and unveiled the HoloBoard Pro, a tabletop prototyping device that combines capacitive, force, and inertial sensors with programmable haptics. The company positions the board as a tactile canvas for experimenting with physical-digital interactions and multi-touch gestures beyond traditional touchscreens.

HoloBoard Pro integrates with a desktop app that maps sensor data to prototypes, allowing designers to script behavior, visualize force curves, and record user sessions. The hardware supports rapid iteration workflows and exports interaction traces for product engineering teams.

Funding will scale manufacturing and expand enterprise programs with hardware-in-the-loop labs at design consultancies and universities. Contour says HoloBoard Pro is intended for research and early-stage product discovery rather than consumer release.

Design leads said the device helps uncover interaction affordances that are invisible in purely on-screen prototypes, particularly for devices with haptic feedback or mechanical controls. Contour plans a developer kit and community gallery for shared interaction patterns and experiment templates.