Whitespace
Whitespace builds Collective, a proprietary modular AI operating system that delivers sovereign AI capability to defence, national security, and regulated enterprises in air-gapped, edge, and classified environments where generic AI tools cannot operate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Whitespace does
Whitespace (legally Whitespace Global Limited) is a Belfast-based AI company founded in 2014/2015 that builds Collective (CollectiveOS), a proprietary modular AI operating system designed for regulated, security-first environments. Collective is architected in four layers — Foundation (cloud, edge, on-prem, air-gapped deployment), Component (modular AI building blocks), Applications (app-style plug-and-play tools), and Build (co-creation layer) — and ships with modules including Chat, Lessons, Insights, Decisions, Agent Builder, and the Saga operational learning capability. The platform is engineered specifically to operate where generic AI tools cannot: on air-gapped systems, at the tactical edge, in DDIL (denied, degraded, intermittent, limited) environments, and inside classified defence workflows, with deployments validated operationally aboard HMS Prince of Wales via Oracle Roving Edge Infrastructure.
Whitespace serves defence and national security as its primary vertical — including the UK Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy, US Army DEVCOM, and listed defence primes — alongside secondary verticals in central and local government, financial services, emergency services, and healthcare. The company holds ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, G-Cloud 13, and DOS 6 accreditations and is UK-hosted with GDPR alignment, which function as procurement prerequisites in these regulated segments. Revenue derives from a mix of platform subscription (Collective), bespoke professional services for sovereign AI deployments, and contract-funded platform development (e.g., a £1.6M post-quantum communications platform for Vault Ventures). Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, government procurement frameworks, strategic co-development partnerships (Defence Holdings, Coventry University), and ecosystem distribution through Oracle and Microsoft. The company is privately held, completed a $13M Series A in November 2025 led by institutional investors, and operates with 51–100 employees across Belfast offices.
Whitespace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Whitespace
- Legal name
- Whitespace Global Limited
- Website
- https://white.space
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Whitespace builds Collective, a proprietary modular AI operating system that delivers sovereign AI capability to defence, national security, and regulated enterprises in air-gapped, edge, and classified environments where generic AI tools cannot operate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Whitespace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Software / Defence Technology Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Orchestration (Private-Cloud-Centric) (HDABABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Managed Application Platforms (App PaaS & Runtime Services) (HDABAAAD), Private Cloud Platforms (On‑Prem Cloud Stacks) (HDABABAA)
Keywords
Where Whitespace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Whitespace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Collective OS Platform Subscription: SaaS subscription model for the Collective AI operating system platform. Provides access to modular AI applications including Chat, Lessons, Insights, and Decisions. Pricing is likely enterprise-tiered based on deployment scope and user count.
- Professional Services: Implementation, custom development, and consulting services for deploying sovereign AI solutions in defence and national security environments. Includes co-design of bespoke tools and integration with existing infrastructure.
- Post-Quantum Security Development: Contract revenue from development of specialised security platforms, such as the £1.6 million post-quantum secure communications platform for Vault Ventures.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Trial available for Collective platform |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Whitespace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Whitespace builds and sells Collective (CollectiveOS), a modular AI operating system designed for regulated, security-first industries such as defence, national security, government, financial services, emergency services, and healthcare. The platform delivers AI applications through an app-style dashboard and can be deployed across cloud, edge, on-premise, and fully air-gapped environments. It also offers standalone products including Tarkin/Collective Insights (OSINT research AI), eamli (decision intelligence), and Shift Platform (collaboration ecosystem).
Product overview
Whitespace offers Collective (CollectiveOS), a modular AI operating system designed for regulated, security-first environments. The platform is built with four modular layers (Foundation, Component, Applications, Build) and delivers AI applications through an intuitive app-style dashboard. Core applications include Chat (multimodal AI collaboration), Lessons (operational learning capture), Insights (AI-powered research), Decisions (decision intelligence), and Agent Builder (custom AI agent creation). Within Collective, Saga provides operational intelligence and mission workflow capabilities supporting the full military operations cycle. Whitespace also offers standalone products including Tarkin/Collective Insights (research intelligence from OSINT), eamli (decision intelligence platform), and Shift Platform (collaboration ecosystem). The company specializes in sovereign AI deployment across cloud, edge, on-premise, and air-gapped environments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Collective: The AI Operating System for regulated environments - a modular AI platform enabling rapid development and deployment of governed AI across cloud, edge and fully offline environments.
- Tarkin
- eamli
- Shift Platform
- Collective Insights
Products and services
- Collective (CollectiveOS) A modular AI operating system for regulated environments (defence, national security, government, financial services, healthcare, emergency services) that delivers an interactive dashboard with plug-and-play AI applications deployable across cloud, edge, on-premise, and air-gapped environments.
- Chat (Collective Chat) Secure, multimodal AI collaboration application providing a personal assistant for day-to-day productivity with all data processed securely and never used for training.
- Insights AI-powered intelligence application for regulated sectors that transforms research by delivering real-time insights and elevating expertise.
- Lessons Operational learning application that captures AI-powered knowledge from frontline operations, enabling teams to learn from experience and apply insights to future missions.
- Decisions Decision intelligence application that automates and accelerates human decision-making using AI technology for high-stakes scenarios.
- Saga Operational intelligence and mission workflow capability within Collective that supports the full Sense, Decide, Act and Analyse cycle through targeting workflows, AI-assisted mission coordination, and operational learning.
- Tarkin AI research aid developed with the UK MoD's Defence Innovation Unit that enables users to ask strategic questions in natural language and unlock insights from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).
- Collective Insights Non-defence version of Tarkin designed for private and public sector use, providing rapid research delivery and generating insights while maintaining privacy, security, and trust.
- eamli Decision intelligence platform (expert augmented machine learning intelligence) that supports government departments and organisations to make better data-backed decisions with commercial impact; won Digital Innovation award at Digital DNA Awards 2023.
- Shift Platform White-label ecosystem and community collaboration tool developed by Whitespace, supporting quality curated collaboration within and beyond traditional organisational constraints; used in projects including Coventry University's RBOC N+ national security project.
- Post-Quantum Secure Communications Platform Proprietary platform combining NIST-aligned post-quantum cryptographic standards with secure mobile and backend infrastructure, designed for regulated enterprises, sovereign institutions, and security-sensitive environments.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% reduction in time spent reviewing and processing supplier information in Financial Services case study
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Whitespace
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Whitespace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature10 records
Whitespace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Vault Ventures PLCflagshipVault Ventures PLC entered into a £1.6 million contract with Whitespace Global Limited to develop a proprietary post-quantum secure communications platform over approximately 12 months. The platform combines NIST-aligned post-quantum cryptographic standards with secure mobile and backend infrastructure for regulated enterprises and sovereign institutions.
- UK Ministry of DefencecoreFormalised strategic partnership with Defence Holdings committing £1 million to AI co-development. Collaboration supports Defence Holdings' transition to a defence-focused business and aligns with UK defence technology requirements.
- MicrosoftcoreWhitespace was selected as one of 13 companies to join the Microsoft Agentic Launchpad programme, a collaboration with NVIDIA and WeTransact designed to support AI innovation in the UK and Ireland. Programme provides technical guidance, cloud resources, go-to-market support, and access to Microsoft's ecosystem and marketplace channels.
- OraclecoreWhitespace partnered with Oracle to deploy its Saga operational learning capability on Oracle Roving Edge Infrastructure, marking its integration into the Oracle Defence Ecosystem launched in June 2025. The deployment was validated during Operation HIGHMAST, an eight-month UK Ministry of Defence mission spanning multiple theaters from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific.
- Oracle (Defence Ecosystem)coreWhitespace joined the Oracle Defence Ecosystem alongside Defence Technologies, part of Oracle's initiative launched June 2025 to help technology firms modernise defence systems for the US and allied nations. The ecosystem reduces barriers between early-stage development and operational readiness.
- Defence Holdings PLCcoreWhitespace and Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT) completed a binding Strategic Partnership to deliver sovereign AI infrastructure and mission-ready applications utilizing the Whitespace CollectiveOS platform. Initial focus includes autonomous decision-making, secure intelligence fusion, multi-domain situational awareness, protection of critical national infrastructure, and information domain dominance.
- Defence Holdings PLCcoreLetter of Intent signed to form long-term strategic partnership for sovereign AI infrastructure. Collaboration combines Whitespace's AI expertise with Defence Holdings' domain knowledge and strategic vision to deliver deployable software infrastructure at the speed and scale modern threats demand.
- Coventry UniversitycoreTwo-year collaboration agreement signed following two successful ventures. Whitespace provides technical development and AI capability supporting Coventry University's innovation projects including the £4 million RBOC N+ national security project, powered by Shift Platform.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Whitespace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Mind Foundry: UK-based AI platform company serving defence and regulated industries with trusted, auditable ML. Comparable as a UK sovereign AI vendor to government/defence; smaller and more focused on ML infrastructure than Whitespace's full OS.
- Onyxia: AI platform focused on secure, deployable AI for defence and government use cases. Comparable in product thesis (sovereign, air-gapped-capable AI) and target vertical, though at an earlier stage and US-headquartered.
Broad incumbents
- Darktrace: UK-listed cybersecurity AI company with strong defence and government footprint. Comparable as a UK-headquartered AI vendor to defence and regulated industries; cybersecurity-focused rather than operational AI decision-support.
- C3.ai: Enterprise AI application platform serving defence, government, and regulated industries. Comparable as an AI application platform for secure/regulated deployments, but with a much broader enterprise footprint and significantly larger scale.
- Anduril Industries: US defence tech company building AI-enabled autonomous systems and Lattice OS. Comparable on defence AI platform thesis and air-gapped deployment; much larger and hardware-integrated, with stronger US footprint.
- Palantir Technologies: Established data analytics and AI platform with deep US/UK defence and intelligence customer footprint (Gotham, Foundry, AIP). Comparable on AI operating-system-for-defence thesis; Whitespace is the more modular, sovereign, and mid-market alternative.
Direct peers
- Rebellion Defense: AI software company building decision-support and operational AI for US and allied defence customers. Closely comparable in customer base (US/UK defence, intelligence agencies), product (AI for operational decision-making), and deployment profile (secure, government-grade).
- Primer.ai: AI platform for intelligence analysts and defence operators, focused on multi-source intelligence synthesis. Highly comparable to Whitespace's Tarkin/Collective Insights and OSINT capabilities, serving overlapping defence and intelligence customers.
- Hadean: UK-based AI infrastructure company building distributed compute and AI platforms for defence and enterprise. Most direct comparable in geography, stage, and defence-AI focus, competing for similar UK MoD and allied sovereign AI programmes.
- Helsing: European defence AI company focused on AI-enabled capabilities for NATO and allied militaries. Direct comparable in mission (sovereign AI for defence), vertical (military end-users), and technology (AI platform for operational decision-making).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Whitespace social profiles
Digital presenceWhitespace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Whitespace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Whitespace subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Whitespace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Whitespace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Whitespace
What does Whitespace do?
Whitespace builds and sells Collective (CollectiveOS), a modular AI operating system designed for regulated, security-first industries such as defence, national security, government, financial services, emergency services, and healthcare. The platform delivers AI applications through an app-style dashboard and can be deployed across cloud, edge, on-premise, and fully air-gapped environments. It also offers standalone products including Tarkin/Collective Insights (OSINT research AI), eamli (decision intelligence), and Shift Platform (collaboration ecosystem).
Is Whitespace a public or private company?
Whitespace is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Whitespace founded?
Whitespace was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Whitespace based?
Whitespace is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Whitespace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Collective OS Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are professional Services and post-Quantum Security Development.
Who are Whitespace's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Mind Foundry and Onyxia. Broad incumbents are Darktrace, C3.ai, Anduril Industries and Palantir Technologies. Direct peers are Rebellion Defense, Primer.ai, Hadean and Helsing.
Does Whitespace have an API?
No public API is recorded for Whitespace.
What industry is Whitespace in?
Whitespace's product category is AI Software / Defence Technology Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABABAE, Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Orchestration (Private-Cloud-Centric), with a secondary code of HDABAAAD, Managed Application Platforms (App PaaS & Runtime Services). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7372.