What Fenix Insight does

Fenix Insight is a privately-held UK firm founded in 2011 in Crawley by David Hewitson and Colin King, delivering open-source intelligence (OSINT), munitions analysis, CBRN-threat briefings, and conflict and instability reporting to government defence/security clients and humanitarian organisations. Its core outputs are two named proprietary products: METIS, an AI-backed OSINT platform that delivers daily expert-verified intelligence on conflict and post-conflict scenarios globally, and IRIS, a proprietary in-house machine-vision system trained on the firm's own hardware collection that provides real-time threat detection with GPS-mapped alerts and integration into METIS. Beyond these platforms the firm offers bespoke consultancy, munition breakdowns and explosive-trials reporting, high-precision surrogates and inert hardware for training, a Compliance Manager tool (free via mineaction.net and as a paid customised version), technical reports, and training services. The business has accumulated a domain corpus of 6,200+ munition records, 500,000+ captured munition events, 300+ technical reports, and operating presence in 50 countries, supported by ISO 9001/Interface & UKAS, Cyber Essentials Plus, and Joscar Registered credentials.

The firm's revenue mix is multi-stream: subscription-style recurring access to METIS and the paid Compliance Manager tier, project-based professional services (consultancy, investigations, munition breakdowns, accident investigations), and hardware sales of surrogates and inert munitions for training and research. Distribution is entirely direct and consultative - enterprise field sales to government agencies and humanitarian organisations, supported by content marketing (SITREPs, Bulletins, Newsletters, Resource Center) and a 'Book a Demo' funnel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contracts are quote-based. The customer base shown publicly consists of anonymised testimonials from a Canadian government department, a US government department, and a human-rights organisation, with additional verticals in training and research institutions. The firm remains bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company), with leadership retained by the founder-operators, and is sized at 1-10 employees.

Name

Fenix Insight

Website

https://fenix-insight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fenix Insight, founded in 2011 in Crawley, UK, provides OSINT-driven munitions, CBRN, and conflict-analysis intelligence to government defence agencies and humanitarian organisations worldwide via its proprietary METIS platform, IRIS machine-vision software, consultancy, and inert training hardware.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Intelligence / OSINT Services

NAICS

National Security (928110), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIP) (HDADAGAD), Threat Intelligence Services (BPAEADAC)

Keywords

• Open source intelligence
• Explosive ordnance analysis
• Munitions threat detection
• OSINT conflict monitoring
• Inert training hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Crawley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. METIS Platform Subscription: Access to the advanced OSINT platform providing verified conflict and instability intelligence with daily expert-verified updates
2. Bespoke Consultancy Services: Expert consultancy including technical analysis, OSINT investigations, research studies, management systems development, training, and accident investigations in explosive ordnance and related fields
3. Munition Breakdown Reports: Full breakdowns or explosive trials of munitions with detailed reports documenting appearance, characteristics, and function
4. Surrogates and Inert Hardware: High-precision training alternatives including generic training aids to precision-engineered items for personnel training and research, covering basic to latest conflict-related munitions
5. Compliance Manager: Compliance management solutions with free access via mineaction.net and customized tools tailored to standards

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fenix Insight provides expert-verified open source intelligence (OSINT) and analysis on munitions, CBRN threats, conflict and instability for defense, humanitarian, and security organizations. The company sells subscriptions to its proprietary METIS OSINT platform and IRIS machine-vision threat detection software, alongside consultancy, munition breakdown reports, surrogates/inert hardware for training, technical reports, training services, and a compliance management tool.

Product overview

Fenix Insight offers a unified platform-plus-modules product architecture centered on two core proprietary products: METIS, an advanced OSINT system for conflict and instability intelligence, and IRIS, a machine vision software for real-time threat detection. These core platforms are complemented by specialized add-on services including consultancy, munition breakdown analysis, surrogates and inert hardware for training, Compliance Manager for regulatory management, and subscription-based content products including technical reports, training, situation reports (SITREPs), and bulletins. The company was founded in 2011 by David Hewitson and Colin King and serves government agencies and humanitarian organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• METIS: Advanced open source intelligence (OSINT) system delivering verified, timely, and reliable intelligence on conflict, post-conflict, and instability scenarios worldwide. Backed by subject matter expertise and proprietary AI tools.
• IRIS
• Compliance Manager

Products and services

• METIS Subscription-based advanced open source intelligence (OSINT) system delivering verified, timely, and reliable intelligence on conflict, post-conflict, and instability scenarios worldwide for defense, humanitarian, and security decision-makers.
• IRIS Proprietary machine vision software developed and trained in-house using Fenix's hardware collection that delivers real-time threat detection with visual and audible alerts, GPS-mapped locations, and instant access to in-depth technical information via METIS.
• Bespoke Consultancy Services Expert consultancy services including technical analysis, OSINT investigations, research studies, management systems development, training, and accident investigations tailored to challenges in explosive ordnance and related fields.
• Munition Breakdown Full breakdowns or explosive trials of munitions, producing detailed reports that document the appearance, characteristics, and function of munitions for client organizations.
• Surrogates and Inert Hardware Physical surrogates and inert hardware providing analysts and trainers with high-precision alternatives for personnel training and research, spanning from generic training aids to precision-engineered items covering basic to the latest conflict-related munitions.
• Compliance Manager Simplified compliance management solution for regulatory compliance, available for free access via mineaction.net or as a customised tool tailored to specific standards.
• Technical Reports Expert-verified technical reports providing detailed analysis of munitions, CBRN threats, conflict and instability related intelligence, updated daily.
• Training Training services tailored to explosive ordnance and related fields.
• Hazard Recognition Playing Cards Physical training aids (playing cards) used for hazard recognition training related to explosive ordnance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,200+ munition records accessible for identification and analysis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dataminr: Real-time AI-driven intelligence platform detecting events from public data sources for defense, government, and enterprise clients. Comparable to METIS in providing AI-augmented OSINT at scale, though broader in scope.
• Babel Street: OSINT platform providing multi-lingual open-source intelligence, identity resolution, and threat analytics to defense, intelligence, and enterprise customers. Comparable to METIS in OSINT data ingestion and defense customer base.
• Recorded Future: Threat intelligence platform aggregating and analyzing open, dark web, and technical sources for security and defense customers. Comparable to Fenix's OSINT and threat intelligence capabilities, though focused more on cyber/cyber-physical threats than munitions.
• Janes: Long-established open-source defense intelligence provider delivering verified analysis on military capability, conflicts, and threat actors. Closely comparable to Fenix's METIS in providing expert-verified open-source defense intelligence to government customers.

Emerging players

• Predata: OSINT analytics platform quantifying geopolitical risk and instability from open data signals for government and financial clients. Comparable to Fenix in OSINT-based conflict and instability analysis.
• OSINT Combine: OSINT training, tooling, and services provider serving defense, intelligence, and law enforcement. Comparable to Fenix's training and bespoke consultancy offerings in the OSINT domain.

Direct peers

• Conflict Armament Research: UK-headquartered organization that investigates and documents weapons used in conflicts, providing detailed munitions analysis to governments and humanitarian actors. Directly comparable to Fenix's munitions identification and war crime investigation use cases.
• Bellingcat: Open-source investigations collective producing conflict-related intelligence including munitions identification, war crime investigations, and OSINT analysis. Comparable to Fenix in OSINT methodology and humanitarian/civil society customer overlap.
• Armament Research Services (ARES): Technical consultancy producing detailed reports on small arms, light weapons, and ammunition used in armed conflicts. Directly comparable to Fenix's munition breakdown reports and surrogate/inert hardware offerings.
• i-Intelligence: Open-source intelligence services firm specializing in defense, security, and geopolitical analysis with training and bespoke investigations. Comparable to Fenix's consultancy and OSINT subscription offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fenixinsight

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fenix Insight