F
Flare Bright
Solves the problem of “what to do if GPS fails” for drone operations by using smarter, software-based INS
About Flare Bright
Flare Bright, established in 2015, is a UK-based company at the forefront of developing autonomous navigation solutions for environments where GPS is unavailable or unreliable. The company was founded by Dr. Kelvin Hamilton, who now serves as CEO, and was co-founded by Dr. Conrad Rider, the current CTO. Dr. Hamilton brings a wealth of experience from his previous venture in sub-sea autonomous platforms, which he sold in 2013, and holds a Ph.D. in Underwater Robotics. Dr. Rider specializes in Applied Artificial Intelligence, holding a Ph.D. in the field. The leadership team was later strengthened by Chris Daniels, the Chief Commercial Officer, who has a background in the British Army's Parachute Regiment, investment banking, and commercializing technology startups.
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The company's core technology is a software-based, patent-pending system that dramatically enhances the capabilities of low-cost inertial measurement units (IMUs) through machine learning and digital twin modeling. This Software Enhanced Navigation System (SENS) creates a highly accurate physics-based model, or 'digital twin', of an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS). By comparing real-time sensor data to this model, the software can provide precise position and navigation information without external signals, making it immune to jamming and spoofing. This allows even a basic, inexpensive IMU, like those found in smartphones, to achieve navigation accuracy comparable to or even exceeding that of far more expensive tactical-grade systems over extended periods. The system is hardware-agnostic and can be integrated into existing drone platforms via a small, credit-card-sized board or by utilizing the drone's own sensor suite.
Flare Bright primarily serves the aerospace and defense sectors, with significant contracts and funding from the UK Ministry of Defence's Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and the United States Department of Defense. Its business model revolves around developing and licensing its advanced software, as well as providing research and development services to accelerate the evaluation and optimization of flight systems for prime aerospace contractors and government bodies. While initially developing its own drones like the SnapShot nanodrone, the company has pivoted to focus on its core software competence, which has applications for a wide range of aerial, maritime, and subsea vehicles. This technology enables critical capabilities such as flight safety in GNSS-denied areas, logistics, surveying, and certifiable autonomous operations.
At a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Westcott, United Kingdom
- Employees
- 27
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 38.8/100
- Sub-industry
- Navigation & Mapping
- Sector
- Defence, Geopositioning, Core AI, Drones, MLops, Dual-Use Tech, Hard Tech, AI Model Training and Development
- Technology
- Artificial Intelligence, Deep Tech, Machine Learning
- Business model
- SaaS
- Client focus
- b2b
Knowledge graph
More headlines
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANT✓Other financing | Jan 2025 | $320K | — | UK Research and Innovation | — |
| SEEDEquity / VC | Feb 2021 | $660K | $2.6M | British Robotics Seed Fund · Highland Venture Capital | ↗ |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Flare Bright is 1.1K monthly website visits, up 48.6% over the last three months. Flare Bright's team grew 0% over the past year.
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Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed3 investors entered at this stage
British Robotics Seed Fund
Highland Venture Capital
UK Research and Innovation
Series A1 investor entered at this stage
Aerospace Xelerated
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Flare Bright on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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