Synoptix turns engineering expertise into AI products for defence
Bristol-based Synoptix spent more than a decade helping defence customers engineer complex systems, and now it’s building its own.
With tailored business growth support from Innovate UK, the company has taken its first AI products to market, with its technology now being trialled by the British Army and the Royal Navy. It has also built a marketing function from scratch, increased its permanent headcount by 15%, and is on track to grow turnover to £13 million in FY26/27.
Founded in 2011 as a systems engineering consultancy, Synoptix later added cyber security and, around three years ago, AI. This shift inspired the company to stop just selling its expertise as a service and start building its own products.
Sam Farrow, Technology Director at Synoptix, says: “Effectively there was a reset. We started looking a lot more like a startup again, and then going into a scale-up.”
Its first product, Synx-Recon, is an AI-powered digital sentry for land forces. Using computer vision, it spots military vehicles, such as an approaching tank, through trees, bad weather and camouflage, giving armed forces early warning of threats.
Synx-Lookout takes the same technology to sea, identifying navigational markers, hazards and other vessels around a ship to support the move towards autonomous and reduced-crew shipping.
The company has also developed an AI assurance service, helping organisations that are developing or buying AI systems reach the point where they can justifiably trust them.
Tailored support for a business starting again
Synoptix began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in summer 2025. Innovation and Growth Specialist, Melody Thompson, worked with the team to bring in support across R&D, commercialisation and internationalisation, timed to each stage of its shift from services to products.
"Going into the scheme, we had a vague notion it would be useful. What we found is that the scope of support on offer is absolutely massive, and it’s been incredibly useful.”
Grant support unlocks academic partnerships
To help fund its product development, Melody introduced grant writing specialist Chris Hewat-Boyne, who helped the team strengthen its approach to competitive funding applications.
Sam says: “Chris’s input was a huge help. We’ve taken his advice and built an internal playbook that we can apply.”
Synoptix has since used that playbook to win three Accelerated Knowledge Transfers (AKTs), which give businesses up to 12 weeks of 90% Innovate UK-funded work with an academic partner on a specific challenge. Synoptix’s projects cover human-AI teaming, threat modelling and AI-driven camera control, including work with the University of Bath.
The AKTs build on earlier Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). One with the University of Leicester laid the foundations for its AI business, which Sam says “wouldn’t have happened” without it, while another with Swansea University strengthened its cyber security work.
A smarter approach to intellectual property
Moving into products also meant thinking differently about intellectual property (IP). IP specialist Dave Hopkins encouraged the team to think hard about whether keeping some of its technology as trade secrets, rather than patenting it, would offer better protection.
Sam explains: “We were naive when we were getting into products and thought the name of the game was patenting everything. The most fundamental thing Dave told us was to be very careful, because patent protection is only as good as your ability to monitor somebody breaching it, and you’re putting your IP in the public domain.”
Dave also introduced the team to Patent Box tax relief, and Synoptix has since commissioned a tool to weigh up the financial case for patenting each technology.
Building a marketing function from the ground up
In June 2025, Synoptix had no dedicated marketing team, which worked for a services business but not for one launching products. It also wanted to grow beyond defence into healthcare and space, a challenge set for Business Development Director Keith Speed, so Innovate UK Business Growth brought in two specialists.
Through Innovate UK Business Growth’s Design for Growth initiative, Tom Inns helped the team work out how to take its expertise into healthcare.
Sam explains: “Healthcare doesn’t speak in the way that space or defence do. Tom showed us that if you’re not speaking in terms of quality improvement, then you’re not speaking their language.”
Melody also introduced marketing specialist Phil Johnston, who worked with Synoptix’s new marketing team on personas, positioning and benefit statements for its AI assurance service.
Scarlett Scott-Collins, Marketing Manager at Synoptix, says: “It was really helpful to have a sounding board to bounce ideas off. Our time with Phil was super helpful.”
Phil’s support helped shape Synoptix’s first full marketing campaign, including a webinar that beat industry benchmarks for attendance and a regular programme of thought leadership articles that has drawn in leads through its website.
The company’s profile has grown too. Sam adds: “We’ve been speakers at more events than I can count, from digital ethics summits to techUK events.”
Keith says: “That whole brand awareness piece has paid dividends for sure. It’s hard to quantify, but it’s clear to see.”
Laying the groundwork for international growth
Early in its support journey, Synoptix worked with internationalisation specialist Linda Middleton-Jones to develop a core strategy and identify key target markets, particularly for its maritime technology.
An Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) profile quickly matched the company with an ideal partner in the Netherlands. Although that partnership didn’t go ahead, it showed what the network can do.
Sam says: “It identified, pretty quickly to be honest, the perfect candidate for us. If we found one, we can find others.”
Growing through a defence slowdown
Since starting work with Innovate UK Business Growth, Synoptix has continued to grow despite a slowdown in defence, increasing permanent headcount by 15% and advancing the commercial maturity of its product portfolio. This progress is expected to support turnover growth from just under £10.9 million to around £13 million in FY26/27.
Synx-Recon reached minimum viable product in November 2025 and has already secured two early adopter customers. The first licences have been sold, and the technology is now being trialled by the British Army as part of an autonomous systems application.
Synx-Lookout, still in development, is on trial with the Royal Navy. Its AI assurance service has also secured its first contract.
Sam says: “Given the slowdown in defence contracts, we saw contraction and reductions in headcount in a lot of our competitors. So we’re very pleased turnover and headcount has grown in recent years.”
Support that grows with the business
Synoptix continues to work with Innovate UK Business Growth. Next steps include a Secure Innovation Security Review, maritime market research and an introduction to Innovate UK Business Growth’s Scale Up programme to support the company’s next stage of growth.
Melody really understands what we do, how we operate and therefore what’s actually of use to us. It’s meant she could tailor the support to each stage of our growth.