FNX Ventures invests in Sentinel Photonics

Above: Dr Chris Burgess, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Sentinel Photonics.
Courtesy Sentinel Photonics

The funding represents a significant vote of confidence in Sentinel’s technology and will support the company’s expansion across Europe. It will enable Sentinel to scale production, strengthen its European partner network and accelerate the deployment of its systems across allied defence platforms, as laser systems are increasingly used in modern conflicts, presenting new challenges for defence forces and security agencies.. 

As directed-energy capabilities, like lasers, become more widely used, the ability to detect and counter hostile laser activity is expected to play an increasingly important role in Europe’s defence posture. This investment will help strengthen Europe’s capacity to monitor and respond to emerging laser threats, supporting the protection of critical infrastructure and frontline assets. 

Dr Chris Burgess, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Sentinel Photonics, said the investment marked an important milestone for the company: “This investment is a strong endorsement of the technology our team has developed and the role it can play in protecting coalition forces,” he said. “Laser threats are becoming a prominent feature of modern conflict. With the support of FNX Ventures, we will be able to expand our presence across Europe and work more closely with partners to help protect the forward line of European defence.”

FNX General Manager, Thibaut Claes, commented: “We were particularly impressed by the quality of the Sentinel Photonics team, combining deep technical expertise with a clear focus on real-world operational impact. In a rapidly growing and mission-critical market across defence and civilian use cases, Sentinel embodies exactly what we look for: an internationally active company, built on outstanding technology and led by ambitious yet pragmatic founders.”

Sentinel Photonics was established as a UK Ministry of Defence and Dstl spin-out to design systems that protect vehicles, ISR platforms, critical infrastructure, and personnel from laser threats and is already deployed in operational environments.