Due diligence
Reputational, third-party, investor and vendor due diligence, pre-employment screening, background checks, and KYC and customer due diligence.
OSINT Agency: Full-Service Open-Source Intelligence Team
An OSINT agency gives you a whole intelligence team for the length of a case: analysts who read the languages involved, investigators who know the registries, engineers who handle the data, and a senior reviewer who checks the result. OSINT-S is that team.
- 100+ people
- Six practice areas
- 7,000+ investigations since 2019
- UK entity: Molfar Limited
Short answer
An OSINT agency is a firm that runs open-source intelligence work for clients with its own team, methods and quality control, instead of selling software or a single freelancer's time. OSINT-S is the OSINT agency of Molfar Intelligence, a private intelligence company founded in Kyiv in 2019 with a UK entity in London. Its 100+ people have completed 7,000+ investigations across 60+ countries.
Why Work With an OSINT Agency?
Because hard cases need several skills at once, a second pair of eyes, and someone accountable for the result.
| OSINT agency | Freelance investigator | In-house team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Languages and regions | Assembled for each case | One person's | Whoever you hired |
| Quality control | Senior review before reporting | Self-checked | Depends on the team |
| Capacity | Scales with the case | Limited | Fixed headcount |
| Continuity | Team and records stay in place | Ends if the person moves on | Good, if staff stay |
| Contract and liability | Registered company, written terms | Often marketplace terms | Internal |
| Cost model | Fixed fee per case | Hourly or per gig | Salaries and tools |
Every one of the OSINT services on this site is delivered by this team.
Need just one person for a small task? See our guide to hiring an OSINT investigator, which compares all the options and their rates.
Six Practice Areas, One Team
The agency is organized into six practices. Cases draw on whichever ones the question needs.
Investigations and litigation support
Financial investigations, asset tracing, intellectual-property investigations, AML compliance investigations and litigation support.
Investigations →Risk management
Cyber threat intelligence, cyber security assessment, sanctions screening, adverse media screening, regulatory risk and deepfake fraud detection.
Threat intelligence →Strategic communications
Reputation management, including online reputation monitoring and lawful removal and de-indexing options.
Monitoring →Market research
B2B, e-commerce and consumer market research built on verified open-source signals about demand and competitors.
Intelligence for defense companies
Sector intelligence and due diligence for defense companies and their investors, within clear legal limits.
Practice areas as listed on molfar.com/solutions and its category pages, 6 October 2026.
Who Works in the Agency?
Analysts, investigators, researchers, engineers and strategic experts, led by a management team with intelligence, consulting and cyber backgrounds.
Molfar describes its team as more than 100 professionals: analysts, investigators, researchers, engineers and strategic experts (team). Leadership includes:
- Artem Starosiek, CEO and founder.
- Tetiana Kyselchuk, Chief Operating Officer.
- Ievgeniia Bespalova, Chief Strategy Officer.
- Maksym Zrazhevskyi, Global Head of Cyber.
- James Westlake, Head of the UK Office.
- Lukian Halkin, Head of the Molfar Intelligence Institute, the training arm.
Need advice or training rather than a case? See OSINT consulting and expert support.
How the Agency Controls Quality
A defined process for every case, a second check by the head of the department, and reports that keep facts, open questions and risks apart.
- Task assessment. The request is assessed for purpose, legality and feasibility before it is accepted.
- Expert team formation. The team is built around the languages, regions and skills the case needs.
- Research and verification. The head of the department fact-checks all research results.
- Reporting and confidentiality. Findings are reported with sources; sources and client data are never disclosed without written consent.
Process as published on molfar.com/about and molfar.com/faq.
Our History
Seven years from a Kyiv startup to an intelligence company with a UK entity, a training institute and its own monitoring platform.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Molfar is founded in Kyiv by Artem Starosiek as a commercial intelligence firm. |
| 2021 | Molfar Limited is incorporated in England and Wales (Companies House 13558891). |
| 2022 | Molfar acquires X-Ray, a platform for contact sourcing, and launches its training arm. |
| 2023 | Its war-related OSINT work is covered by the Kyiv Independent and PBS NewsHour. |
| 2025 | The training arm becomes the Molfar Intelligence Institute. |
| 2026 | 7,000+ investigations completed; the Minos platform runs ongoing monitoring. |
Sources: Molfar history, Molfar Intelligence Institute, Minos.
Who Does the Agency Work For?
Companies, investors, law firms, NGOs and public bodies across twelve industries, from defense and finance to retail and luxury assets.
Organizations Molfar lists among its clients include Helsing, MacPaw, Ajax Systems, Kernel, Interpipe, Wikborg Rein, Open Society Foundations, USIP, IWPR, CIJA and NABU (client list). Most engagements are confidential, so published cases are anonymized.
Industries served include government, defense, investment, finance, IT, cybersecurity, energy, retail, marketing, law, pharmaceuticals and luxury and high-value assets (molfar.com).
Agency Work in Practice
Published cases from the agency's practices.
Sanctions-grade dossiers in under two weeks
A government client needed evidence packs on individuals linked to a sanctions program. Molfar delivered 34 dossiers in under two weeks; five people were later sanctioned by presidential decree.
Read the case on molfar.com →Investor due diligence in defense tech
An investor asked for a check on a defense-tech startup. Molfar linked a co-founder to a 2.6 billion UAH gambling enterprise, and the investment was halted.
Read the case on molfar.com →Case studies are published by Molfar Intelligence, which operates OSINT-S. Most are anonymized at the client's request.
What the Agency Will Not Do
We decline work that needs unlawful methods, that targets people without a legitimate purpose, or that serves authoritarian regimes.
- No hacking, account access, impersonation to obtain records, or bypassing of privacy settings.
- No locating or profiling of individuals without a defined, lawful purpose.
- No work for representatives of authoritarian and despotic regimes (Molfar FAQ).
- No classified information, battlefield analysis or targeting support in defense work.
Put an OSINT Agency on Your Case
Send the question and the deadline. The agency replies with a scope, the team it would assign and a fixed price.
OSINT Agency FAQ
What is an OSINT agency?
An OSINT agency is a firm that carries out open-source intelligence work for clients with its own team, methods and quality control. It delivers investigations, checks, monitoring or threat intelligence rather than software.
Who runs OSINT-S?
OSINT-S is run by Molfar Intelligence, a trading name of Molfar Limited (Companies House 13558891). Molfar was founded in Kyiv in 2019.
How big is the agency?
Molfar reports 100+ people, including analysts, investigators, researchers, engineers and strategic experts, and 7,000+ investigations since 2019.
Where is the agency based?
In Kyiv and London. Contracts are with the UK company, Molfar Limited.
What languages does the agency work in?
Reports are delivered in English, and research is done in the local languages a case needs, with particular depth in Ukrainian, Russian and other Central and Eastern European languages.
Is an OSINT agency better than a freelancer?
For sensitive, cross-border or high-stakes cases, an agency adds a second check, more languages, continuity and a contract with a registered company. For small, low-risk tasks, a freelancer can be enough.
Does the agency work for governments?
It works for public bodies as well as companies, investors and NGOs, but not for representatives of authoritarian regimes.
How do I start working with the agency?
Send a brief with the question, the subject and the deadline through the contact form. You receive a scope, a timeline and a fixed price.
Sources and Notes
- Molfar Intelligence: homepage
- Molfar Intelligence: about and process
- Molfar Intelligence: team
- Molfar Intelligence: solutions and practice areas
- Molfar Intelligence: history
- Molfar Intelligence: clients
- Molfar Intelligence: FAQ
- Molfar Intelligence: background checks (sources figure)
- Companies House: Molfar Limited
- Molfar Intelligence Institute
- Minos by Molfar
- Kyiv Independent, 17 January 2023
- PBS NewsHour, 19 April 2023
Sources checked 6 October 2026. OSINT-S is operated by Molfar Intelligence, a trading name of Molfar Limited (Companies House 13558891). Figures from Molfar are company statements, not independently audited.