FireKeep · press kit.

About

What FireKeep is.

FireKeep is a Canadian-designed brand of solar-rechargeable, Class IV laser fire-starting tools. The flagship line — Watchman (5W), Warden (10W), Keeper (20W) — uses a focused 450nm blue laser to ignite tinder in 2–12 seconds, even in conditions where matches, lighters, and ferro rods fail.

The company was founded in 2026 by Jonathan Ellis, an engineer-designer based in Vancouver, BC. FireKeep took its name from the Anglo-Saxon firewardens — the village officials whose job was to keep the central hearth alight, because re-lighting it was a half-day's labour with flint and dry tinder. The brand premise: warmth is the oldest technology, worth keeping.

FireKeep operates on a limited-production-run model — pre-orders are firm orders with a 12-month delivery commitment, and units are manufactured in batches against confirmed demand. Within each tier, units ship in pre-order date order.

Quick facts

The numbers.

Founded

2026 · Vancouver, BC, Canada

Founder

Jonathan Ellis · engineer + designer

Product category

Premium outdoor / preparedness hardware

Tech

450nm Class IV laser · 21700 cell · solar input

Flagship line

Watchman ($599) · Warden ($899) · Keeper ($1,199)

Companion line

Outrider · Edge · Anthem · Solis · Photon

Year-1 unit target

250 pre-orders · 2026 Q3 first ship

Year-5 revenue target

$47.6M · 70,000 units

Distribution at launch

D2C · firekeep.ca · USA + Canada (excl. CA, MA, NY)

Compliance

FDA 21 CFR 1040.10 · Health Canada REDR · IEC 60825-1

Key supplier (diodes)

Nichia Corp. (Tokushima, Japan)

Investment status

Self-funded + pre-order-funded · open to seed

Product line

Three flagships.

Companion line includes Outrider (4W trekking pole, $449), Edge (6W field knife, $689), Anthem (3W bluetooth speaker + igniter, $379), Solis (20W solar panel, $219), and Photon (10W limited-edition collector, $1,099).

Founder

Jonathan Ellis.

Jonathan Ellis is an engineer and designer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He built FireKeep out of a workshop frustration — having lit too many wet, wind-blown campfires with pinched fingers and a Bic lighter that would not cooperate — and out of a deeper interest: how the most ancient technology in human life (fire) could be brought into the same era as the things people now expect from premium outdoor gear.

Before FireKeep, Jonathan worked across product design, software engineering, and branding for hardware-product companies. He is the sole founder and current sole operator. Hires planned for Q2 2027 once D2C velocity is established.

Available for interviews, podcasts, and on-camera demonstration of the product. Generally responds within 24 hours.

Quotable

For your story.

Downloads

Brand assets.

All assets are released under FireKeep's media-use license — free for editorial use in articles, reviews, and broadcast coverage. Not for commercial use, parody, or competitive product marketing without permission.

Some asset packs aren't yet hosted — request via email and we'll send within 24h.

Coverage

What's been written.

FireKeep is in pre-launch — coverage starts after public launch (target: Q3 2026). Once first units ship, this section will be updated with reviews and articles. If you cover us, we'll add your link.

Contact

Get in touch.