Key takeaways
- Gallos Technologies has raised £35m in a balance sheet investment round led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments.
- The defence venture builder will use the capital to build new companies and invest in early-stage defence and security businesses.
- The round follows Gallos-backed StirlingX’s $20m Series A and comes as defence and security technology attracts growing investor interest.
UK defence and security investor and venture builder Gallos Technologies has raised £35 million in a balance sheet investment round led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments to expand its platform for building and investing in early-stage defence and security companies.
The round also includes founding investor Lansdowne Partners, billionaire investor David Harding and other private and institutional investors. Gallos said the round remains open to a small number of additional strategic investors.
Gallos operates as both a venture builder, developing defence and security companies from scratch, and an investor in existing early-stage businesses. The new capital will fund its next cohort of companies and further develop the platform supporting its venture-building and investment activities.
The company has not disclosed the structure of the investment, valuation or resulting ownership stakes. Companies House records show Gallos passed resolutions in July authorising the allotment of securities and removing pre-emption rights, consistent with preparations for an issuance of new securities.
Founded in 2021 by former national security official Josh Burch and ex-Marine Dean Jones, Gallos focuses on areas including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics, sensors and autonomous systems. Its venture-building track record includes StirlingX and AI Score, with the company saying the new capital will support the development of the “next StirlingX and AI Score”.
Gallos has also invested in companies including ANGOKA, Second Front Systems and Alchem Technologies.
Jones is also the founder and CEO of StirlingX, which in July announced a $20 million Series A led by Ventura Capital and Rokos Capital Management, with participation from Gallos.
The company’s advisory network includes former GCHQ director Sir Jeremy Fleming, former GCHQ chief technology officer Gaven Smith and former US National Security Agency chief technology officer Greg Smithberger.
The round gives Gallos backing from investors with experience across technology and private markets. Ventura was an early investor in Spotify and has helped fund European defence tech unicorn TEKEVER. Aberdeen invested through its abrdn Global Private Markets Fund.
The raise comes amid increased focus on defence, security and resilience technology among governments and investors. Fleming said Gallos was responding to “rapidly growing and evolving digital threats” driven by geopolitical instability and the use of emerging technologies against Western interests.
