Cybersecurity platform GALLOS raises £35m led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments
This article covers GALLOS, a cybersecurity startup, raising £35m in a growth funding round led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments with participation from existing investor Lansdowne Partners. The funds will be used to back additional startups and expand GALLOS's platform to address resilience gaps in national defence and digital security.
GALLOS, a cybersecurity startup co-founded by two former senior national security officials, has raised £35m in a growth funding round led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments. The cash — joined by existing investor Lansdowne Partners — will be used to back new businesses and expand GALLOS’s platform at a time when demand for security and resilience technologies is accelerating.
Why it matters
The raise highlights growing investor interest in companies building tools and services for national defence, resilience and digital security. GALLOS positions itself as both a startup builder and an investor, aiming to close capability gaps that governments and firms face as threats evolve rapidly. The involvement of high-profile advisers from national security communities adds credibility and signals closer ties between industry and defence ecosystems.
In the announcement, Sir Jeremy Fleming, former director of GCHQ, said:
The world faces rapidly growing and evolving digital threats, fuelled by geopolitical instability and sharpened by the speed at which new and emerging technologies are being turned against us. GALLOS's work enhances our ability to protect both people and businesses, in the UK and other allied nations.
Inside the product
GALLOS describes itself as a platform that identifies resilience gaps, validates market need and builds companies to address those gaps. Its model blends in-house company creation with early-stage investment. Existing portfolio companies include StirlingX, a drone operator and data intelligence company led by GALLOS co-founder Dean Jones, and AI Score, an enterprise platform for AI compliance, governance and optimisation.
The firm says the new funds will be split between backing additional startups and further investment in its own platform infrastructure. The company declined to disclose the valuation and noted the round remains open to a small number of strategic investors.
Who are the investors?
The round is jointly led by Ventura Capital and Aberdeen Investments, the private markets arm of the London-listed asset manager abrdn. Lansdowne Partners, the British hedge fund and asset manager, participated as an existing investor.
In the announcement, Mo El Husseiny, managing partner of Ventura Capital, said:
GALLOS was filling out national defence and resilience white spaces with great purpose. It is the go-to platform for security, defence and resilience at a time when both the public and private sectors demand pace, quality and innovation.
In the announcement, Nalaka De Silva, head of private market solutions, Aberdeen Investments and portfolio manager, abrdn Global Private Markets Fund, said:
GALLOS had developed a distinctive ability to identify resilience gaps, validate market need and build companies with real strategic relevance.
The participation of established asset managers and hedge funds underlines increasing institutional appetite for defence- and security-oriented investments, especially for vehicles that combine operating teams with investment reach.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of cyber security venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of cyber security angel investors in the UK
Founder perspective
In the announcement, Josh Burch, co-founder of GALLOS, said:
The GALLOS platform combines frontline national security experience with the ability to build, back and scale companies at pace.
Burch and co-founder Dean Jones bring senior national security and special forces experience; Jones also serves as CEO of StirlingX. GALLOS’s advisory roster includes senior former intelligence technologists, which the company says helps bridge operational insight and product development.
The bigger picture
The GALLOS raise comes amid a wider uptick in funding for defence and security technology across the UK and Europe. Recent rounds from companies working on missile and drone interception or other defence systems reflect a market responding to shifts in modern warfare and national resilience priorities. For investors, platforms that can accelerate startups with operationally informed founders offer a way to access these specialised markets more quickly.
The deal also underscores how institutional capital is moving into earlier-stage vehicles that sit at the intersection of private enterprise and public security needs. As geopolitical tensions and the pace of technological change persist, funding flows into cybersecurity and defence-related startups are likely to remain a notable theme for the UK venture ecosystem.
They've invested in GALLOS
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