Paladin Capital Group

Paladin's sourcing model relies on its Strategic Advisory Group, which includes former senior officials from the US intelligence community and Department of Defense, and its in-house scientific team led by Chief Scientist for Safety Tech Dr. Mary Aiken. The firm identifies dual-use technologies — tools that serve both government and commercial security needs — often before those vulnerabilities are widely recognized by the private market.

Paladin is a multi-stage investor, deploying capital from seed to expansion and late-stage venture. Its flagship Paladin Cyber Fund II is a $372 million vehicle targeting high-priority cybersecurity startups, while earlier funds have included Paladin III, which made 34 investments in disruptive cyber and advanced technologies alongside a smaller allocation to alternative energy (per firm website, 2026).

Paladin is a private equity and venture capital firm, not a family office. It manages committed capital across multiple institutional funds and is structured as an asset manager with a general-partner/limited-partner model, headquartered in Washington, DC.

Paladin concentrates on cybersecurity, AI/ML, defense tech, digital infrastructure resilience, and safety tech. The firm also maintains a broader historical portfolio that has included life sciences, alternative energy, and telecommunications, but its post-2008 posture has centered on cyber and dual-use national security technologies.

The dual-use thesis invests in companies whose technologies serve both US government agencies and commercial enterprises. For example, satellite intelligence firm HawkEye 360 provides radio-frequency geospatial data to defense customers and commercial supply-chain monitors; Sandbox AQ applies quantum and AI research to both national security problems and enterprise cybersecurity.

The Strategic Advisory Group includes former national security officials such as Dr. Stacey A. Dixon, who joined as a Strategic Advisor after serving as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. This group provides the investment team with technical threat assessments, regulatory foresight, and access to government technology ecosystems that inform deal evaluation and portfolio-company strategy.

Paladin has historically led rounds — such as Elliptic's $5 million Series A in 2016 — and also participates alongside other venture and growth-stage investors. The firm's multi-stage mandate and transatlantic offices in London and Luxembourg position it to syndicate deals across North America and Europe, though specific co-investor relationships are not publicly itemized on a per-deal basis.