CyLon Ventures

What CyLon Ventures does

CyLon Ventures is a UK-based, founder-controlled investment firm specializing in early-stage security and resilience startups, operating from London and Witney with a team of 1–10. Founded in 2015 by Grace Cassy, Jonathan Luff, and Alex van Someren as Europe's first dedicated cyber security accelerator (CyLon Lab), the firm pivoted in 2021 to a pure-play angel investing model, deploying its founders' own capital in "angel-sized" cheques rather than managing an external VC fund. The firm's positioning is founder-aligned, with investment timelines matched to portfolio founders and the partners' own capital at risk, distinguishing it from institutional fund managers.

CyLon's go-to-market is relationship-driven: the partners — drawing on UK diplomatic service, national security advisory, and venture operating backgrounds (including a prior £350m London IPO of nCipher and an Amadeus Capital Partners partnership) — leverage a specialized network to source deals, make introductions to enterprise customers and follow-on investors, and provide strategic guidance. The firm has publicly been the first-check investor in Tessian (email security, $65m Series C in 2021), Immersive Labs (cyber workforce, $75m Series C in 2021), Mondoo (infrastructure security, $15m Series A in 2021), and Cado Security (cloud forensics, $10m Series A in 2021), with a cumulative portfolio reported at over £1bn in valuation across the UK, US, Israel, and historically Singapore and the Middle East.

The business model produces returns through equity appreciation and liquidity events from a deliberately small portfolio of high-conviction investments, rather than through recurring management fees or software revenue. As an investment firm rather than a technology developer, CyLon does not build proprietary products, platforms, or AI/ML systems; its offering is capital plus sector-specialized network access for security and resilience founders seeking escape velocity in a demanding vertical.

Name

CyLon Ventures

Legal name

CyLon

Website

https://cylonventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CyLon Ventures is a UK-based, founder-controlled angel investor specializing in early-stage security and resilience startups across Europe, the US, and Israel, deploying partners' own capital in small, high-conviction cheques and leveraging deep national security and venture networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-stage Cybersecurity Investing

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Early-stage cybersecurity investing
• Angel investment network
• Security startup funding
• Venture capital security
• Resilience technology investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: CyLon Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage cybersecurity and resilience startups. They invest their own capital (not a VC fund) and benefit when portfolio companies grow and achieve liquidity events such as Series C rounds.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CyLon Ventures provides angel-sized equity investments in early-stage cybersecurity and resilience startups, deploying the founders' own capital rather than a managed VC fund. Portfolio founders gain access to a specialized sector network, strategic introductions to early customers and investors, and ongoing relationship support aimed at helping security startups achieve escape velocity in a uniquely demanding sector.

Product overview

CyLon Ventures is an angel-sized investment firm, not a product company. They provide early-stage capital investment services to cybersecurity startups, focusing on supporting founders to reach early customers, meet investors, and build strategic relationships. The company does not offer a unified product platform or software modules — its offering is investment capital and network access for security startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Angel-Sized Early-Stage Equity Investment in Security Startups Direct equity investment deployed from founders' own capital into early-stage cybersecurity and resilience startups at angel-sized cheque sizes. Designed for founders building the security technologies of the future who prioritize investor alignment and access to CyLon's specialist network.
• Portfolio Founder Network and Strategic Relationship Support Beyond capital, CyLon provides portfolio founders with introductions to early customers, connections to other investors, and long-term strategic relationship-building support, leveraging the firm's network of government, corporate, and security-startup ecosystem contacts.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Forgepoint Capital: US-based venture capital firm exclusively focused on cybersecurity investments across early and growth stages. Direct competitor for cybersecurity deal flow with similar sector specialization and founder-support model.
• C5 Capital: London-based specialist venture capital firm investing in cybersecurity, secure cloud computing, and applied AI. Highly comparable to CyLon given shared UK base, security sector focus, and early-to-growth stage investing in similar portfolio companies.
• DataTribe: US-based cybersecurity startup foundry and investor that co-builds companies from government and defense origins. Comparable to CyLon's accelerator roots and security vertical focus, with similar pre-seed/seed investment approach.
• Evolution Equity Partners: US/European venture capital firm investing in cybersecurity and enterprise software companies. Comparable given shared cybersecurity vertical focus and similar early-to-growth stage investing approach.
• Paladin Capital Group: Global multi-stage investor focused on cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and defense technologies. Comparable to CyLon's security focus with similar national security positioning and founder-support orientation.
• Ten Eleven Ventures: US-based venture capital firm specializing exclusively in cybersecurity investments. Direct peer to CyLon - both are cyber-focused specialist investors writing cheques in similar stages; notably Ten Eleven co-led Cado Security's Series A alongside CyLon, demonstrating they co-invest in the same founders.

Broad incumbents

• Notion Capital: UK-based venture capital firm investing across enterprise SaaS, including security-adjacent companies. Comparable as UK-focused early-stage investor competing for similar founder pool, though not exclusively cybersecurity-focused.
• Amadeus Capital Partners: UK-based deep tech and cybersecurity venture capital firm where co-founder Alex van Someren served as Managing Partner of Early Stage Funds until 2021. Comparable as a broader UK tech investor with cyber exposure, and direct relationship to CyLon through shared personnel.
• Octopus Ventures: One of the UK's largest early-stage venture capital investors with a broad portfolio that includes cybersecurity companies. Comparable as a UK early-stage investor competing for security founders, though with broader sector coverage than CyLon.

Emerging players

• Forward Partners: UK-based early-stage investor with focus on technology and ecommerce. Comparable as a UK early-stage investor operating with smaller cheque sizes, though with broader sector coverage than CyLon's pure cyber focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CyLonVentures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cylon-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments71 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CyLon Ventures