Investor · 4 deals
Washington DC-based cybersecurity and AI investor.
Washington DC, OS
Every published round Paladin Capital Group took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dam Secure | Seed | Jan 2026 | $6.1m | Lead | Forbes Australia (29 Jan 2026), SmartCompany (23 Jan 2026), Startup Daily, Forbes Australia (21 Jan 2026), SmartCompany (21 Jan 2026) | |
| Circumvent | Seed | 16 Jun 2025 | $9.2m | Lead | Forbes Australia, SmartCompany, Startup Daily | |
| Secure Code Warrior | Series C | 24 Jul 2023 | $72m | Lead | SmartCompany (22 Dec 2023), Startup Daily, Forbes Australia, SmartCompany (27 Jul 2023), ARN (ARNnet), SmartCompany (14 Jul 2023) | |
| Cloud Conformity | Series A | 2018 | US$3.1m (A$3.8m) | Participant | SmartCompany, Startup Daily |
Companies Paladin Capital Group has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumvent | Proactive cloud security platform using multi-agent AI | 16 Jun 2025, Seed | 1 | 1 |
| Cloud Conformity | 2018, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| Dam Secure | AI security startup tackling risks from AI-generated code reaching production. | Jan 2026, Seed | 1 | 1 |
| Secure Code Warrior | 24 Jul 2023, Series C | 1 | 1 |
Fund closes reported for Paladin Capital Group, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Paladin Capital Group has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Paladin Capital Group did.
| Company | Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Conformity | Trend Micro | Acquisition | 2019 | $100m |
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Mourad Yesayan | Managing Director (former) | SmartCompany (23 Jan 2026), Startup Daily, SmartCompany (21 Jan 2026), ARN (ARNnet) |
Stories naming Paladin Capital Group. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Roundup of four ANZ raises: a Queensland rocket company's nine-figure Series E, a New Zealand legal-AI firm's Series B, a seed round for AI code-security, and a Melbourne construction-software raise.
Roundup of four ANZ raises totalling over $307m: Gilmour Space's Series E, Ivo's Series B, Dam Secure's seed round and SPEC Toolbox's pre-Series A, plus a board appointment at Dam Secure.
AI code security startup Dam Secure has closed an oversubscribed $6.1 million seed round led by Paladin Capital Group, with several tech executives investing, to grow its Australian R&D team and build a US sales presence.
Also Startup Daily·Forbes Australia·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia
Roundup of two raises: a seed round for a cloud-security startup protecting enterprise infrastructure, and growth money for a cleantech firm converting nut shells into filter material.
Also Startup Daily
Michael Watts, who earlier sold Cloud Conformity to Trend Micro, has launched Circumvent, an AI cloud-protection startup, backed by Paladin Capital.
A year-end SmartCompany roundup counting down 2023's ten largest Australian startup raises, headed by Employment Hero's $263m Series F, with investor details and commentary on fewer mega-rounds and continued under-representation of women co-founders.
Secure Code Warrior raised US$50 million in Series C funding led by Paladin Capital Group, with Goldman Sachs and ForgePoint Capital participating, to grow market share; an Imperva executive joined its board.
Weekly roundup of four Australian startup raises totalling $115.7 million: Secure Code Warrior's Series C, Lyre's, IMRA and Naked Life's crowdfunding record, alongside commentary on funding for women founders.
Also ARN (ARNnet)·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Forbes Australia