Cerberus Ventures

Reviewed Updated Apr 6, 2026

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Location New York, NY
Founded 2023
Fund Size ~$75M (first close of inaugural fund)
Website https://cerberus-ventures.com
Stage Focus
seed series-a series-b
Sector Focus
defense ai quantum-computing cybersecurity biotech deep-tech climate

Team

Chris Darby Global Head
Michael Rolnick Senior Managing Director
Amir Salek Senior Managing Director
Sarah Istel Managing Director
Morgan Mahlock Managing Director
Chenny Zhang Managing Director

About

Cerberus Ventures is the venture capital arm of Cerberus Capital Management, launched in 2023 under the leadership of Chris Darby, former 17-year President and CEO of In-Q-Tel (the CIA’s strategic investment firm) 12. The fund raised approximately $75 million at its first close for an inaugural venture fund targeting hardware, defense, AI, quantum computing, and national security technologies 3.

The team brings backgrounds in company-building, technology, investing, and national security 4. Several senior hires — Morgan Mahlock, Chenny Zhang — came directly from In-Q-Tel, bringing the intelligence community’s technology evaluation framework to commercial venture investing 5. Amir Salek, a Senior Managing Director, was formerly Founder and Head of Silicon at Google and a Senior Director at Nvidia 5. Michael Rolnick, also a Senior Managing Director, is a Forbes Midas List honoree with decades of venture experience 5.

The firm invests at Seed through Series B and occasional later rounds, leveraging Cerberus Capital Management’s broader platform, networks, and capital to support portfolio companies 4.

Stated Thesis

Cerberus Ventures states it backs “pioneering founders looking beyond success toward significance — the disruptors, contrarians, and challengers that are shaping the future” 4. The fund focuses on five critical domains:

  1. Intelligence — AI, machine learning, data analytics
  2. Energy and resources — fusion, cooling infrastructure, clean energy
  3. Essential infrastructure — cybersecurity, SaaS governance, supply chain
  4. Computing — quantum computing, semiconductors, chip design
  5. Bio-science — biosecurity, synthetic biology, oral therapeutics

Darby’s stated mandate is to invest in technology that increases national security, both for the US and its allies 1. The strategy revolves around real-world hardware assets rather than pure software plays 1.

Inferred Thesis

Based on 12 verified portfolio companies from the firm’s portfolio page 6:

  • Bio-science: 5 companies (42%) — Ansa Biotechnologies, Red Queen Bio, Roebling/Synonym, Syntis Bio, Virchow Medical
  • AI / Defense: 2 companies (17%) — ChipStack (acquired by Cadence), Ghostdog Systems (acquired by Mission Essential)
  • Quantum Computing: 2 companies (17%) — Lightsynq (acquired by IonQ), Maybell Quantum
  • Energy / Infrastructure: 2 companies (17%) — DG Matrix, Ferveret
  • Cybersecurity: 1 company (8%) — Nudge Security

Notable patterns: - Remarkably high acquisition rate: 8 of 12 portfolio companies (67%) have been acquired, suggesting either strategic exits or acqui-hires - Strong national security thread: Ghostdog acquired by Mission Essential (defense contractor), Lightsynq by IonQ (quantum leader) - Bio-science is the largest sector despite the firm’s defense branding — likely influenced by Chenny Zhang’s In-Q-Tel biotech background - Seed and Series A dominant — most entries are very early stage - ChipStack (acquired by Cadence) and Lightsynq (acquired by IonQ) represent notable strategic exits to major industry players

Portfolio

Company Stage Year Sector Status Source
Nudge Security Series A (USD 22.5M, led by Cerberus Ventures; Ballistic Ventures, Forgepoint Capital, Squadra Ventures participating; Morgan Mahlock joined board) 2025-11-18 Cybersecurity Active 6101112
Syntis Bio Series A (led, USD 33M oversubscribed; Mansueto Investments, Woori Venture Partners, Apollo Labs, BOLD Capital Partners, W. R. Berkley, Safar Partners, Portal Innovations, Colorcon Ventures, Cerity Partners Ventures participating; Chenny Zhang joined board) 2025-07-01 Biotech Active 6151617
ChipStack Seed (>$7M raised; participants: AI2 Incubator, Khosla Ventures, Cerberus Capital Management, Clear Ventures, and angels; company emerged from Seattle’s AI2 Incubator; total 20-person team) 2023 AI / Chip Design Acquired (Cadence, 2025-11-10) 61819
Ghostdog Systems Seed (Moonshots Capital-led; participants: 8VC, Shield Capital, Cerberus, Capital Factory; Drive Capital pre-Seed) 2024-01-30 AI / Defense Acquired (merged into The Mission Group with Mission Essential, 2025-08-05) 6202122
Lightsynq Series A ($18M; led by Cerberus Ventures; Murata Electronics NA, IAG Capital Partners, Safar Partners, QVT, Element Six, In-Q-Tel participating; founded by Harvard quantum experts / former AWS researchers) 2024-11-19 Quantum Computing Acquired (IonQ; announced 2025-05-07, closed 2025-06-03; >12.3M IonQ shares issued) 623242526
Maybell Quantum Series A/B 2024 Quantum Computing Acquired 67
Ansa Biotechnologies Series B ($54.4M total: $45.2M closed + $9.2M in commitments; Cerberus Ventures led; Blue Water Life Science Advisors, Altitude Life Science Ventures returning; Fall Line Capital, AIM13, Black Opal Ventures new; Chenny Zhang [Cerberus] and Yanniv Dorone [Fall Line Capital] joined board) 2025-10-01 Biotech / DNA Synthesis Active 6272829
Red Queen Bio Seed 2024 AI Biosecurity Acquired 6
Roebling (fmr. Synonym) Seed/Series A 2024 Biotech / Industrial Planning Acquired 6
Virchow Medical Seed 2024 Biotech / Diagnostics Acquired 6
DG Matrix Seed 2023 Energy Infrastructure Acquired 6
Ferveret Seed 2024 Liquid Cooling / Energy Acquired 6
Star Catcher Industries Series A ($65M, co-led with B Capital and Shield Capital) 2026-05-12 Space / Power / Orbital Infrastructure Active 89
Photon Queue Seed ($4M, Playground Global-led; with Illinois Ventures, Roadrunner Venture Studios, MFV Partners) 2026-07-21 Quantum Computing / Quantum Memory Active 1314

In Their Own Words

“We believe in the pioneering founders looking beyond success toward significance — the disruptors, contrarians, and challengers that are shaping the future.” — Cerberus Ventures 4

What Founders Say

No independently sourced founder testimonials found.

Sources

  1. PitchBook, “Cerberus’ inaugural venture fund targets hardware, defense bets,” 2023. https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/cerberus-launches-vc-fund-hardware-defense↩↩↩

  2. Cerberus Capital Management, “Christopher Darby — Leadership,” accessed April 2026. https://www.cerberus.com/our-firm/leadership/christopher-darby/↩

  3. PitchBook, “Cerberus raised nearly $75M for its inaugural VC fund’s first close,” 2024. https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/cerberus-ventures-raised-74m-for-its-inaugural-vc-funds-first-close↩

  4. Cerberus Ventures page, Cerberus Capital Management, accessed April 2026. https://www.cerberus.com/investment-platforms/cerberus-ventures/↩↩↩↩

  5. Cerberus Ventures people page, accessed April 2026. https://cerberus-ventures.com/people↩↩↩

  6. Cerberus Ventures portfolio page, accessed April 2026. https://cerberus-ventures.com/portfolio↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  7. The Quantum Insider, “Maybell Quantum Announces $25 Million Series A Funding Led by Cerberus,” March 4, 2024. https://thequantuminsider.com/2024/03/04/maybell-quantum-announces-25-million-series-a-funding-led-by-cerberus/↩

  8. PR Newswire, “Star Catcher Raises $65 Million to Build the First Power Grid in Space,” May 12, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/star-catcher-raises-65-million-to-build-the-first-power-grid-in-space-302769128.html — $65M Series A led by B Capital with Cerberus Ventures and Shield Capital co-leading; GreatPoint Ventures, Helena, Oceans Ventures, and MVP Ventures participated. Gen. John “Jay” Raymond (Cerberus) joined Star Catcher’s board. ↩

  9. Payload, “Star Catcher Closes $65M Series A,” May 12, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://payloadspace.com/star-catcher-closes-65m-series-a/ — Confirms Series A close, total capital raised $88M, planned in-orbit power-beaming demonstration in 2026. ↩

  10. Nudge Security press release, “Nudge Security Raises $22.5M Series A to Secure Workforce AI and SaaS,” November 18, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.nudgesecurity.com/press/nudge-security-raises-22-5m-series-a-to-secure-workforce-ai-and-saas — USD 22.5M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures with Ballistic Ventures, Forgepoint Capital, and Squadra Ventures participating; Morgan Mahlock of Cerberus Ventures joined the board. ↩

  11. Cerberus Ventures, “Announcing Our Investment in Nudge Security,” by Morgan Mahlock, Managing Director, November 18, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.cerberus-ventures.com/perspectives/announcing-our-investment-in-nudge-security — Cerberus Ventures’ own announcement of the investment, authored by Morgan Mahlock, confirming firm participation. ↩

  12. Gunderson Dettmer, “Nudge Security Raises $22.5 Million Series A Led by Cerberus Ventures,” November 18, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.gunder.com/en/news-insights/client-news/nudge-security-raises-22-5-million-dollar-series-a-led-by-cerberus-ventures — Transaction counsel confirmation of USD 22.5M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures with Ballistic, Forgepoint, and Squadra participating. ↩

  13. The Quantum Insider, “Photon Queue Raises $4 Million Oversubscribed Seed Round,” July 21, 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/07/21/photon-queue-raises-4-millionoversubscribed-seed-round/ — $4M oversubscribed seed round led by Playground Global with Cerberus Capital Management, Illinois Ventures, Roadrunner Venture Studios, and MFV Partners participating. ↩

  14. Quantum Computing Report, “Photon Queue Raises $4M Oversubscribed Seed Round to Commercialize Room-Temperature Quantum Memory,” July 21, 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://quantumcomputingreport.com/photon-queue-raises-4m-oversubscribed-seed-round-to-commercialize-room-temperature-quantum-memory/ — Independent confirmation of Playground Genesis Fund-led $4M seed with Cerberus, Illinois Ventures, Roadrunner, MFV Partners as co-investors. ↩

  15. BusinessWire (Syntis Bio press release), “Syntis Bio Closes $38 Million Financing to Accelerate Oral Therapies for Obesity and Rare Diseases,” July 1, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250701704610/en/Syntis-Bio-Closes-$38-Million-Financing-to-Accelerate-Oral-Therapies-for-Obesity-and-Rare-Diseases — Primary company press release. USD 33M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures with Mansueto Investments, Woori Venture Partners, Apollo Labs (new investors) and BOLD Capital, W. R. Berkley, Safar Partners, Portal Innovations, Colorcon Ventures, Cerity Partners Ventures (existing) participating. Combined with up to USD 5M NIH SBIR grants for $38M total. Chenny Zhang (Cerberus) and Michael Nannizzi (W. R. Berkley) joined the board. ↩

  16. Cerberus Capital Management (Cerberus Ventures press page), “Syntis Bio Closes $38 Million Financing to Accelerate Oral Therapies for Obesity and Rare Diseases,” July 1, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.cerberus.com/media/syntis-bio-closes-38-million-financing-to-accelerate-oral-therapies-for-obesity-and-rare-diseases/ — Investor-side confirmation of Cerberus Ventures leading the Series A. ↩

  17. Pulse 2.0, “Syntis Bio: $38 Million Raised For Advancing Oral Therapies For Obesity,” July 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://pulse2.com/syntis-bio-38-million-raised-for-advancing-oral-therapies-for-obesity/ — Contemporaneous trade press confirmation of amount, lead, and participants. ↩

  18. GeekWire, “Cadence to acquire Seattle startup ChipStack to boost chip design automation,” November 10, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.geekwire.com/2025/cadence-to-acquire-seattle-startup-chipstack-to-boost-chip-design-automation/ — Tier-1 regional tech press confirming ChipStack emerged from Seattle’s AI2 Incubator in 2023 and raised more than $7 million; investors listed as AI2 Incubator, Khosla Ventures, Cerberus Capital Management, Clear Ventures, and other angels. Cadence acquisition announced November 10, 2025; entire 20-person team joining Cadence. ↩

  19. Cerberus Ventures perspectives, “ChipStack is Joining Cadence,” November 10, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.cerberus-ventures.com/perspectives/chipstack-is-joining-cadence — Cerberus Ventures’ own perspective post confirming ChipStack started in late 2023 and signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Cadence Design Systems (world leader in electronic design automation) on November 10, 2025. ↩

  20. Moonshots Capital, “Doubling Down on National Security: Why We Invested in Ghostdog,” February 20, 2024 (Medium republication of announcement). Accessed July 2026. https://medium.com/leadership-prevails/doubling-down-on-national-security-why-we-invested-in-ghostdog-797ef9a9f252 — Moonshots Capital-authored investment announcement naming lead (Moonshots) and syndicate (8VC, Shield Capital, Cerberus, Capital Factory joined the Seed; Drive Capital led pre-Seed). Company co-founded by Air Force veterans Sean Lane and Carlton “Bubba” Fox. Round amount not disclosed. ↩

  21. Kelly Perdew (Managing Partner, Moonshots Capital), LinkedIn post announcing lead of Ghostdog Seed, activity 7165758324188168193, dated January 30, 2024. Accessed July 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kellyperdew_vc-startups-extraordinaryleadership-activity-7165758324188168193-eLG- — Investor-side primary confirmation of Moonshots Capital-led Seed with Cerberus, 8VC, Shield Capital, and Capital Factory participating; Drive Capital pre-Seed lead. Announcement date 2024-01-30. ↩

  22. Intelligence Community News, “Mission Essential and Ghostdog merge,” August 5, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://intelligencecommunitynews.com/mission-essential-and-ghostdog-merge/ — Confirms merger of Mission Essential and Ghostdog Inc. into new parent company The Mission Group on August 5, 2025; Ghostdog Inc. becomes Mission Sciences (technology and product innovation arm). Combined organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. ↩

  23. Cerberus Capital Management press release (Cerberus Ventures), “Lightsynq Comes Out of Stealth with $18M in Series A Funding to Scale Quantum Computing,” November 19, 2024. Accessed July 2026. https://www.cerberus.com/media/lightsynq-comes-out-of-stealth-with-18m-in-series-a-funding-to-scale-quantum-computing/ — Investor-side primary press release confirming $18M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures on November 19, 2024, with Murata Electronics NA, IAG Capital Partners, Safar Partners, QVT, Element Six, and In-Q-Tel participating. Founders: Dr. Mihir Bhaskar (CEO), Dr. Bart Machielse (CTO), Dr. David Levonian (CPO) — former Harvard quantum networking experts and AWS research leads. ↩

  24. BusinessWire, “Lightsynq Comes Out of Stealth with $18M in Series A Funding to Scale Quantum Computing,” November 19, 2024. Accessed July 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241119908343/en/Lightsynq-Comes-Out-of-Stealth-with-$18M-in-Series-A-Funding-to-Scale-Quantum-Computing — Wire-service primary press release, same day (Nov 19, 2024). Company technology: quantum interconnects based on color centers in diamond photonic devices for foundry-scale production. ↩

  25. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, “Wilson Sonsini Advises Lightsynq on $18 Million Series A.” Accessed July 2026. https://www.wsgr.com/en/insights/wilson-sonsini-advises-lightsynq-on-dollar18-million-series-a.html — Deal counsel confirmation of $18M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures. ↩

  26. IonQ investor relations, “IonQ Completes Acquisition of Lightsynq, Accelerating Quantum Computing and Networking Roadmap,” June 3, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://investors.ionq.com/news/news-details/2025/IonQ-Completes-Acquisition-of-Lightsynq-Accelerating-Quantum-Computing-and-Networking-Roadmap/default.aspx — Primary IonQ press release confirming acquisition close on June 3, 2025 (definitive agreement announced May 7, 2025; over 12.3M IonQ shares issued as consideration; financial terms otherwise not disclosed). ↩

  27. Cerberus Capital Management press release (Cerberus Ventures), “Ansa Biotechnologies Secures $54.4 Million in Series B Financing to Redefine How Scientists Access Synthetic DNA with Industry’s First Guaranteed On-Time Service,” October 1, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.cerberus.com/media/ansa-biotechnologies-secures-54-4-million-in-series-b-financing-to-redefine-how-scientists-access-synthetic-dna-with-industrys-first-guaranteed-on-time-service/ — Investor-side primary press release: $54.4M oversubscribed Series B ($45.2M closed + $9.2M in commitments) led by Cerberus Ventures. Participants: Blue Water Life Science Advisors, Altitude Life Science Ventures (existing); Fall Line Capital, AIM13, Black Opal Ventures (new). Chenny Zhang (Cerberus Ventures Director) and Yanniv Dorone, PhD (Fall Line Capital SVP) joined Ansa’s board. ↩

  28. BusinessWire, “Ansa Biotechnologies Secures $54.4 Million in Series B Financing to Redefine How Scientists Access Synthetic DNA with Industry’s First Guaranteed On-Time Service,” October 1, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251001701666/en/Ansa-Biotechnologies-Secures-$54.4-Million-in-Series-B-Financing-to-Redefine-How-Scientists-Access-Synthetic-DNA-with-Industrys-First-Guaranteed-On-Time-Service — Wire-service primary release, same day (2025-10-01), confirming the same syndicate, amount, and board additions. ↩

  29. Pulse 2.0, “Ansa Biotechnologies: $54.4 Million Series B Raised To Transform DNA Synthesis,” October 8, 2025. Accessed July 2026. https://pulse2.com/ansa-biotechnologies-54-4-million-series-b-raised-to-transform-dna-synthesis/ — Independent trade-press confirmation of $54.4M Series B (with $45.2M base + $9.2M commitments), Cerberus Ventures lead, full syndicate, and CEO Jason T. Gammack quote on the company’s 24-day guaranteed delivery for 50 kb DNA sequences. ↩