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Leonid Capital Partners

Venture debtoperating company · company profile

Washington · Seed–Growth · 28 people tracked

Also known as LEONID CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC

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Investment thesis

Leonid Capital Partners provides non-dilutive debt financing to companies serving the U.S. government, defense, and aerospace markets. It targets prime and subcontractors to the federal government, founders and startups holding government contracts, and firms seeking acquisition financing. Offering term loans, revolving credit lines, and acquisition financing, the firm aims to fuel a resurgence in government innovation and support companies across all stages of growth. Its team of engineers, scientists, veterans, and finance professionals works across multiple sectors including defense, aerospace, health, energy, and cybersecurity. Portfolio companies typically raise new equity equal to roughly 1.25 times the size of Leonid's credit facility during the investment period.

Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.

Stage
Seed–Growth
HQ
Washington, US
Leads rounds
Follows
Instruments
Debt
Founded
2019
Last 12 months
1 investment
AUM
$363M
Tracked investments
11

Team · 28 people

from the firm's website
Chris Lay· Co-Founding Partnerin

Co-Founding Partner of Leonid Capital Partners, a private credit fund supporting the U.S. national security ecosystem. He holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and an MBA from USC, with over 15 years of neuroscience research experience and prior leadership roles in private equity across healthcare, financial services, and technology.

James Parker· Co-Founding Partnerin

Co-Founding Partner who leads the firm's strategic investments in U.S. national defense and space contractors. He has over 25 years of finance and investing experience and previously spent more than a decade as an aerospace and defense engineer and program manager. He holds an MBA from USC and a Bachelor's in Astrophysics from Rice University.

Ken Campbell· Venture Capital Investor and Founder

Board member described as a venture capital investor and founder.

Matthew Hayden· Founder and Owner of SeaPurity Investments

Board member, founder and owner of SeaPurity Investments.

Jose Arteaga· Vice President | Financein

VP of Finance and Accounting; previously Director of Finance at Red Mountain Capital Partners and a Senior Associate in PwC's financial services assurance group.

Sam MacGregor· Vice Presidentin

Vice President who previously served as a U.S. Navy officer specializing in direct action operations, later directing R&D for the Navy's Autonomous Vessel Program, and worked as an Associate at BlackRock. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Bates College.

Brooks Wallace· Associatein

Associate who previously worked as a Senior Associate in KPMG's Deal Advisory & Strategy practice supporting private equity clients. He is a licensed CPA with a B.S. from Chapman University and an M.S. in Accounting from USC.

Claire Carloss· Marketing Associatein

Marketing Associate who previously interned in market research and communications at Tracker + Scout. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University.

Cody Blair· Associatein

Associate on the underwriting team who spent six years in the Marine Corps as a Scout Sniper and high-risk training instructor. He holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of Kansas and an MBA from USC.

Daniel Elkins· CEO of Special Operations Association of America

Board member, a Green Beret and CEO of the Special Operations Association of America.

Dante DeCollibus· Junior Analystin

Junior Analyst who completed internships in investment research at Canterbury Consulting and private equity at Allied Legacy Partners. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics from Chapman University.

Gabrielle DeGravina· Investor Relations Associatein

Investor Relations Associate who previously served as Director of Investor Relations at MC Companies and Senior Manager of Investor Relations at CG Capital. She holds a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University's Barrett Honors College.

James Young· General, United States Army (Ret)

Board member and retired U.S. Army General serving on Leonid's board.

Jarrett Korson· Analystin

Analyst based in the Washington, D.C. office who earned a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and an M.S. in Management from George Washington University. He previously worked at Econ One Research.

Joseph Brown· Analystin

Analyst with experience from Salem Partners' Investment Banking Division working on middle-market M&A, and previously KPMG's Audit practice. He is a licensed CPA and holds a B.S. in Accounting from San Diego State University.

Mat Winter· Vice Admiral; President of Winter Strategic Solutions

Board member, retired Vice Admiral and President of Winter Strategic Solutions.

Max Mayer· Senior Associatein

Senior Associate who previously was an Investment Associate at a private family office and a Lead Associate in Kroll's technology investment banking group. He holds a B.S. from USC, is a CPA, and holds FINRA Series 79 and 63 licenses.

Melvin Spiese· General, United States Marine Corps (Ret)

Board member and retired U.S. Marine Corps General serving on Leonid's board.

Michael Barbero· General, United States Army (Ret)

Board member and retired U.S. Army General serving on Leonid's board of directors/advisory board.

Michael Halas· Special Forces Officer; Account Executive Director, Goldman Sachs

Board member, a Special Forces Officer and Account Executive Director at Goldman Sachs.

Monroe Weng· Chief Financial Officerin

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer who leads financial strategy and oversight. He previously served as SVP Finance at Nano Banc and held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Tailwind Capital, and Pier Asset Management.

Peter Snelgrove· Analystin

Analyst who previously worked at PwC in assurance services for private equity and hedge fund clients and serves part-time as a UH-60M Black Hawk pilot in the California Army National Guard. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from UC Santa Barbara.

Robin Rand· General, United States Air Force (Ret)

Board member and retired U.S. Air Force General serving on Leonid's board.

Rose Amalfitano· Accounting Associatein

Accounting Associate who previously worked as an Assurance Senior at Ernst & Young focused on private credit fund clients. She is a licensed CPA with a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from UC Santa Barbara.

Ted Lanes· Chief Operating Officerin

Chief Operating Officer with decades of operational and financial leadership across private equity, banking, and corporate restructuring. He previously led Lanes Management Services, advising organizations through transitions with a focus on performance improvement.

Tepring Piquado· Chief of Staffin

Chief of Staff with over 15 years of leadership across military health research, government relations, and organizational operations. She was previously a Senior Policy Researcher at RAND and holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brandeis and a B.S. in computer science from Georgetown.

Trent Grainger· Junior Analystin

Junior Analyst who completed internships in equity capital markets advisory at ICR Capital and Roberts & Ryan, plus an internship with Leonid. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Richmond.

Tyler Shaw· Analystin

Analyst who completed internships in analytics and fintech focused on data science and financial analysis. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and is pursuing an M.S. in Business Analytics from Villanova.

What they invest in

from 11 of 11 portfolio companies

Deep Tech ×5Defense Tech ×5AI & Machine Learning ×3Hardware ×3IoT ×3Space Tech ×3Cleantech ×2Cybersecurity ×2

HQs:United States×8

Investments · 11 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 12025 · 12021 · 13 dated

Aclimaaclima.earthinMay 2025

Aclima operates a network of mobile and stationary sensors that measure air pollution and greenhouse gases at block-by-block resolution, and offers analytics software (Aclima Pro) and a free consumer app (air.health) that turn these measurements into environmental data for governments, companies, and communities.

Climate TechConsumerData & InfrastructureDirect to ConsumerE-commerceGovTechIoTSan Francisco, US

Co-investorsCool Climate CollectiveDCVC (Data Collective)Kapor CapitalMPowerRadicle ImpactACVC Partners+6 more

Anivive Lifesciencesanivive.comin𝕏Jul 2021 · $20M

Anivive develops new medicines for companion animals, using software across the drug development process to accelerate the creation of treatments.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechLong Beach, US

Dylan Balsz(Executive Officer, Director)inDavid Bruyette(Chief Medical Officer)inRobert Bishop(Director)Lynne Doti(Director)Cheryl Collett(Executive Officer)Glenn Stearns(Director)

Ion Storage Systemsionstoragesystems.com

ION Storage Systems develops solid-state battery technology, including its Cornerstone cell, and ships samples to consumer electronics manufacturers.

CleantechDeep TechEnergyNew MaterialsColumbia, US

Dr. Eric Wachsman(Executive Chair & Co-founder)Jorge Diaz Schneider(CEO)Ravi Abbineni(Chief Financial Officer)

Co-investorsTEDCOAlsop Louie PartnersAlumni VenturesJuvo VenturesVoLo Earth VenturesToyota Ventures

Katalyst Spacekatalystspace.com

Katalyst designs satellite upgrades and modules that can be deployed flexibly across different orbits via orbital transfer vehicles, robotic servicers, or pre-launch installation.

AI & Machine LearningHardwareRoboticsSpace TechFlagstaff, US

Ghonhee Lee(Executive Officer)

Co-investorsFelicis VenturesFortitude VenturesGeodesic Capital

NALEJnalej.com

NALEJ offers Mosaic, an open-source full-stack enterprise platform for AI, machine learning, and edge computing that supports DevSecOps, DataSecOps, AI/ML Ops, cyber, and network operations.

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise Software

Co-investorsSINEWAVE VENTURESTheVentureCity

PteroDynamicspterodynamics.comin𝕏

Pterodynamics develops the Transwing, an aircraft designed to support businesses seeking to reduce their operational environmental impact.

CleantechDefense TechHardwareRoboticsMoorpark, US

Matthew Graczyk(CEO)in

Co-investorsKairos Venture Investments, LlcLavrock Ventures

Rx Bandzrxbandz.cominJul 2026

Rx Bandz develops auto-injector devices and injectable formulations for treatment conditions including anaphylaxis, diabetes, opioid overdose, and other medical emergencies for patients, first responders, and military personnel.

Deep TechHardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesLocust Valley, US

Jessica Walsh(Founder, CEO)in

Co-investorsTexas HALO Fund

Simplesensesimplesense.ioin

Simplesense builds a platform delivering "Continuous Mission Assurance" that provides unified visibility across installation infrastructure and security for defense installation leaders and operations centers.

Defense TechGovTechIoT

Eric Kanagy(Founder)in

BoardHeidi Scheppers(Former Deputy Director, Air Force Security Forces)

Co-investorsWestchester Angels

Skywaysleonidcp.com

Leonid Capital Partners is a private investment firm offering term loans, revolving lines of credit, and acquisition financing to companies in the aerospace, defense, and government sectors, positioning itself as a capital provider for the U.S.

Defense TechFintech

Turion Spaceturionspace.comin𝕏

Turion Space builds space infrastructure spanning maneuverable spacecraft, mission planning software, and orbital logistics such as refueling and servicing, with capabilities for space domain awareness and rendezvous proximity operations.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechDefense TechSpace TechLos Angeles, US

Ryan Westerdahl(Founder)inTyler James Pierce(Founder)inPatryk Wiatr(Founder)inTyler Pierce(Founder)

Co-investorsAngel Collective Opportunity FundAsymmetry VenturesAurelia FoundryBacchus Venture CapitalBeyond Earth VenturesCenter15 Capital+40 more

Xairosxairos.comin𝕏

Xairos develops a space-based quantum timing architecture for global position, navigation, and timing services with sub-nanosecond accuracy, serving transportation, telecommunications, power grids, financial systems, and data centers.

CybersecurityDeep TechDefense TechIoTQuantum ComputingSpace TechLone Tree, US

David Mitlyng(Founder)in

Co-investorsQubits VenturesTechstars

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Leonid Capital Partners made?
Leonid Capital Partners has 11 tracked investments, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Leonid Capital Partners invest at?
Leonid Capital Partners invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
What sectors does Leonid Capital Partners focus on?
Leonid Capital Partners focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Climate Tech, Cybersecurity, Defense Tech, Energy, GovTech, Healthtech, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Space Tech.
Where is Leonid Capital Partners located?
Leonid Capital Partners is headquartered in Washington, US.
Does Leonid Capital Partners lead rounds?
Leonid Capital Partners typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Leonid Capital Partners co-invest with?
Leonid Capital Partners most often shares deals with Alsop Louie Partners, Felicis Ventures, FoundersX Ventures, among 39 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

James Parker, Leonid Capital Partners

SpaceNews · James Parker

Images

Leonid Capital Partners photo

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