Halceon: Building the Road to a Safer Digital Future
Gloucestershire‑based, mission‑driven investor network Halceon is harnessing our county’s deep technical heritage to build a safer digital world. Matching breakthrough start‑ups with investors, they help them navigate and better understand complex emerging technology and cyber start-ups. Advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and an increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape mean the next wave of security innovation can’t wait for capital. Locally, Halceon forecasts a £30 million increase in Gross Value Add (GVA), adding dozens of high-value jobs within its first four years. Its investors already span San Francisco, London, Bristol, and, naturally, Gloucestershire.
Fresh from sponsoring Halceon’s packed‑house launch event, Golden Valley sat down with co‑founders Rich Yorke and Melania Edwards to explore why the next decade of cyber innovation will be shaped in, rather than simply defended in Cheltenham.
A Meeting of Minds
Rich’s path into technology was anything but predictable. Raised in South Yorkshire, he arrived at King’s College London in 1998 to study War Studies, only to take a self-imposed gap year. To earn money, he delivered post for the newly merged energy regulator Ofgem just as the internet was making its way into public life. Assumed to be the office “young techie”, he was tasked with creating the regulator’s first website, an assignment made possible by evening HTML tutorials from his younger brother. Two years later, he was Head of e‑Communications.
That momentum followed him to the Cabinet Office, where he helped build the Government Gateway under the uncompromising leadership and vision of Alan Mather. “This job set me on my career path. Alan came from Citibank and had a delivery-focused, take-no-prisoners mindset. He set high standards and had clear expectations balanced with giving you the backing to achieve them. That high-challenge, high-support environment enabled us to do incredible work and shaped my outlook. I am grateful to have worked on such a game-changing programme with him and the wider e-Delivery Team.”
The true pivot came on 7 July 2005, the day of the London bombings. Four coordinated explosions tore through the capital’s transport network, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700. Rich left his home in Finsbury Park twenty minutes earlier that day; the Piccadilly‑line carriage he usually boarded never reached King’s Cross. “That near‑miss shattered any naivety I had about national security,” he recalls. The shock propelled him towards a security‑cleared career with Atos Origin, a string of national security projects, and eventually the creation of Deep3, the 70‑person secure‑software engineering company acquired by CACI in 2019.
Post acquisition, Rich wanted to direct a proportion of the proceeds towards innovative start-ups that were making a difference. He made his first investment in Sitehop in 2022 and has since built up a portfolio of cyber companies, including Lexverify, OnSecurity, ESProfiler & APIContext
Melania's journey began growing up in Cheltenham before studying Economics and Management at the University of Oxford. Melania explains how her mixed heritage - from the rolling hills of the Cotswolds through to the white sand beaches of Indonesia - shaped her worldview and her drive to build.
“I have remained a committed advocate of lifelong learning, both through formal study and lived experience.” After university, Melania went on to spend two decades living and working across multiple continents, from leading initiatives within large financial institutions across Europe and Asia, to immersing herself in Silicon Valley’s ecosystem of venture funds, accelerators, and corporate innovation.
“I’ve always been driven by the belief that capital, when consciously directed, can be a powerful force for good.”
Why Gloucestershire?
Asking Rich, he elaborates on some of the most notable of local innovations: Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, Dowty’s hydraulic landing gear, the world’s first jet‑powered aircraft built on the edge of Cheltenham in 1941. Today, the county’s centre of gravity is GCHQ and a supply chain of technical talent who, Rich notes, “care more about the mission than the margins.”
Melania explains that Gloucestershire is a uniquely fertile ground for innovation.
“While I continue to work internationally, Gloucestershire has always been a grounding base for me. There’s something about the expansive landscape, the quiet excellence, and the sense of community here that feels both stabilising and catalytic.
We’re fortunate to have a remarkably high concentration of both capital and capability in the region, especially in cyber, national resilience, and defence. The depth of technical expertise, combined with a mission-first mindset, makes it an ideal place to build ventures that meaningfully shape the future. Plus, it’s an exceptionally beautiful place to live, which makes deep, focused work all the more possible.”
The Road to Halceon
At the end of 2024, cyber‑community group CyNam secured Barclays Eagle Labs funding to test demand for a cyber‑focused angel network. Rich and Melania ran the study and found enthusiasm on all sides, so they pivoted the project to enable building something to make an immediate impact.
Rich:
“It became pretty obvious early on that there was demand from angels to come together. The founders we spoke with were absolutely on board. We found that investors from outside of the sector wanted to invest in cyber but felt they lacked the knowledge to make an informed decision. So we pivoted the project to be as much a feasibility study as being, let's build this thing and start to make an impact!”
Melania:
“We were united by a shared bias for action and a deep commitment to building what we wished existed. Rich brings deep domain expertise in cyber; I bring a broad background in global venture and systems-building. It felt like a natural alignment. Halceon was born out of a sense of responsibility and possibility. ”
The Halceon Vision
To cultivate a new kind of investment community: one that is strategic, mission-led, and anchored in long-term outcomes. They believe this kind of capital can shape not just markets, but a safer and more resilient future.
Early, informed capital is scarce. Pre‑seed cyber and defence start‑ups typically seek £300–400k but struggle to find investors who grasp both technology and the threat landscape. Shared diligence lowers risk. Investors pool expertise and invest alongside each other.
A UK‑wide network, headquartered in Cheltenham.
Challenges and Opportunities
The global fundraising landscape has been challenging, particularly at the early stage, where businesses are often at their most fragile yet most full of potential. That’s why Halceon was created: to bring together committed capital at precisely these critical inflection points.
For investors, opportunity in sectors like cybersecurity is complex. Validating zero‑trust architectures or quantum‑resistant algorithms takes specialist knowledge. Halceon pairs investors with founders who have already built, sold, or even broken mission‑critical systems so they can invest with confidence.
When asked what advice she’d give to founders, Melania explains the importance of choosing well:
“Seek out investors who bring more than just capital. The right investors can offer strategic guidance, open doors, and become trusted sounding boards through the inevitable highs and lows of building a company. The relationship you build with your investors is one of the most important assets you’ll have.”
The Road Ahead
Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and geopolitical instability mean the next security breakthroughs can’t wait for late‑stage money. Halceon believes a curated network of hands‑on investors can bridge the gap.
Recommended Reading & Resources
● Halceon – Apply for funding or join the investor network
● CyNam – Gloucestershire’s cyber‑ecosystem hub