# Cycad Group

> Cycad Group is a VC fund backing Biotechnology and Manufacturing. See 23 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Santa Barbara, United States
- Total investments: 23
- Last investment: Apr 2022
- Lead investor: 9%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- Website: http://www.cycadvc.com

Cycad Group is a venture capital firm focusing on equity investments in early to intermediate stage technology companies.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Cycad Group. Shizune tracks 4 team members at Cycad Group. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/cycad-group?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 5 | 22% |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 17% |
| Health Care | 3 | 13% |
| Health Diagnostics | 3 | 13% |
| Medical | 2 | 9% |

24 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 5 | 22% |
| Series C | 5 | 22% |
| Series B | 4 | 17% |
| Seed | 2 | 9% |
| Funding Round | 2 | 9% |

9 stages tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| K. Leonard Judson | President and Managing Director | 10 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/k-leonard-judson |
| Robert J. Balch | Vice President | 1 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/robert-j-balch |
| Mark R. Collins | Executive | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mark-r-collins |
| PAUL F. GLENN | CHAIRMAN & DIRECTOR | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/paul-f-glenn |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Prelude | Prelude is a technology company that helps organizations proactively ask questions of their security systems to advance their defenses. Built around the notion of visibility, our products conduct continuous probing that elicits answers to questions that range from basic health checks to vulnerability to latest threats - across all environments. Bytranslating obscure definitions of security into concrete questions, Prelude provides holistic internal intelligence with which customers can identify, prioritize and take action seamlessly without any unknowns. | $24M | Series A | Apr 12, 2022 |  |
| ImaginAb | ImaginAb is a biotechnology company focused on developing a new class of highly targeted diagnostic imaging agents based on engineered antibody fragments. ImaginAb's platform technology enables the rapid engineering of antibodies into fragments that retain the parental antibody but are immunologically passive and kinetically-optimized forclinical imaging. This combination of superior specificity and kinetics enables ImaginAb to generate agents that can address the unmet needs in diagnosis and patient selection for therapeutics. | $12.8M | Venture - Series Unknown | Jun 03, 2021 |  |
| Lixivia | Lixivia is a venture-backed start-up that develops a process to purify and separate minerals intended to be cost-effective and scalable. The company's process solves two fundamental problems that inhibit steel slag from being re-purposed; stabilizing the slag to allow use in civil engineering applications and producing the highest puritycalcium minerals that are commercially available. Lixivia carefully chooses chemistry and processes conditions to refine large mineral mixtures which include low-grade lime, dolime, steel and iron slag, rare earth metals, and lithium, enabling clients to capture more value from the minerals in a cost-effective manner. Lixivia was founded in 2012 and is based in Santa Barbara, California, USA. |  | Seed | Jan 01, 2021 |  |
| Visterra | Visterra, Inc. engages in pharmaceutical drug research and development of therapeutic and diagnostic products for infectious diseases. It also provides structure-based design of therapeutics and diagnostic platforms, based on an understanding of glycobiology and glycochemistry. The company was formerly known as Parasol Therapeutics, Inc. andchanged its name in May 2010. Visterra, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. | $23.6M | Series C | Oct 05, 2017 |  |
| ImaginAb | ImaginAb is a biotechnology company focused on developing a new class of highly targeted diagnostic imaging agents based on engineered antibody fragments. ImaginAb's platform technology enables the rapid engineering of antibodies into fragments that retain the parental antibody but are immunologically passive and kinetically-optimized forclinical imaging. This combination of superior specificity and kinetics enables ImaginAb to generate agents that can address the unmet needs in diagnosis and patient selection for therapeutics. | $8M |  | Sep 14, 2017 |  |
| NanoSteel | NanoSteel is an advanced materials company specializing in the design and commercialization of patented steels with exceptional mechanical properties derived from their nano-scale microstructure. The Company's primary focus is proprietary alloys for use as sheet steel in automotive light-weighting applications. It has developed multiplegenerations of ferrous materials innovations including metallic coatings, additive manufacturing powders, and sheet steel protected by over 300 patents filed and granted worldwide. NanoSteel’s nanostructured steel designs are providing next-generation performance across a wide range of global industrial markets. The company alloys are proven in oil & gas, mining, cement, concrete, and power industries. The recent advanced high strength steel (AHSS) sheet material is poised to redefine how steel is used in the automotive industry. | $2.5M |  | Nov 14, 2016 |  |
| ClarVista Medical | ClarVista Medical is a developer of innovative products to treat challenging ophthalmic conditions. In 2012 and in conjunction with series A financing, ClarVista was spun out from Prospex Medical, a medical device incubator, to pursue the development of the HARMONI™ IOL. Between 2012 and 2014, the company developed the first generation HARMONI™system, conducted thorough first-in-human clinical study and developed a broad portfolio of intellectual property. In 2015 the company closed on a series B financing of $14M which will be used to develop the second generation HAROMONI™ system, conduct a larger feasibility clinical trial and obtain key regulatory approvals including CE mark and US IDE. | $14.5M | Series B | May 20, 2015 |  |
| SOFIE | SOFIE brings that vision to life by increasing the adoption and application diversity of theranostics by removing the cost and complexity traditionally associated with the technology. With a full line of imaging and radiochemistry systems and a premier radiopharmacy network and contract manufacturing organization to supply novel agents fordiagnosis and therapy, the company is dedicated to improving patient health. | $1.5M | Grant | Oct 17, 2014 |  |
| ImaginAb | ImaginAb is a biotechnology company focused on developing a new class of highly targeted diagnostic imaging agents based on engineered antibody fragments. ImaginAb's platform technology enables the rapid engineering of antibodies into fragments that retain the parental antibody but are immunologically passive and kinetically-optimized forclinical imaging. This combination of superior specificity and kinetics enables ImaginAb to generate agents that can address the unmet needs in diagnosis and patient selection for therapeutics. | $21M | Series B | May 08, 2014 |  |
| SOFIE | SOFIE brings that vision to life by increasing the adoption and application diversity of theranostics by removing the cost and complexity traditionally associated with the technology. With a full line of imaging and radiochemistry systems and a premier radiopharmacy network and contract manufacturing organization to supply novel agents fordiagnosis and therapy, the company is dedicated to improving patient health. | $5M | Series A | Oct 15, 2013 |  |

10 of 23 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [EnerTech Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/enertech-capital) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [Skyline Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/skyline-ventures) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [Auriga Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/auriga-partners) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/johnson-johnson-development-corporation) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [MP Healthcare Venture Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mp-healthcare-venture-management-inc) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Polaris Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/polaris-partners) — VC Fund, 3 deals together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Cycad Group invest in?

Cycad Group invests primarily in Biotechnology, Manufacturing and Health Care startups, most often at Series A and Series C stage. Most of the 23 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Cycad Group?

Public channels for Cycad Group include the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Cycad Group?

The team at Cycad Group includes K. Leonard Judson (President and Managing Director), Robert J. Balch (Vice President) and Mark R. Collins (Executive). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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