Press

HighPost launches new vertical for aerospace, defence and cybersecurity

The launch of a dedicated vertical emphasizes national defense marks a ‘significant milestone’ for the firm, CEO David Moross told Buyouts.

Buyouts
By Obey Martin Manayiti
24 September 2026

HighPost Capital, a West Palm Beach, Florida-based private equity firm, has formed a dedicated aerospace, defense and cybersecurity investment vertical, adding to its consumer sector focus, Buyouts can reveal.

The new vertical targets investments in businesses that serve aerospace, defense, cybersecurity and government missions.

The launch comes as private equity investors are demonstrating a growing appetite for deals in the aerospace and defense sector.

Affiliate title PE Hub last year reported private equity investing in A&D has risen dramatically over the last five years, in part due to factors such as an increase in conflicts throughout the world; new interest in European defense companies to address regional supply chains in an era of deglobalization; rising defense budgets across the world; and technological innovations like AI.

HighPost was established in 2019 as a joint venture of CEO David Moross, a veteran consumer investor, and Mark Bezos, a founding partner and brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

“We’re seeing a level of sustained government investment in these sectors that hasn’t existed in decades,” Moross told Buyouts in an interview.

“In the US, Congress has appropriated close to $1 trillion for national defense since July 2025 while NATO allies have committed to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense and related security by 2035,” he said. “That money must flow through a supply base, much of which is made up of smaller, specialized companies in areas like intelligence, government services, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure. While they’re growing quickly, they are also underserved by institutional capital.”

The launch of a dedicated vertical emphasizing national defense marks a “significant milestone” for HighPost, Moross said.

“This vertical is a natural extension of the firm we’ve built to date and an important step toward building HighPost into a multi-vertical alternative investments platform,” he said. “Aerospace and technology were already among the sectors we cover tangentially, so this is less a new direction than a deeper commitment to an area we know well. What this dedicated vertical adds is focus.”

Targeting smaller players

“Our overall strategy is to create and invest in new verticals in which we see significant upside given current markets and demand in the macroeconomic environment,” Moross said. “National security fits that model well.”

“Much of the innovation supporting aerospace, defense and cybersecurity missions come from smaller, founder-led companies that have outgrown their early funding but don’t always get attention from larger institutional investors,” Moross added. “Companies that supply national security missions need experienced, long-term capital.”

“We want to be the partner of choice for these businesses. A partner that brings capital and that also understands their customers and the demands of their businesses.”

Experienced sector hands

David Walsh, a former managing partner of FON Advisors, a financial advisory and investment banking firm focused on aerospace, defense, government and national security, will lead the platform. Walsh is also a former US Navy intelligence officer with experience as an A&D investor, according to HighPost.

Walsh will be joined by a team of professionals from across the A&D sector. They include Matthew Bluhm, former CEO of Decon7 Systems; John Rompon, formerly a managing partner of McNally Capital; Richard Burr, a former US Senator who once served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and Thomas P Feddo, former assistant secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security.

“David Walsh and his team have spent their careers investing in and building businesses like these, and they know how to find the highest-quality opportunities,” Moross said. “Together, we’ll focus on middle-market buyouts and late-stage investments in those kinds of companies, and we’ll also look selectively at opportunities involving larger companies across the sector.”

“Pairing dedicated sector specialists with the strength of the broader firm is how we think about growing HighPost,” he added.

In 2022, HighPost raised $535 million for a debut consumer-focused offering, as Buyouts previously reported. Azimut Group, a European asset manager, owns the majority of HighPost after increasing its ownership stake from 15 percent to 56 percent last year through its US subsidiary.