Biz Talk

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This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

In the bustling heart of Arlington, local businesses have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on their community by supporting local nonprofits.

One such business partnership at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) is making a big difference in the lives of animals and the people who care for them. AWLA’s Corporate Animal Care Crew offers local businesses the chance to not only give back but also foster team-building and community engagement. These businesses and organizations play a vital role in supporting our community, and by partnering with AWLA, they can directly contribute to the well-being of animals in need.

The Corporate Animal Care Crew program provides a hands-on experience for teams to actively participate in the daily care of animals at the shelter. This unique opportunity allows businesses to go beyond traditional philanthropy and create a lasting impact through direct involvement.

Participating in AWLA’s Corporate Care Crew program goes beyond a financial contribution. Businesses can witness the immediate impact of their efforts as they work alongside AWLA’s dedicated Animal Care Technicians. From feeding animals to cleaning kennels with a touch of “room service,” volunteers directly contribute to creating a safe and comfortable environment for the shelter’s residents.

In the past, companies like Accenture and Deloitte have spent a day at AWLA, and their employees always leave with smiles on their faces. By participating in AWLA’s Corporate Care Crew program, these companies set an example for others, encouraging a culture of giving back and community involvement.

“Participating in AWLA’s Corporate Animal Care Crew program not only allows businesses to foster teamwork and build meaningful connections within their teams but also offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the welfare of thousands of animals cared for by the League each year,” said Sam Wolbert, President and CEO of AWLA, “Through this hands-on volunteer experience, businesses can invest in their community while providing valuable support to AWLA’s mission, creating a positive impact on both team dynamics and animal well-being.”

You can join the ranks of Accenture, Deloitte and others in supporting AWLA’s mission to ensure that every animal has a chance for a healthy, happy and loving home. “Paws” for a cause and let your business lead the way in making Arlington a better place for all its residents, furry or otherwise.

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This article was written by Michael Stiefvater, Director of Business Investment for Arlington Economic Development.

The continued prevalence of remote work and the high office vacancy rate shifted how Arlington Economic Development (AED) approached business investment in 2023.

While our team still focused on business attraction and retention, the bread and butter of economic development, we also looked at other ways to boost economic growth and innovation in Arlington. While the tech ecosystem has always been a strength in Arlington, this year, we doubled down on investments and programming to support early-stage entrepreneurs on their path to becoming high-growth businesses in Arlington.

Additionally, we looked at ways to facilitate market-based solutions to our office vacancy issue by removing regulatory barriers. Despite the continuing challenges facing the office market and local economies, AED notched numerous substantial accomplishments in 2023.

This year, we saw D.C.-area companies relocating to Arlington to take advantage of our prime location and transit-friendly, amenity-rich environment. We also saw movement in the international market, with foreign companies basing their U.S. headquarters in Arlington to gain easy access to U.S. policymakers across the river in D.C., the region’s plentiful talent, and the abundant flights to Europe.

Here are some of the business investment highlights from 2023:

• Amazon HQ2
  • In June 2023, Amazon hit a significant milestone in its headquarters development and opened two office towers at Metropolitan Park in National Landing.
  • November 2023 marked five years since Amazon announced a second headquarters location in Arlington, where its’ local presence has been growing.
• [solidcore]
  • The fast-growing fitness company moved its headquarters from D.C. to Rosslyn.
• Microsoft
  • The tech giant opened a significant regional marketing and sales hub in Rosslyn in January 2023.
• Genetec
  • A Canadian biotechnology company opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington in October with fireworks over the Potomac.
• Arqit
  • A U.K.-based cybersecurity company opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington in early 2023.
• Air and Space Forces Association
  • Announced a move of its headquarters to expanded space in Pentagon City.

AED’s commitment and investment in our local tech ecosystem is perhaps no better demonstrated than with the new Arlington Innovation Fund (AIF). The Arlington County Board funded AIF with $1M in mid-2023 to support growth in the tech ecosystem in Arlington. AIF includes two components: Catalyst Grants and Ecosystem Support. The Catalyst Grant program awards up to $50,000 for early-stage tech startups to extend their funding runway and expand their customer base, employment and operations. AED will announce the recipients of the initial application round in early 2024.

Beyond the Catalyst Grants, AED is building a more robust tech ecosystem in several ways. In September, we partnered with Unstuck Labs, a Rosslyn-based studio that helps startups validate ideas, build products and launch ventures. AIF also funded the George Mason University Entrepreneur–in–Residence Program, which is bringing on-board successful local entrepreneurs to mentor new founders.

This year, Arlington made key changes to create regulatory flexibility and a nimble approach to combat office vacancy through the Commercial Market Resiliency Initiative (CMRI). By removing regulatory barriers and constraints, the County seeks to enable market-based solutions to address the commercial building supply, specifically repositioning and converting obsolete inventory by allowing more types of businesses to use office space. CMRI will continue to evolve in 2024 and focus on five strategic areas: office conversion, repositioning, redevelopment, tenant support and placemaking.

Other highlights of the year included our tech workforce program moving from a pilot program to a full-fledged program, Arlington Talent. The program, in partnership with Exelaration, had a 100% program completion rate, with most participants transitioning to full-time tech employment. Participants’ average pay and work rate increased by 26% and 38%, respectively and future pay and work rate will continue to rise.

As we look ahead to 2024, our 2023 accomplishments will serve as a base to continue to innovate and grow Arlington’s economy.

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

The Arlington Talent Program (ATP) is now accepting applications for its second year of providing paid, on-the-job learning opportunities to Arlington and Alexandria residents interested in launching a career in software development.

The innovative program is a partnership between Arlington Economic Development (AED) and Arlington-based software consultancy Exelaration. It is a new way to address the ongoing challenges of finding tech workers to fill open jobs in the region.

From Learners to Coders

The Arlington Talent Program’s initial year yielded remarkable results, including a 100% program completion rate and 100% received the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) credential. Most participants have transitioned to full-time tech employment with their new knowledge of high-demand program languages (e.g., HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, Angular). The average pay and work rate for participants have increased by 26% and 38%, respectively, and will continue to rise as they gain experience and advancement. These achievements represent not just statistics but tangible transformations in the participants’ lives.

“The Arlington Talent Pilot Program offered me a great opportunity to enter the field with no formal and relevant background in IT, in addition to stellar mentorship on real-world projects to gain both experience and theoretical knowledge,” said participant Liam Cespedes, who was part of the first cohort and is continuing work on client projects.

AED and Exelaration designed this program to allow Arlington and Alexandria residents to enter the tech workforce without a college degree or prior tech experience requirements. The competitive pilot program accepted applications from dozens of individuals for each cohort, many of whom showed promise in the tech field but lacked those traditional resume credentials to find work.

AED and Exelaration are proud to have collaborated with partners at Capital Youth Empowerment Program, Bridges to Independence, Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council, and Virginia Values Veterans to advertise this program and ensure this unique opportunity reached underrepresented and underserved communities.

Applications for the next cohort are open through Nov. 26. Accepted participants will work full-time with Exelaration for 12 weeks beginning on Jan. 23, 2024. For more information or to apply, visit exelaration.com/arlingtontalent.

Opportunities for Businesses

Companies needing IT modernization and custom software solutions also benefit from the Arlington Talent Pilot Program. Companies receive quality work products led by experienced software developers and can save significantly with the blended billable rate by including learners on projects.

Arlington-based Agile technology firm Excella recently partnered with the program to expand one of its federal modernization projects. The Exelaration team works closely with the larger Excella team to upgrade enterprise software within a Ruby on Rails environment. In addition to the modernized software, Excella has the option of hiring learners who are now skilled engineers fully trained in their environment. “Competing for talent is hard, and this program gives us a proven way to add trained professionals to our teams, who help us meet our clients’ mission,” says Excella’s National Security Director, Allison Harvey.

The upcoming program adds more software engineering capacity to take on new company partners. “We especially love to work with Arlington companies, but we’re happy to work with organizations across the country looking to modernize their technology,” says Exelaration CEO Steve Cooper, who adds that the program is looking for additional client companies who could benefit from the work of these budding engineers.

Companies can connect with the program in other ways, too. Arlington Community Federal Credit Union hosted a lunch for the fall team inside their technology shop. This gave the emerging engineers a “day-in-the-life” view of what it’s like to have a tech job. Over kabobs and tacos, Credit Union CIO David Martinez and his team answered questions about the rewards and challenges of IT careers.

Companies looking to partner with the program can learn more here.

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This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

This November, Arlington Economic Development will be sponsoring the third annual Accelerate Investor Conference at George Mason University’s Arlington Campus.

First launched in 2021, the Accelerate Investor Conference spurs the region’s innovation and entrepreneurship engagement to a new level and showcases the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. region as a destination for business development, venture investment and job creation. The conference features a pitch competition for DMV startups, a student competition and great networking opportunities to connect with investors from around the country.

Since the announcement of Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters, Arlington and its business community have made great progress in advancing our innovation ecosystem, including:

• Creation of the $1 million Arlington Innovation Fund
• $1.6 billion in venture capital raised by Arlington-based companies
• $2 billion investment in Virginia’s talent pipeline
• Virginia Tech Innovation Campus and FUSE at Mason Square investments in Northern Virginia
• Ranked as the third-best tech talent market in the U.S. (CBRE, 2023) and the best city for women in tech (Smartasset.com, 2022)
• Establishment of Unstuck Labs and ZEBOX accelerators
• Over 20 coworking providers located in Arlington, Virginia

The Accelerate Investor Conference will take place at George Mason University’s Van Metre Hall in Arlington, November 1-2, 2023. For more information about the conference and to register, please visit acceleratedeals.org.

Arlington Economic Development is excited to be sponsoring the Accelerate Investor Conference in Arlington and sees this as an important component of supporting entrepreneurship in the community and building one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems in the United States.

This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Last week, Arlington Economic Development (AED) opened applications for the Arlington Innovation Fund (AIF) Catalyst Grant Program.

The Catalyst Grants help increase funding for early-stage technology startups through technical assistance and non-dilutive, co-investment grants from $25,000 up to $50,000. Companies must demonstrate that they have raised a minimum of $25,000, up to $500,000. Once verified, grants will be a 1:1 match up to $50,000 for companies that have raised between $25,000 and $50,000.

Any company that has raised between $50,001 and $500,000 will receive a capped grant of $50,000. An internal committee of AED staff, supported by a third-party vendor, will evaluate all applications and award grants through a competitive process. The base qualifications for the program include the following:

• Must be a registered LLC, S-Corp or C-Corp with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and have their principal place of business in Arlington (virtual addresses and P.O. boxes NOT ELIGIBLE)
• Be a for-profit company
• Have at least one full-time employee
• Have raised a minimum of $25,000, up to $500,000, through a combination of equity investments, grants and convertible debt
• The primary source of revenue must be derived from the sale, licensure or distribution of proprietary technology
• Be current on all applicable Arlington County taxes.

Applications will remain open until October 20, 2023. For more information on the program, the application, and FAQ about the Catalyst Program, please visit the AIF webpage. If your company has questions regarding the Catalyst Grant Program, please contact the AED team at [email protected].

AED is excited to open the application and invite early-stage, Arlington-based technology companies to apply. This program aims to serve the tech ecosystem better and foster the growth of tech startups, allowing them to flourish as office users, employers and taxpayers in the Arlington community.

APPLY NOW!

This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Last week, Arlington Economic Development (AED) in partnership with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, American Real Estate Partners and Unstuck Labs celebrated the grand opening of Unstuck Labs’ pop-up studio in Rosslyn. This innovative partnership along with support from AED’s Arlington Innovation Fund’s Ecosystem Support Fund will help support new startups in the studio and host weekly events for companies and entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate.

Unstuck Labs is an award-winning digital agency, venture-building studio, and hyperlearning community based in Arlington. Founded by a team of career professionals turned entrepreneurs, Unstuck Labs helps early-stage startups and innovation programs to validate ideas, build products, and launch ventures. Unstuck Labs offers a range of services, including mobile and web development, branding and marketing, pitch decks and fundraising, and advisory and mentoring. Unstuck Labs also runs a 12-week startup studio program that provides hands-on support, deliverables, and perks to selected founders.

In April 2023, the Arlington County Board approved $1 million in funding for the Arlington Innovation Fund. The new program is comprised of two components — Catalyst Grants and the Ecosystem Support Fund.

AIF’s Catalyst Grants help increase funding for early-stage technology startups through technical assistance and non-dilutive, co-investment grants from $25,000 up to $50,000. Applications for the Catalyst Grants will open in the coming weeks, those interested in the program can sign up to receive updates as they are announced.

The Ecosystem Support Fund is a discretionary tool for Arlington Economic Development to support local and regional programming and strategic initiatives focused on advancing the local and regional technology ecosystem.

Arlington Economic Development is excited about its first strategic investment with Unstuck Labs to fuel innovation and boost local entrepreneur programming and networking in Arlington. Investments like these will drive entrepreneurial activity in Arlington and illustrate the community’s support for entrepreneurship and innovation.

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing industries in Arlington and Virginia. The Commonwealth has emerged as a national leader in cybersecurity and is at the forefront of talent development in the industry.

In 2018, Virginia established the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), a statewide initiative focused on research, innovation, and workforce development at the intersection between cybersecurity, autonomous systems and intelligence.

CCI is divided into four regional nodes, each a network of highly connected organizations led by an institute of higher education. The Northern Virginia CCI node is comprised of Northern Virginia’s universities and colleges, nonprofits, federal agencies and companies, all sharing a commitment to build capacity in cybersecurity.

One of CCI’s workforce development initiatives is the High School Summer Internship program. It was created to expand the cybersecurity talent pipeline by reaching high school students who are 17 and above and interested in exploring cybersecurity as a possible career option.

The internship includes professional skills training conducted by the Children Science Center followed by placement with Northern Virginia cyber-related organizations to prepare them to enter the cyber workforce of the future. The internship includes a program stipend at the successful completion of the 7-week program and is open to rising high school seniors and rising first-year college/university students.

SHIFT5, one of Arlington’s fastest growing cyber companies, is an industry partner this year. SHIFT5’s software and data platforms defend commercial and military fleets as well as weapons systems against operational failures and cybersecurity risks.

VP of Policy and Government Affairs, Jessica Carroll says, “Shift5 participated in the CCI summer high school internship program in order to support a critical STEM initiative in the Northern Virginia region: connecting highschoolers to tangible, accessible, real-world opportunities to foster curiosity and inspire learning in the pursuit of technology-forward field. We elected to go beyond the traditional coding aspect of such a CCI program and requested that the interns be ‘cyber-adjacent’ so they could work with and within the policy (and regulatory) environments governing the development, fielding, and programmatic implementation of unique emergent technologies such as those operational technology (OT) cyber capabilities unique to Shift5.”

Sara Ahmad, a rising senior at Washington-Liberty High School, was selected to work at SHIFT5 this summer.

“My time at Shift5 was an immensely valuable experience. The welcoming atmosphere fostered a sense of value and belonging right from the start. Despite my limited knowledge of policy and cybersecurity at the start of the internship, everyone at Shift5 made me feel appreciated and included… I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Congressman Don Beyer, a moment that added tremendous value to my experience. Learning from his extensive expertise across a wide range of issues was truly invaluable.”

Programs like these, combined with Virginia’s $2 million investment in education, ensure Arlington companies will continue to have an impressive pipeline of talent from which to hire.

This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

In April 2023, the Arlington County Board approved $1 million in funding for the Arlington Innovation Fund.

The goals of this program are to increase access to early-stage funding for tech startups through technical support and grant funding, and also to support local and regional programming that focuses on the tech ecosystem in Arlington and Northern Virginia. Due to the changing landscape in the U.S. economy with remote work, inflation, and economic pressure in the venture capital industry, AED created this fund to fundamentally transform the way we assist early-stage startups by providing resources and programming to help Arlington’s tech ecosystem thrive.

Since approval of the funding, AED staff has been working diligently to complete the design and implementation of the program. The new program is comprised of two components — Catalyst Grants and the Ecosystem Support Fund.

Catalyst Grants

Catalyst Grants will help increase funding for early-stage technology startups through technical assistance and non-dilutive, co-investment grants to help companies extend their funding and gain access to larger venture capital rounds to expand their customer base, employment and operations.

Startups applying for this program must be Arlington-based technology startups that have raised a minimum of $25,000 and up to $500,000 in funding. This is a competitive grant process with the following base eligibility requirements:

• Must be a registered LLC, S-Corp or C-Corp with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and have their principal place of business in Arlington (virtual addresses and P.O. boxes NOT ELIGIBLE)
• Be a for-profit company ​
• Have at least one full-time employee
• Have raised a minimum of $25,000, up to $500,000, through a combination of equity investments, grants and convertible debt
• Primary source of revenue must be derived from the sale, licensure or distribution of proprietary technology
• Be current on all applicable Arlington County taxes.

Applications for the Catalyst Grants will open in the coming weeks, those interested in the program can sign up to receive updates as they are announced.

Ecosystem Support Fund

The Ecosystem Support Fund is a discretionary tool for Arlington Economic Development to support local and regional programming and strategic initiatives focused on advancing the local and regional technology ecosystem. The goal of this fund is to boost local programming for the startup community and raise Arlington’s profile as a nationally recognized tech ecosystem.

Arlington Economic Development is excited to expand our services to the startup business community through the Arlington Innovation Fund. This unique approach will allow AED to better serve the tech ecosystem and foster the growth of tech startups allowing them to flourish as office users, employers and taxpayers in the Arlington community.

This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

Due to its convenient location on the east coast and proximity to the nation’s capital, Arlington is attractive to international companies seeking a U.S. presence. Over the past couple years, a trend has emerged of innovative U.K. companies crossing the pond to establish their U.S. headquarters in Arlington.

In September 2022, Cavendish Nuclear, part of Babcock International Group, opened its first U.S. headquarters at National Landing. The company provides critical nuclear solutions across the markets of clean energy, defense, and civil decommissioning. “There is a huge benefit to the Arlington office location for Cavendish Nuclear USA and other companies due to the proximity to Reagan airport, U.S. Government agencies, and Congress in the greater D.C. area,” says Richard Provencher, Senior VP of Cavendish Nuclear USA. “Many of our teaming partner companies are also located in the greater Arlington area making it a great location to meet with them during the normal course of business or while attending conferences.”

“Location, location, location,” is the reason why David Kumashiro, General Manager of Arqit, a cybersecurity company supplying a unique quantum safe encryption Platform-as-a-Service, chose Arlington as the place to live and to work. “In Arqit’s search for our first U.S. office… I looked for an area whose location was a model and catalyst for 21st Century innovation and leadership,” Kumarshiro said, “the reimagination of Crystal City into what is now National Landing, met that objective. Sparked by the move of Amazon HQ2 and an existing local STEM pipeline, National Landing provides an incredibly rich and diverse pool of technical talent to support our region’s growing innovation ecosystem.”

In April 2022, following its $175M Series C funding, Wagestream, a technology company that provides a financial well-being app founded with charities and designed for frontline workers, established its North American headquarters in Rosslyn with plans to hire dozens of roles to build out its operations in the U.S. Like Cavendish Nuclear and Arqit, accessibility and easy connections were key factors in the company choosing to locate in Arlington.

According to Justin Raimo, President of North America, “Because Wagestream sits at the intersection of work and finance, we partner with a huge range of stakeholders — from employers (our clients), to industry trade groups, to charities and NGOs, to regulators and policy groups. With immediate access to central D.C., major East Coast hubs and a number of those stakeholder groups, this was the perfect location for us to hire great talent and build out a business that does good at massive scale.”

Arlington’s assets prove to make a solid launching pad for international companies to grow in the U.S. As Arqit’s Kumashiro said, “Post-quantum security and innovation in general will only gain in importance in the coming years. As we’ve already seen with AI, quantum, hypersonics, and other software-enabled technologies, the time intervals between ground-breaking innovation will only become shorter. We must set conditions now to be able to continuously out-innovate our adversaries, and I strongly believe that Arlington provides a unique culture and setting to enable this high level of innovation.”

This article was written by Arlington Economic Development.

Last week marked the official ribbon cutting at Amazon HQ2.

It’s been four and a half years since the announcement was made of Amazon’s selection of Arlington as its new home, and to say a lot has changed in that time would be an understatement. Projects evolve, priorities shift, and a global pandemic threw everything we know about the office market into flux.

In some ways, the opening of Metropolitan Park, a 2.1 million square foot office building, is even more significant now. Office building and leasing has significantly slowed in the past few years due to the ongoing trend of remote or hybrid work. To see these two towers welcome employees back to the office is both welcoming and inspiring to all of us who work in economic development circles.

However, the fact remains that Arlington is currently facing a record 22% office vacancy. It’s clear we need to think about some of our traditional office spaces a little differently. For some, that’s meant a residential conversion, but for others, the possibilities are even greater.

Last fall, Arlington County put together a task force to study commercial market resiliency; that is, ways we as a county can be more flexible and nimble in our zoning policies to better attract the types of businesses that can create environments to entice people back to the office. These are things like indoor recreation, animal boarding, artisan beverage makers and so many more. We’re continuing to explore alternate uses of older office product that become a win-win for businesses and the community.

But as we celebrate the opening of HQ2, we see it not as a culmination of our efforts since 2018, but rather a new beginning. HQ2 provides Arlington renewed recognition as a technology hub and attractive location for that talented workforce companies require. The 8,000 employees already assigned to HQ2 will also help to breathe new life into the neighborhood — those employees will be visiting restaurants, taking advantage of neighborhood services and enjoying parks and other amenities.

At the same time, we’re working to make those office corridors even more flexible for the types of businesses that are in demand. It’s a multi-tiered approach to ensure our commercial market remains strong.

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This article was written by Sindy Yeh, Senior Business Ambassador for Arlington Economic Development.

MarginEdge, a leading restaurant management and bill payment software company, recently held its ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open its new office headquarters at 4200 Wilson Boulevard in Ballston.

Arlington Board members Takis Karantonis and Matt de Ferranti were on hand to cut the ribbon and presented a “Key to the County” to MarginEdge.

Founded by restaurateurs Bo Davis and Roy Phillips, along with partner Brian Mills, MarginEdge offers a cloud-based, software platform that helps restaurants with back-of-house functions to make running a restaurant more efficient. Its restaurant management system works with the point of sale and accounting systems to streamline inventory, ordering and cost analysis to help minimize paperwork and manual data entry.

According to CEO Bo Davis, “the restaurant management solution was developed with the goal to automate manual tasks so that restaurant operators have more time to do what they love and more of what makes them profitable.”

The new, 22,000 square foot office is located above Ballston Quarter and is equipped with a commercial kitchen and restaurant space. The office was built and designed for collaboration between MarginEdge’s 140+ employees and for its clients to come in and use the space for cooking, networking or special events. MarginEdge has helped more than 5,200 clients across the U.S. and Canada, including local businesses such as SER, Big Buns, Lost Dog Café, and South Block.

Since its founding eight years ago, MarginEdge has raised more than $70 million in funding. The funding is invested in adding more functions and tools in its software platform and to grow its workforce for continued expansion.

Earlier this month, MarginEdge was named to the Inc. Best Workplaces 2023 and the Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work 2023 for the second year in a row.