Biz Talk

Biz Talk: Arlington Partners with the Real Estate Community

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Photo via David Hills

This article was written by Alex Taylor, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

Arlington Economic Development has many evolving strategies to attract business to the County, but one consistent piece is cultivating our partnership with the commercial real estate community.

In February, we hosted the first Broker Breakfast, a series of events that will occur over the coming months and will focus on synchronizing messaging to enhance our efforts to bring business to our commercial corridors.

Companies looking to expand into a new market often rely heavily on real estate experts to be the front door into the locations that best suit their needs. Whether it’s a new gym, rooftop employee lounges or just easy access to metro, there are dozens of factors that can drive a real estate decision within a building itself. And while buildings are important, the key drivers for most of these decisions boil down to one thing: attracting and retaining a quality workforce.

Workforce is currency that every tenant in the market is working to leverage. A highly-educated and reliable workforce is pivotal for business success and overall economic growth. Arlington is fortunate enough to sit at the center of the second largest tech talent pool in the U.S., and our universities are near the top of every ranking in the country for graduating technology and professional degrees.

The smartest and hardest working employees reside here, and the future workforce will be here as well. The Commonwealth’s $1.1 billion investment in the Tech Talent Pipeline is set to create nearly 31,000 tech degrees in the next two decades between Virginia Tech in Alexandria and George Mason in Arlington.

The County’s public infrastructure, built environment and overall quality of life are huge draws for companies and their employees. Arlington is the model for urban-suburban development, a product of smart planning during the 1960’s and 70’s as Metro began expanding into the suburbs, a decision that has paid dividends ever since.

There are many factors that lead to a high quality of life, but the ones at the top of the list typically involve easy walkability, quality transit, access to amenities, high quality of life and a strong public education system — all things that Arlington has in abundance, and all important factors for workers when choosing where to live and work.

Quality environment, product and workforce are true drivers of real estate decisions on the commercial side. Fortunately, Arlington, along with the rest of the region, is very well positioned in these areas as well. Amazon, Nestlé, Lidl and dozens of other small and medium-sized businesses have had success in our market due to these features.

While many companies have struck gold here in Arlington, not all companies in the U.S. know these stories and statistics. It is our job to help relay these themes, but we are a small staff with limited resources. We must maximize and leverage our partners in the real estate industry at every opportunity.

Biz Talk: Arlington’s Cybersecurity Ecosystem Continues to Grow

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was written by Michael Stiefvater, Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.

With hundreds of innovative companies and a 100,000-plus strong workforce, it is of little surprise that Startup Genome gave the Washington D.C. region a top-three global ranking for its cybersecurity ecosystem.

Arlington is a significant contributor to this ecosystem with more than 30,000 cybersecurity jobs between the federal workforce and private companies. While the Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency account for a substantial share of those positions, the County is also home to more than 200 companies that are developing innovative solutions to cyber vulnerabilities, one of the largest issues facing the modern world.

To honor the impressive contributions from several of these entrepreneurs to the area’s cyber community, regional media group DCA Live kicked off its 2020 event schedule with a Red Hot Cyber celebration at Ballston’s Marymount University campus on January 29. Arlington was well represented at the event, with the following companies receiving awards:

DeepSig (Rosslyn)

DeepSig is a venture-backed startup pioneering the application of deep learning to reinvent wireless communications. The company’s software replaces core wireless technology with deep learning, which results in communication systems that are faster, more cost efficient and secure, and able to excel in complex environments. DeepSig landed $1.5 million in seed funding in 2018 and currently employs nearly 20 people.

HyperQube (Ballston)

HyperQube enables companies to quickly and easily build an exact copy of any infrastructure or network to determine how the connected environment responds to changes caused by software updates, new technologies and unplanned events such as outages or cyberattacks. Founded in 2018, the company is set for significant growth in the new year as it expects to add customers and close on a new round of funding, which will translate into the hiring of up to 20 new employees.

Ostendio (Rosslyn)

Ostendio’s leading product, MyVCM, is an Integrated Risk Management Platform for small and midsize organizations who need to demonstrate compliance to security standards. The platform’s unique bottom-up security approach allows organizations to easily report their security posture to internal and external stakeholders. The company moved to a larger office in Rosslyn last July to accommodate its growing team of nearly 25 employees.

ThreatConnect (Ballston)

ThreatConnect provides industry-leading advanced threat intelligence software and services to effectively aggregate, analyze and act to counter sophisticated cyberattacks. In 2019 the company’s impressive revenue growth earned it a spot on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. ThreatConnect was also recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Virginia.

SCYTHE (Crystal City)

SCYTHE is a developer of an information security platform designed to prevent breaches and attacks from various cyber threats by providing continuous simulations that give organizations real-time understanding of where their defenses stack up to current and future threats to the enterprise. SCYTHE landed $3 million in initial financing in 2018 and currently employs more than 20 people.

Shift5 (Rosslyn)

Shift5 develops hardware and software systems intended to defend weapon systems, air platforms and commercial transportation systems. The company’s cybersecurity solutions and features include intrusion detection and prevention against hacks on internal data bus networks. Founded by three former U.S. Army officers, Shift5 raised $2.5 million in venture funding in 2019 and employs nearly 15 people.

Congratulations to all the honorees, who are excellent representatives of Arlington’s thriving cybersecurity industry!

Biz Talk: Arlington Welcomes New Economic Development Director

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

The walls are still relatively bare in Telly Tucker’s new office at Arlington Economic Development.

While he may not have moved many personal mementos in yet, he’s not wasting any time getting started as the department’s new director. The Lynchburg, Virginia native began in the position in mid-January, and he’s already meeting with commissioners, stakeholders and business owners in an effort to learn just what the talk is out there about his new home.

“I really want this to be a collaborative effort right from the beginning,” he says. “I’m a collaborator and communicator by nature. I want to be in constant contact with my staff, my stakeholders and my community to determine how we raise the collective tide for all of Arlington’s businesses.”

Tucker joined Arlington Economic Development after most recently serving as the Director of Economic Development for Danville, Virginia, where he managed a multifaceted economic development strategy that brought investment and many new jobs to the southern Virginia region.

Prior to his position in Danville, Tucker served as the Assistant Director of Economic Development in James City County, Virginia, Program Administrator for the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development, as well as an Economic Development Specialist for the City of Lynchburg, Virginia.

Tucker is tasked with navigating Arlington’s economic community as the “post HQ2 chapter” emerges. The 2018 announcement of Amazon’s new headquarters coming to Arlington put the community on the map, not just nationally, but globally. In addition to that work, Tucker says another of his major goals is working with Arlington’s existing businesses to ensure we’re responding to their needs and concerns.

“We need to make sure that Arlington’s business core remains strong — that we continue to support small business, in community-building, and ensuring that the values we as Arlingtonians cherish remain true,” he says. “I’m truly humbled that County leadership has entrusted me to lead the department for this new and exciting chapter of Arlington’s economic development.”

Tucker plans to “keep an attentive ear to the community” in his first few months leading AED. He plans to meet with staff, small business owners, and community leaders, among others, to get a pulse on the community and its thoughts on Arlington’s business climate. He also cites continued collaboration with regional jurisdictions as part of the new Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance to ensure the region has a strong voice nationally and globally.

“There are so many truly great things happening in Arlington,” he says. “I want to continue to build on what’s been done to make sure Arlington’s leadership in the innovation economy is sustained.”

Biz Talk: Year in Review, Arlington Business Investment

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Photo via David Hills

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

2019 proved to be another exciting year for Arlington Economic Development (AED) as it continued its efforts to diversify and strengthen the County’s economy.

AED assisted in recruiting and retaining economic development projects equating to 850,000 square feet of office space, excluding the Amazon HQ2 project, which represents the leasing of more than 6 million square feet of office space over the next 15 years.

“We are proud of all we’ve accomplished in 2019. From working with prospects across diverse sectors and providing assistance to over 150 Arlington businesses, this year has been one of exciting progress following our 2018 Amazon HQ2 win,” said Marian Marquez, the newly named Director of Business Investment for Arlington Economic Development. “We are kicking off 2020 with incredible momentum — while our commercial vacancy rate is the lowest we’ve seen in seven years, we have plenty of work cut out for us in keeping up the momentum and are highly focused on continuing to provide the services and support that our existing business community needs to thrive.”

2019 Arlington Economic Development Highlights

Amazon

Amazon’s Arlington headquarters, which will create a minimum of 25,000 high-paying jobs in Arlington over the next 15 years, began to take shape in 2019. The County Board approved the project’s performance-based incentive package in March, the company began moving into its initial buildings in Crystal City, and the County Board approved for the company to build its twin 22-story headquarters in Pentagon City.

Yext

New York-based technology company Yext announced it would locate its new 43,000 square foot office in Rosslyn and will create 500 new high-paying technology jobs. The company’s CEO cited the area’s technology talent as being one of the key factors for choosing Arlington.

Block.one

In September, Hong Kong-based blockchain company Block.one announced its decision to locate its US headquarters in Arlington. The company’s central office will create 170 new jobs over a period of three years and occupy 47,000 square feet in Rosslyn.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

After a competitive site selection process, PBS decided to remain in Crystal City and signed a 15-year, 120,000 square foot lease at 1225 S. Clark Street. PBS is one of Arlington’s most prominent corporate brands and is one of the most well-known and trusted institutions in the U.S  The company is an important anchor in Crystal City and a major draw for Arlington’s creative economy and media industries.

Nestlé USA

Nestlé USA announced that it will continue to expand at 1812 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn. Nestlé and sister company Gerber now occupy a total of 300,000 square feet of space — 95,000 square feet more than its original footprint announced in 2017.

Patent & Trademark Office

In October, the County learned that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) renewed its lease for another 15 years at 2800 S. Randolph Street in Shirlington, expanding from 168,000 square feet to 191,000 square feet. The retention of PTO is a major success in Arlington’s strategy to retain its federal leases and ensures that PTO employees will continue to support neighborhood businesses for years to come.

Biz Talk: Arlington Recognizes the County’s Four Fastest-Growing Companies of 2019

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Winners of the Arlington Fast Four competition

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

For the fifth year in a row, Arlington Economic Development honored the winners of its fastest-growing companies competition — known as the Arlington Fast Four.

The winners were formally announced and recognized at the Arlington Premiere event held on December 5 at the Ballston Quarter. The Arlington Premiere is a biannual event welcoming new businesses to Arlington. Close to 200 business leaders attended the December reception along with County officials, partner organizations, like the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Ballston Business Improvement District.

Award nominees were privately-held companies that showcased sound revenue growth in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Applicants were required to provide income statements to show proof of growth and revenue. The competition recognized companies within four categories of revenue, spanning from $500,000 to $25 million and above per year.

The 2019 Fast Four Winners are:

$500k-$1.5M: Deft Consulting (Clarendon)

Deft Consulting is a software services firm specializing in Appian low-code implementations. Deft was founded in 2016 by a former Appian Corporation employee, Scott Frantz, and the company has become a highly regarded official partner of Appian Corporation. Founders say that Arlington County’s resources, specifically those of AED, and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce have been extremely helpful in facilitating the business’s learning and growth as a small business.

$1.5M-$5M: Hungry Marketplace (Rosslyn)

Hungry Marketplace is a food-tech catering company that offers a mobile and online food platform connecting professional chefs to customers. The company will also deliver the fresh food from these chefs to customers. Started in 2016, Hungry expanded rapidly from the Washington area to Philadelphia, Atlanta and recently to Boston.

Hungry has deep roots in Arlington. Some of the founders live here and have founded several other Arlington-based companies such as Buysafe and Livesafe.

$5M-$25M: Capitol Bridge (Columbia Pike)

Founded in 2012, Capitol Bridge is an Arlington, Virginia-based SBA 8(a) business providing data and record management services, independent medical reviews, medical coding and administrative staffing. With offices in Arlington; Pittsford, New York; and Indianapolis, Indiana, Capitol Bridge has strategically developed its geographic footprint allowing it to be near its customers.

Capitol Bridge has served a wide variety of customers, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Arlington National Cemetery, the Federal Aviation Administration and other government agencies at both a federal and state level.

$25M+: Higher Logic (Rosslyn)

Higher Logic is an industry leader in cloud-based engagement platforms. Its data-driven approach gives organizations an expanded suite of engagement capabilities, including online community and marketing automation. Organizations worldwide use Higher Logic’s software platform to bring people together by giving their community a home to interact, share ideas, answer questions and stay connected.

Higher Logic also has strong connections to Arlington. The company started out in a small office on Lee Highway, then moved to the Rosslyn/Courthouse area and are now located in a large office on N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn with beautiful views of the river.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Biz Talk: Culpepper Garden Selects Three Awardees for $12,000 Innovation in Healthy Aging Challenge Grants

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Winners of Culpepper Garden’s Innovation in Healthy Aging Challenge

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

Culpepper Garden, a nonprofit, affordable housing community for older adults, is looking for ways to help its residents and other Arlingtonians benefit from technology and innovation.

Earlier this month, Culpepper Garden held its first Innovation in Healthy Aging Challenge. The organization established this program through a grant from Arlington County focused on addressing the “Digital Divide,” which limits low-income residents’ access to and benefits from innovative technologies.

“We were overwhelmed by the number of innovative companies who applied for the Challenge,” stated Linda Kelleher, Executive Director of Culpepper Garden. “The impressive awardees were selected from robotics, telehealth and virtual reality companies from around the country.”

As part of the challenge, startup technology companies were invited to apply and showcase their products and services and their benefits to seniors and those choosing to age in place here in Arlington.

A panel of judges, including Arlington County officials, health care providers, tech company CEOs, technology developers, venture capitalists, academic representatives and Culpepper Garden residents, selected finalists and awardees based on online applications. Finalists then presented their products at a “Pitch Day” style presentation held at Arlington Economic Development.

“Our job as judges was difficult, as we received a number of incredible applications and innovative approaches. We made sure to focus on companies and technologies that would directly impact the health, connectivity, and needs of low-income senior citizens,” explained judge, Peter Kant, Culpepper Garden Board Member and a technology company executive.

The three awardees are:

INF Robotics — RUDY™ is a fully autonomous interactive robot that directly interacts with senior citizens to improve mobility, engagement and health.

Luna Lights — Provides innovative fall prevention and lighting technology helping prevent falls and quickly alert care givers when users need assistance.

Viva Vita — Brings virtual reality experiences to retirement communities for engaging experiences that promote brain health and community fellowship in a convenient and affordable service package.

The three awardees were selected from seven finalists that made it through the initial application evaluations. A homegrown Arlington company, Zansors, whose product allows seniors to easily monitor breathing patterns, was included amongst the finalists.

Awardees will each receive $12,000 in grant funding and will be implementing pilot programs at Culpepper Garden starting in 2020. Culpepper Garden will be evaluating the impact of these pilot programs and reporting to Arlington.

Biz Talk: Call for Applications — Arlington’s Fast Four Award

By ARLnow.com Sponsor
Arlington company, Eminent IT, wins a 2018 Fast Four Award

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

For the fifth year in a row, Arlington is celebrating its fastest growing companies.

The Fast Four Award honors Arlington companies that are growing quickly in a variety of revenue categories. Whether a technology-based or retail business, the Fast Four Award aims to recognize thriving companies across industry sectors. The award is also an opportunity for local companies to showcase their growth while demonstrating Arlington’s business-friendly environment.

To be eligible, companies must be privately held, be based in Arlington, and show continuous revenue growth between 2016 and 2018. To apply, companies must submit an online application and provide income statements to show proof of growth and revenue. The company with the fastest growth rate in each revenue category will be honored as one of Arlington’s fastest growing businesses.

The 2018 award winners were Arlington companies, AM LLC, LiveSafe, Eminent IT, and Mind, Body, Health.

The 2019 Arlington Fast Four winners will be formally announced on December 5 at the Arlington Premiere event to be held at Ballston Quarter. Arlington Premiere is an exclusive event where Arlington’s newest business owners have the opportunity to meet key community and government leaders while learning about the many resources available to them within the County.

We encourage fast-growing companies to apply for the 2019 Fast Four Awards.

Biz Talk: Washington Area Resources for Seed Stage Startups

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Workshops to Support Startups

In our work with entrepreneurs at Arlington Economic Development (AED), we often hear that one of the most challenging aspects of growing a business is attracting capital investments.

Many entrepreneurs have spent years developing innovative products and services and have created solid business plans to successfully execute and market their products. However, for many early stage companies, attracting investors to help fund and grow the company is still the most daunting challenge.

According to a study by Pitchbook, from 2010-2017, San Francisco and Silicon Valley still attracted more venture capital than almost any other parts of the country, followed by New York, Los Angeles and Boston. The Washington Metropolitan area ranked 9th on the list.

Our early stage Series A startups in the area are required to be even more resourceful since many investors in the DMV region tend to look for more mature companies with proven customer traction and revenues. They are more risk averse than investors in San Francisco and New York. Hence, early stage startups must sometimes travel outside the region to meet and connect with investors.

There are many organizations in the Washington area that serve as a conduit for investors, innovators and startups. The Mid Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) and CONNECTPreneur both provide forums for technology startups to connect with investors.

For the past three years, Arlington Economic Development has also hosted technology startup competitions such as Startup Arlington and the Dongsheng-US Global Entrepreneurship Competition to provide recognition and opportunities for winning companies to access capital and resources. We have also invited Arlington companies to participate and exhibit with us at CES, SxSW and Collision to meet with outside investors and potential customers.

Funding Opportunities for Early Stage Technology Companies

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), a nonprofit corporation funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, provides equity investments to help fill the gaps for innovators and tech entrepreneurs at the early commercialization and seed funding stages of a company’s development. Its mission is to support Virginia-based entrepreneurs who are launching and developing high-growth technology companies and creating high-paying jobs for the future.

During the months of September and October, CIT has been traveling throughout the Commonwealth for a series of briefings on funding programs that are available to Virginia-based researchers and entrepreneurs. The series align with CIT managed Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund‘s upcoming Request for Proposals with approximately $2.5 million available to support high-potential technology development and commercialization activities in clean energy, cybersecurity, data analytics, life sciences and unmanned systems.

Here is the calendar of events held throughout the Commonwealth in October.   

How to Open Doors to Funding with an Executive Summary

On Thursday, October 17, the Washington Network Group will be hosting a practical workshop to teach entrepreneurs how to write an effective executive summary when pitching to investors. The event will be held at Arlington Economic Development from 4-6 p.m.

An executive summary is often the first document investors and lenders want to see before a complete pitch deck and business plan. It can be the key to opening more doors if funders seek additional information. However, many entrepreneurs overlook the importance of having a tightly-written, effective, even compelling executive summary.

Ines LeBow, CEO of Enterprise Transformation Solutions, will be teaching this valuable seminar on how to write an effective executive summary.

Biz Talk: Innovations in Healthy Aging Challenge

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

This article was sponsored by Arlington Economic Development‘s Business Investment Group.

The marketplace for technology to assist aging adults is expected to grow to nearly $30 billion in the next few years, according to Arlington’s own Consumer Technology Association.

Seniors and their families and caregivers are eager to acquire new tech-enabled products and services that would provide better care and improve the quality of their loved ones’ lives. Hence, entrepreneurs, innovators and technologists are increasingly focused on the growth opportunities in serving older adults.

To address this issue, Culpepper Garden and Arlington County are hosting a unique competition to identify and provide funding and pilot program opportunities for innovative companies and technologies focused on helping improve the lives of low-income seniors. This competition is open to companies and individuals from early seed stage to established corporations from around the world.

Judges are looking for products and ideas that are helping older adults leverage technology to stay healthy, improve their mobility and better connect to their family and community. Companies selected to pitch will receive valuable feedback from older adults, health care providers, businesses and government officials. The three winning companies will have the opportunity to trial their product or service at a residential community in Arlington.

Culpepper Garden and its nonprofit owner, the Arlington Retirement Housing Corporation, are celebrating 50 years as an award-winning residential community that was one of the nation’s first to serve the needs of low-income seniors as they age in place. Culpepper Garden is home to over 340 residents and is located on North Pershing Drive.

Participants have the opportunity to:

  • Win $12,000 in funding for each of the top three winners
  • Pilot their technology or approach at Culpepper Garden and a formal evaluation to provide to future customers
  • Become a leader in social impact technology benefitting low income seniors
  • Build relationships with competition judges including venture capitalists, medical professionals, company CEOs and government officials
  • Receive mentoring, feedback and advice from health care providers, senior and assisted living experts, older adults and other stakeholders
  • Solicit customer testimonials
  • Receive recognition and publicity about their company and technologies

To learn more and apply, visit Culpepper Garden’s website.

Biz Talk: 34 Arlington Companies Named to Inc. 5000

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

Inc. Magazine named 34 Arlington companies in its annual list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing companies, the Inc. 5000, while five were part of the exclusive Inc. 500.

Half of the companies are in government services while about a quarter are technology companies in the software, IT and security fields. Last year, Arlington saw the same number of companies on the list, up from 21 companies in 2017.

And which Arlington neighborhoods do the companies choose to grow their thriving businesses? Ballston is in the lead with 10 of the 34 companies, but Crystal City, home of Amazon’s future headquarters, is a close second, with six companies located there. Three of the top five fastest growing companies are located off Columbia Pike or in Shirlington in close proximity to the Pentagon.

Associated Veterans topped the list of Arlington companies at number 67 with an astounding 4,346% growth rate over the past three years. Associated Veterans is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business that provides professional services and consulting to the government.

Higher Logic, number 1,917 on the list, is the recipient of one of Arlington County’s Gazelle Grants, a grant aimed at attracting fast-growing technology companies. Several of the finalists were also featured in the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Fantastic 50 program, including Sehlke Consulting, Changeis, U.Group, Metis Solutions, Firebird AST, Enterprise Knowledge and Neostek.

“We are really proud of the innovative companies that call Arlington home and the dynamic entrepreneurs who lead them,” said Marian Marquez, Interim Director of Business Development for Arlington Economic Development. “Arlington’s strong representation in this prestigious list is a testament to the exciting growth happening in our community and we fully expect to see this grow in years to come.”

Arlington companies such as Fila Group and U.Group are also thrilled to be on the list.

“Fila Group’s inclusion on the elite Inc. 5000 list for the second year — and moreover in the top 500 companies — is incredibly meaningful to our company,” said Jonathan Keough, President and Chief Operating Officer. “The recognition reinforces our company’s reputation as a competitive leader in the demanding information technology sector. We will continue to strengthen and diversify our business and deliver the best in service and solutions to our clients.”

“Being included on the Inc. 5000 takes on special meaning this year, as it’s our first as a fully-integrated company. It shows that our team is doing amazing work, our clients are trusting us with their toughest challenges, and we’re creating real impact in the organizations and industries we serve. 2019 was great, but U.Group is truly just getting started,” said Lena Trudeau, Chief Executive Officer.

To qualify for the Inc. 5000, companies must show the past three calendar years of sales to prove their revenue. Additionally, they must be U.S. based, privately held and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. Revenue in the initial year must have been at least $100,000, and revenue in the most recent year must have been at least $2 million.

Here is the full list of Arlington companies that made the cut and their ranking:

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Biz Talk: Acquisitions in Arlington’s Cybersecurity Space

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

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

In the past few months, we’ve noticed a trend among Arlington’s security technology companies.

Several innovative, fast-growing Arlington companies in the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data analytics fields are being acquired by larger companies. In March, BluVector, a network security company applying artificial intelligence to detect cyber threats, became part of Comcast.

In the same month, Deep Learning Analytics, a data analytics company and winner of Arlington’s Fast Four competition three years in a row, was acquired by General Dynamics Mission Systems.

In May, eGlobalTech, a cybersecurity consulting and cloud security company, was acquired by Tetra Tech. In June, the pattern continued as Distil Networks, a leader in bot traffic detection and mitigation, became Imperva. And finally, Endgame, an endpoint security protection company, entered into an agreement with Elastic N.V., a data management firm from the Netherlands.

It comes as no surprise that so many of Arlington’s top cybersecurity firms were targeted for acquisition. These Arlington firms have developed niche products and services that are utilized by both government and commercial customers. Many of these companies are globally recognized leaders in their respective sectors.

By acquiring these firms, it allows the larger companies to further enhance their existing platforms by offering even more comprehensive and specialized solutions to their clients.

They also absorb the companies’ existing customers, often including government agencies whose mission it is to defend the nation from cyber threats, like the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.

Arlington is home to about 200 cybersecurity companies employing more than 5,000 people. These cyber-based acquisitions will most likely continue as more of Arlington’s cyber companies develop specialized products and solutions targeting industry needs.

It is a testament to Arlington that so many technology companies have not only chosen to locate in Arlington but have thrived and developed a rich ecosystem of innovative companies leveraging federal funding to create and develop new products and services with applications in the private sector.

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