Weekly Business News Digest

Catalyzing startups: Herndon-based IAI North America wants to identify the next group of startups that will disrupt the aerospace industry, reported Washington Business Journal. The company’s Catalyst accelerator program, which launched earlier this year as a five-month business training program, is seeing some initial success and is even garnering interest from the firm’s parent company, Israel Aerospace Industries. Julio Flores, IAI North America’s senior director of business development, said the accelerator brought an initial batch of four startups from across the country to Greater Washington. It’s actively going through applications to pick up to 10 startups for its second cohort, which will be named later this fall. The company is offering up to $100,000 in equity investments to each startup that enrolls in its accelerator as part of a bet they will produce a significant return in the future.

New tune: Private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners has purchased a majority stake in Tysons-based Harmonia Holdings, a provider of Agile and DevSecOps services to federal customers, reported Washington Technology. Damon Griggs, former CEO of Dovel Technologies, was named CEO and chair of Harmonia. Jon Brooks, former chief legal officer at Dovel, will fill the role of chief business and legal officer for Harmonia. Two of Harmonia’s founders, Pallabi Saboo and Jai Saboo, retain ownership positions in the company and will serve as strategic advisors. Pallabi Saboo will also serve on Harmonia’s board of directors. Griggs and Brooks looked at 100 companies over nearly two years before signing the deal with Harmonia.

Eagle in flight: Falls Church area based General Dynamics Information Technology acquired Tampa-based Iron EagleX, a provider of artificial intelligence/machine learning, cyber, software development and cloud services for the Special Operations Forces and the intelligence community. The acquisition expands GDIT’s portfolio of differentiated technology capabilities and further strengthens its ability to support defense and intelligence missions across all warfighting domains. It is also a key part of the company’s technology investment strategy launched last year, which includes investments in technologies such as AI, cyber, software development and quantum. As part of this acquisition, hundreds of highly technical and cleared employees from 18 locations will join GDIT’s workforce of 28,000. Intelligence Community News has more.

More GDIT news: Falls Church area-based General Dynamics Information Technology announced that it has expanded its commercial partnership with San Francisco-based  GitLab, which has its Federal HQ in Tysons, through a new strategic collaboration agreement, reported Intelligence Community News. Under this two-year agreement, GDIT will leverage GitLab’s software development capabilities to help agencies accelerate their digital transformations. The agreement aligns with GDIT’s technology investment strategy launched last year, which outlined the expansion of partnerships with commercial technology companies as a key priority. “The ability to innovate and accelerate the delivery of new capabilities is crucial for mission success,” said Ben Gianni, GDIT senior vice president and chief technology officer. “We are excited to build on our partnership with GitLab and combine our expertise to rapidly provide advanced and secure software solutions for our government customers.”

Acquisition spree continuing: Herndon’s Beacon Roofing Supply has bought a Chicago-based Metal Supply & Fabrication, according to citybiz. This is Beacon’s 10th so far this year and at least its 20th since the start of 2023. It also continues the Fortune 500 company’s expansion in the metal building supplies business, following recent acquisitions of three metal roofing companies in Florida and New Jersey.

Making a splash: Cvent, the Tysons-based event technology company, has acquired New York-based Splash, a marketing technology company for events. “The technology-driven convergence of marketing and events is an exciting growth opportunity,” said Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and founder of Cvent. “Pairing Splash’s expertise in field marketing events with our robust event and marketing platform further strengthens our ability to empower marketers to create and execute on-brand, high-impact event programs that deliver real results.” Citybiz has more.

Dressing kings: The LA Kings have announced a new strategic, multi-year partnership with Herndon-based Iron Bow Technologies, which marks Iron Bow’s first official sports partnership in Los Angeles and underscores its commitment to the growth of professional hockey, according to nhl.com. Iron Bow has become the Official Away Jersey Patch Partner of the LA Kings, beginning with the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season. Iron Bow’s logo will appear on the front of all the Kings’ away jerseys.

Contract Wins

Parsons (Centreville) secured a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design and build new housing units in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The three-year, single-award $68.5 million contract. ExecutiveBiz

Spire Global (Tysons) won a $3.8 million contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide radio occultation data. citybiz

September 17, 2024 — 2024 Distinguished Service Awards. NVC presents Distinguished Service Awards, a premier event in the Greater Washington Region celebrating the leadership and prosperity of veteran-owned businesses. The event will be held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington. Click here for more information and to register.

September 25, 2024 — Hire Milspouses Now. This event is a networking reception and career fair offering transitioning service members, military spouses and veterans the opportunity to connect with Virginia employers looking to hire military talent. Participating employers are offering career opportunities in IT, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, defense, government, law enforcement and more. The event will be held at Fort Belvoir Community Center. Click here for more information and to register.

September 26, 2024 — Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce 3rd Annual Economic Forum. Join NVBCC and NOVA leaders in the discussion and action plan to build, scale, and sustain the economic impact on the African American business community. Speakers include Karen Smaw, Director, Diversity Business Investment & Entrepreneurship, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. Click here for more information and to register.

October 23-24, 2024 — Accelerate Investor Conference. This venture and startup conference showcases the Virginia, Maryland, and Metro DC region as a powerhouse for innovation and business opportunities. Registration is open. Click here for more information and to register.

October 29, 2024 — NVTC Cyber Summit and Cyber50 Awards. NVTC’s Cyber Summit and Cyber50 awards will highlight the latest cybersecurity trends, technologies, and federal policies and gathers the best and brightest minds in the cyber and national security sectors. Click here to register.

Fairfax County EDA is here to connect businesses of all kinds to resources and information. For direct assistance, email the FCEDA at info@fceda.org, or call 703-790-0600. If you have company news or announcements to share, email FCEDA at News@fceda.org.