Booz Allen Hamilton Hires 2,500 Over Past Year, Co-Hosts AI Boot Camp for Teens + Weekly Business News Digest

(Photo courtesy of Booz Allen Hamilton)

Booz Allen Hamilton Hires 2,500 Employees in Past Year

Fairfax County-based government consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest employers in the Greater Washington region, continues to grow its ranks of consulting professionals, with the addition of 800 new employees in the second quarter, reported WTOP. In the past year, Booz Allen has grown its head count by 2,500, or about 8 percent. Booz Allen has more than 35,000 employees globally, with 15,000 of them in the D.C. region.

Click here to view an interview with Booz Allen Hamilton’s Ki Lee, SVP and CTO, Global Defense Sector about how mission-drive innovation is key to careers at Booz Allen. Also, Find out about job opportunities at Booz Allen Hamilton at workinnorthernvirginia.com.
 
Booz Allen, which ended its fiscal fourth quarter with its best fiscal year since its initial public offering 14 years ago, had $2.94 billion in its fiscal 2025 first quarter. That’s up 10.8 percent from a year earlier.

Last month, Booz Allen acquired PAR Government Systems Corporation to expand its defense consulting work. Its venture capital arm, Booz Allen Ventures, was founded in 2022 with $100 million to invest in start-up companies. To date, it has made 10 investments, most recently backing Colorado-based satellite operations company Quindar.

Booz Allen Hamilton is part of the robust ecosystem of major government contractors based in Fairfax County, including SAIC, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Leidos. Find out more about why Fairfax County, at the doorsteps of the Nations Capital, is the place where leading government contractors come to succeed: Fairfax County Industry Profile: Government Contracting.

Booz Allen Hamilton to Host AI Bootcamp for Teens in Fairfax County

The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with Tysons-based Booz Allen Hamilton is bringing back an artificial intelligence (AI) camp, free of charge, to high school students in the Washington, D.C. area.

Applications for the bootcamp are now open at: markcubanai.org. Deadline: September 30.

With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

These AI bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in grades 9-12 with an interest in technology. Students do not need any prior familiarity with computer science or programming to attend. Over the course of three half-days, students will learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Students also learn how to utilize ChatGPT via tailored inputs and use Microsoft’s cloud computing tools to build their own AI applications.

“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with Booz Allen Hamilton, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

Booz Allen first hosted the AI bootcamp in 2023 and it returns this fall by popular demand. This year’s bootcamp, taking place in Tysons on November 2, 9, and 16 will again be hosted by Booz Allen’s Chief Technology Office, and will be staffed by volunteer AI experts from across the company. Booz Allen Hamilton is one of 25+ host companies selected to host camps across the U.S.

“We’re excited to work with the Mark Cuban Foundation again, and looking forward to introducing local students to the incredible potential of AI through this bootcamp,” said Jessica Reinhardt, Director of AI Investment at Booz Allen. “We believe in accessible AI education and we couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to support our local community and help the next generation of leaders find a path for themselves in the field of this transformative technology.”

Weekly Business News Digest

The Reston Look: Bechtel, a global engineering firm, has signed a 289,000-square-foot office lease at Reston Overlook, a 320,000-square-foot office building within Reston Town Center, reported REBUSINESS Online and Reston Patch . The lease represents a renewal and expansion for Bechtel, increasing the company’s occupancy to span 11 floors at Reston Overlook. The company, which has had its headquarters in Reston since 2012, employs 18,000 people across 50 countries. “As a client for over a decade, Bechtel’s renewal and expansion within Reston Town Center is a testament to Reston’s desirability amongst global firms and the strong partnership we’ve been able to foster,” said Jake Stroman, executive vice president and co-head of the Washington, D.C. Region at BXP, in a release. “With direct access to major transit hubs, dynamic shopping, dining and fitness experiences, and year-round community programming, Reston Town Center continues to provide clients with the accessible, best-in-class offerings that are most desired in today’s market.”

Capital connection: Tysons-based Blue Delta Capital Partners, a venture capital firm, is preparing to make more equity investments in local growth-stage tech firms serving the federal government following the close of a $250 million fund, Washington Business Journal reported in subscriber content. Blue Delta Capital General Partner Mark Frantz said he expects to cut two to three checks per year out of this fund and envisions having it fully deployed in the next three years. “Think mini SAICs, mini CACIs, mini Leidos’ on a much smaller scale,” Frantz said. “They’re people who work and learn and grow up around here doing high-end software development, they’re working on cybersecurity stuff, cloud analytics, AI and [machine learning].” He added that even though capital from the fund has been solicited from across the country, it’ll likely only get invested into companies that have a headquarters somewhere in Greater Washington.

Joining forces: The Fairfax County-based federal services arm of Montreal software and technology consulting firm CGI  has reached a deal to purchase Tysons defense contractor Aeyon. The companies said Tuesday they reached an agreement in late June and expect the transaction to close in the fourth quarter, reported Washington Business Journal. Aeyon is a portfolio company of Chevy Chase investment firm Enlightenment Capital. It was formed in 2021 through the merger of Tysons-based Artlin Consulting and Arlington’s Sehlke Consulting. CGI Federal will add Aeyon’s 725 employees to its roster with the deal. “By joining forces with CGI, our clients will benefit significantly from their access to new and complementary global capabilities, greater scale and opportunities to enhance and broaden their mission impact; and for our employees the opportunities to advance their careers with an industry leader are also significant,” Aeyon President and CEO Sunny Singh said in a statement.

Setting new standards: Reston-based AttainIT Technologies has acquired ByteRatio, headquartered in Leesburg, Va. ByteRatio will now operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of AttainIT Technologies. “We are thrilled to bring ByteRatio’s rich expertise in cybersecurity and software engineering to AttainIT, offering our clients even more robust service and innovative solutions for their most important missions,” said Jim Flannery, CEO of AttainIT Technologies. “Together, we will achieve greater accomplishment and set new standards for our nation’s most vital agencies.” YahooFinance has more.

Strategic enhancement: Centreville-based Parsons Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire Chantilly-based BlackSignal Technologies, a Razor’s Edge portfolio company, in an accretive deal valued at $200 million. Parsons anticipates that the acquisition will close in August 2024. BlackSignal is a next-generation digital signal processing, electronic warfare, and cybersecurity provider built to counter near-peer threats. “Parsons’ acquisition of BlackSignal will represent a strategic enhancement to our cyber and intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities, reinforcing our commitment to quickly delivering mission-essential solutions that address our customer’s national security requirements,” said Carey Smith, Parsons’ chair, president, and CEO. “Our purpose-built Federal Solutions portfolio is addressing national security threats from near-peer adversaries that are becoming increasingly aggressive with rapidly evolving advanced technologies. I am excited that we will welcome BlackSignal’s accomplished team into Parsons.”

Contract Wins

Leidos (Reston) received a five-year, $823 million task order from the Defense Information Systems Agency to provide sustainment and operations support services for the Department of Defense Network program. GovConWire

CACI International (Reston) will provide the U.S. Army with global operational support for unmanned systems under a $414 million task order. GovConWire

August 20, 2024 — MIT Employer Summit: Recruit the Leaders of the Future. FCEDA is proud to host the career leaders from MIT Sloan Business School and MIT School of Engineering in an online panel focused on talent. Learn how to build your brand on this campus and attract top candidates to your organization. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to promote your company and gain access to MIT’s career centers. Click here to register.

August 27, 2024 — U.S.- Israel Collaborations in the Space Technology Sector: Innovations and Opportunities.  This webinar will encourage and support collaborations in the space technology sector between the U.S. and Israel. It will also provide a matchmaking platform for companies. Speakers will include Asher Kotz, Assistant Director, International Business Investment – Cybersecurity and Israel, FCEDA. Click here for more information and to register.

September 11, 2024 — The Dulles Airport Job & Career Fair. Come meet a diverse group of employers located at Washington Dulles International Airport hiring for full and part-time career opportunities. 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.