oColumbia-based Tenable Ventures to Invest Initial $25 Million o Richmond-based Auto Delivery Platform HopDrive Raises $8 Million in Series A o Herndon-based Iron Bow Technologies Acquires Utah-based GuardSight oJohan Broekhuysen Named CFO at GTT As Company Emerges from Bankruptcy oAINS Changes Name to OPEXUS, Moves from Gaithersburg to DC o Herndon-based ST Engineering iDirect Names Don Claussen as CEO o New BioHub Md. Program to Teach Military Veterans Life Sciences Skills oVirginia Beach-Based Valkyrie Names David Streett as New CEO
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oBriefly Noted: LeaseAccelerator, Federal Foundry, Virginia Business Ready Sites Program, ION Storage Systems, Raytheon Technologies
For information on advertising options, click here. __________________________ o Columbia-based Tenable Ventures to Invest Initial $25 Million
Columbia, Md. – Tenable, the Columbia-based cybersecurity company, announced on Thursday the creation of Tenable Ventures, a corporate investment fund focused on early-stage startups. Tenable said it plans to invest an initial $25 million through the venture unit. The company said it will target startups that “help customers discover, assess and manage cybersecurity risk across their attack surfaces.” Tenable Ventures has already invested in three startups – Lineaje, Authomize and Araali Networks. “The goal of this initiative is to support innovative companies and visionary leaders driving the exposure management ecosystem,” said Matthew Olton, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at Tenable.
o Richmond-based Auto Delivery Platform HopDrive Raises $8 Million in Series A
Richmond, Va. – HopDrive, a Richmond-based developer of a software platform used by auto dealerships and fleet companies for short-distance vehicle deliveries, announced that it has raised $8 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Automotive. Other investors in the round included Overline, ACERTUS and Ally Ventures. “Moving cars short distances is hard and very inefficient for most automotive businesses to handle on their own,” said Nick Mottas, HopDrive CEO and co-founder. “Yet, demand for these services has grown exponentially in recent years as the industry has moved toward an omni-channel sales approach and as consumers increasingly expect more convenience in their shopping and service experiences.”
o Herndon-based Iron Bow Technologies Acquires Utah-based GuardSight
Herndon, Va. – Iron Bow Technologies, the Herndon-based technology company owned by H.I.G. Capital, announced that it has acquired Utah-based GuardSight, a cybersecurity company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. GuardSight said that it has formed a team of military, intelligence and corporate security professionals to help clients detect and respond to sophisticated cyber attacks. “Today, zero trust-based cybersecurity is critical to ensuring companies and organizations meet their missions,” said Rene LaVigne, president and CEO of Iron Bow Technologies. “As cyber threats continue to proliferate, the combination of GuardSight and Iron Bow will bring together the best cybersecurity technology, processes, and people from the public and private sectors so our clients can easily evolve their zero trust strategies.”
o Johan Broekhuysen Named CFO at GTT As Company Emerges from Bankruptcy
McLean, Va. – GTT Communications, the McLean-based network services company that recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has named Johan Broekhuysen as its new CFO. Broekhuysen has formerly worked at Open Water Advisory Group, BlackSky Technology, Lumos Networks and AOL. GTT, which emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, reduced its debt by $2.8 billion as part of a major restructuring process to emerge from bankruptcy. The company operates a large global Tier 1 IP network.
o AINS Changes Name to OPEXUS, Moves from Gaithersburg to DC
Washington, DC – AINS, a developer of government process management software, said it has relocated its headquarters from Gaithersburg to DC and changed its name to OPEXUS. The moves come a little more than a year after the company was acquired by an affiliate of Gemspring Capital. The company said the new name better reflects its “commitment to public institutions.” OPEXUS currently works with more than 150 government clients in the U.S. and Canada, providing products focused on audit, investigations, correspondence and other services.
o Charlottesville-Based Slate Bio Launches with Seed Funding
Charlottesville, Va. – Slate Bio, a Charlottesville-based biotechnology company spun out of the University of Virginia, said it has launched operations after landing $1.75 million in seed funding. Epidarex Capital led the round, which included participation from the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group Seed Fund, the Center for Innovative Technology's GAP BioLife Fund, VTC Seed Fund, PharmaDirections and its management team. Slate Bio is developing therapies aimed at restoring the body's natural immunological response in various diseases.
o New BioHub Md. Program to Teach Military Veterans Life Sciences Skills
Frederick, Md. – BioHub Maryland, a life sciences program of the Frederick-based Maryland Tech Council, said it has partnered with Frederick’s Platoon 22, a non-profit focused on preventing veteran suicide, to re-train military veterans for careers in life sciences. Under the program, veterans will have access to BioHub’s online skills academy, which teaches biomanufacturing concepts, cell and gene therapy, along with vaccine manufacturing fundamentals, quality control skills, technical writing and data analysis. Starting in 2024, BioHub also will offer lab space where veterans can gain competency-based, “learn by doing” biomanufacturing training.
o Virginia Beach-Based Valkyrie Names David Streett as New CEO
Virginia Beach, Va. – Valkyrie Enterprises, a provider of defense technology and engineering services, said it has promoted David Streett to the role of CEO, succeeding founder Gary Lisota. Streett had served as the company’s president and COO. The move is part of a strategic reorganization of the company in conjunction with its recent merger with Hill Technical Solutions and establishment of two business units. Lisota will continue as vice chairman.
> Join The Leadership Foundry to Learn What You Can Offer as a Board Member The Leadership Foundry (TLF), an organization powered by WIT, is proud to support a mission to prepare executive women for board service. Are you ready for a board seat? The powerful alumni group invites executive women to attend a TLF Alumni event to learn more about the program and connect with a dynamic ecosystem. Join us on January 25th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm and enjoy remarks from esteemed speaker Hilary Fordwich, at Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, VA. Learn more and register now at https://bit.ly/TLF0125Event
o Briefly Noted:
(Reston, Va.) LeaseAccelerator, a Reston-based leasing administration software firm, has named Alison Engel as its new CFO. Engel formerly worked as CFO and treasurer at Gannett and A. H. Belo Corp.
(Arlington, Va.) Arlington-based Federal Foundry, the developer of government contracting education and navigation app FedScout, said it has landed a $75,000 grant from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund. The company said it will use the grant to further develop a suite of educational resources for new and prospective government contractors.
(Richmond, Va.) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has announced $90 million in Virginia Business Ready Sites Program (VBRSP) development grants for 21 sites across the state. Administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), the program aims to identify, assess and improve the readiness of industrial sites with at least 100 contiguous, developable acres or 50 acres in the western part of Virginia.
(Beltsville, Md.) Beltsville-based ION Storage Systems, a maker of solid state lithium metal batteries, said it will participate in the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) EVs4ALL program as part of a $4.8 million grant awarded to the University of Maryland. The program seeks to increase EV adoption and market share by developing new battery technologies to significantly improve EV affordability, reliability and safety.
(Arlington, Va.) Arlington-based aerospace and defense giant Raytheon Technologies has named Leanne Caret to its board of directors. Caret previously served as an executive vice president and senior advisor at The Boeing Company, and was the president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
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> Join The Leadership Foundry to Learn What You Can Offer as a Board Member
The Leadership Foundry (TLF), an organization powered by WIT, is proud to support a mission to prepare executive women for board service. Are you ready for a board seat? The powerful alumni group invites executive women to attend a TLF Alumni event to learn more about the program and connect with a dynamic ecosystem. Join us on January 25th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm and enjoy remarks from esteemed speaker Hilary Fordwich, at Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, VA. Learn more and register now at https://bit.ly/TLF0125Event
