Potomac Tech Wire - April 16
Booz Allen Ventures Makes Strategic Investment in Silicon Valley-based Scout AI
o Booz Allen Ventures Makes Strategic Investment in Scout AI
o IonQ Signs Deal With South Korean Communications Firm
o Reston-Based GridPoint Elevates Derek Booth to CEO
o Chantilly-Based QBurst Names Ramchandran as New CEO
o ID.me Names Ka'ohele Carlos as Chief Design Officer
o Briefly Noted: Walker & Dunlop, Agile Defense, RiskSpan
Booz Allen Ventures Makes Strategic Investment in Scout AI
McLean, Va. – Booz Allen Ventures has made a strategic investment in Silicon Valley-based Scout AI, a developer of robotic systems for military use that just emerged from stealth mode. The investment was part of a $15 million seed round. Scout AI has developed unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be controlled with simple human language prompts.
“As a strategic investor, Booz Allen is hyper-focused on fast-tracking results through private sector innovation and bringing capabilities that will disrupt the federal technology market,” said Randy Yamada, Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton. “Scout AI’s technology will play a pivotal role in outpacing emerging threats with the realization of uncrewed systems, specifically in communications-constrained environments.”
IonQ Signs Deal With South Korean Communications Firm
College Park, Md. – In a move to further expand into South Korea, IonQ, the College Park-based quantum computing giant, has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea-based satellite communications company Intellian Technologies.
“We look forward to working together with Intellian to innovate and discover how quantum networking technologies can secure free communications,” said Niccolo de Masi, president & CEO of IonQ. “South Korea has been a vital partner in the advancement of quantum computing and our longstanding engagement with partners in the region reflects our shared commitment to innovation.”
Reston-Based GridPoint Elevates Derek Booth to CEO
Reston, Va. – Two weeks after announcing a new $45 million round of funding, Reston-based GridPoint, developer of an energy management platform for commercial buildings, said it has elevated COO Derek Booth to the role of CEO. He succeeds Mark Danzenbaker, who will become an advisor to the board. Booth joined GridPoint's leadership team in early 2024 after a 16-year career at Johnson Controls, where he held various leadership positions within JCI Building Solutions. The company, whose platform is currently used in more than 20,000 commercial buildings, announced its new round of funding in late March, including a $20 million investment from Japan’s Marunouchi Innovation Partners.
Chantilly-Based QBurst Names Arun Kumar Ramchandran as New CEO
Chantilly, Va. – QBurst, a Chantilly-based provider of digital product engineering services, has named Arun Kumar Ramchandran as its new CEO, based in Silicon Valley. The news comes two months after India’s Multiples Alternate Asset Management acquired a controlling stake in the 21-year-old company for $200 million. Ramchandran, known as “Rak,” most recently served as the global business unit head for the High Tech and Professional Services business at Hexaware Technologies, and earlier held leadership roles at Capgemini and Infosys. He succeeds Prathapan Sethu, who had served as CEO since the company’s founding in 2004.
ID.me Names Ka'ohele Carlos as Chief Design Officer
McLean, Va. – As part of continued focus on UX and design in its products, ID.me, the McLean-based online identity management company, has promoted Ka'ohele Carlos to the position of chief design officer. Carlos, who grew up in Hawaii, previously served as SVP of design. Before joining ID.me, Carlos led UX at Amazon Prime Video. "Ka'o's built a high-performing team that consistently delivers exceptional work, not just because of their skill, but because of the culture of trust, curiosity, and joy he's nurtured,” said Blake Hall, Co-founder and CEO of ID.me.
Briefly Noted:
(Bethesda, Md.) Bethesda-based commercial real estate firm Walker & Dunlop has named Andrew Kaskel as the senior managing director of its Digital Infrastructure Advisory Services Group, based in New York. Kaskel, previously a managing director at DH Capital, will work with the firm’s Institutional Capital Markets team to finance the development and ownership of data centers and other digital infrastructures.
(McLean, Va.) McLean-based Agile Defense, a provider of digital transformation and cybersecurity tools to government and defense clients, has named Jennifer Hosking as its vice president of proposal development. Hosking previously led her own independent proposal and strategy consulting business for more than 20 years before serving as the director of proposals for ValidaTek.
(Arlington, Va.) Arlington-based RiskSpan, a provider of risk management and data analytics tools for loans, securities and private credit, has named Howard Kaplan and Susan Mills to its advisory board. Kaplan has spent 28 years as a partner at Deloitte & Touche, and Mills is managing director and head of RMBS Capital Markets and Originations at Academy Securities.