Potomac Tech Wire - Dec. 5
Tysons-based Antithesis Raises $105 Million in Series A Round
o Tysons-based Antithesis Raises $105 Million in Series A Round
o DC-based Helmet Lands $9 Million to Secure AI Infrastructure
o Chantilly-based Red River Acquires Alexandria’s Invictus
o Ashburn-based Unacast Secures $28 Million in Debt Financing
o Leesburg-based Trusted Space Lands Investment from Wash Harbour
o Briefly Noted: Obviant, Grain Management
Tysons-based Antithesis Raises $105 Million in Series A Round
Tysons Corner, Va. – In one of the larger Series A rounds for the region ever, Antithesis, a Tysons-based simulation testing company, announced that it has raised $105 million in a Series A round. The round was led by quantitative trading firm Jane Street, which is also a customer of Antithesis. Other investors included Amplify Venture Partners, Spark Capital, Tamarack Global, First In Ventures, Teamworthy Ventures, Hyperion Capital, along with others.
“Software now underpins everything, and as systems become more complex and distributed, the world needs a new testing model that guarantees correctness,” said Will Wilson, CEO of Antithesis. “With this funding, we’re expanding the infrastructure that makes reliability not just achievable, but expected, just as we expect traffic lights to work every time. Our customers are already proving that deterministically validated systems ship faster, without breaking, and earn deeper trust.”
DC-based Helmet Security Lands $9 Million to Secure AI Infrastructure
Washington, DC – Helmet Security, the DC-based developer of a platform to secure AI infrastructure, said it has landed $9 million in a new seed round from SYN Ventures and WhiteRabbit Ventures. Founded by CTO Kaushik Shanadi, an experienced security architect and engineer, and CEO Fred Kneip, a veteran security and risk executive, Helmet is designed to continuously monitor controls on MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, which allow AI to access information and perform tasks beyond its training data.
“There are a lot of technology products out there, but no one is addressing the business security problem of MCP, until now,” said Kneip. “Helmet helps CISOs understand what servers are already in their environment, what information they are sharing, and who is using them. It then allows for simple policy enforcement to reduce the attack surface.”
Chantilly-based Red River Acquires Alexandria’s Invictus
Chantilly, Va. – Red River, a Chantilly-based developer of AI-driven cybersecurity and IT modernization tools, said it has acquired Alexandria-based Invictus, a provider of cyber, intelligence and enterprise modernization services to national security clients. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Red River said the move will strengthen its Government Technology Systems (GTS) business unit, expanding its ability to support highly sensitive missions across the Department of War, Intelligence Community and federal civilian agencies. Invictus currently serves as the lead integrator for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s multi-year modernization of the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System environment.
“Their deep cyber and intelligence expertise, experienced team, and track record supporting some of the government’s most critical programs make them an ideal complement to Red River,” said Anthony Christie, the CEO of Red River.
Ashburn-based Unacast Secures $28 Million in Debt Financing
Ashburn, Va. – Unacast, an Ashburn-based location intelligence software firm, has secured $28 million in debt financing. The funding came from Vector Capital Management’s credit unit Vector Velocity. The financing follows Unacast’s merger two years ago with Gravy Analytics.
“The new capital will accelerate Unacast’s product roadmap, enhance the quality and transparency of its global location intelligence solutions, and expand its go-to-market efforts,” the company said in a news release about the deal. “It will also support strategic M&A to strengthen the company’s technology stack, broaden its data assets, and extend its reach across key verticals.”
Leesburg-based Trusted Space Lands Investment from Washington Harbour
Leesburg, Va. – Trusted Space, a Leesburg-based provider of modeling, simulation and analysis services focused on space systems and missions, said it has landed a new growth investment from DC-based private investment firm Washington Harbour Partners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company said it will use the funds to bolster R&D efforts and significantly enhance its product offerings.
“This partnership will further enable us to build innovative solutions across increasingly autonomous and self-aware spacecraft platforms and constellations, with greater agility, resilience, quality and affordability, while enabling the vision of collaborative multi-platform and multi-domain operations,” said Tom Kubancik, the co-founder and chief revenue officer at Trusted Space.
Potomac Tech Wire’s VC Outlook 2026 - Dec. 16 - Reston, Va.
Briefly Noted
(Washington, DC) DC-based Obviant, a provider of intelligence tools used in defense acquisition, has named Mike Madsen as its vice president of national security. Madsen most recently served as the vice president of government relations at Strider Technologies.
(Washington, DC) DC-based Grain Management, a private investment firm focused on digital infrastructure in the global broadband industry, has named Geoffrey Starks to its board of senior advisors. Starks is a former commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).