Potomac Tech Wire - Jan. 16
Booz Allen, Andreessen Horowitz Form Collaboration for Government Technology Startups
o Booz Allen, Andreessen Horowitz Form Collaboration for GovTech
o Parsons Acquires McLean-based Altamira in $375 Million Deal
o Baltimore-based Sinclair Continues to Pursue Merger With Scripps
o Maryland-based Cloudforce Raises $10 Million in Series A
o DC-based Nanochon Raises New Round; Total Raised at $11.3 M
o McLean-based Positive Development Raises $45 Million Debt Facility
o Euna Solutions Acquires McLean-based GrantExec
o Dave Wajsgras Named New CEO at Herndon-based Everfox
> GovCon Outlook 2026 - Jan. 28 - Reston, Va.
o Briefly Noted: ManTech, RunSafe Security
Booz Allen, Andreessen Horowitz Form Collaboration for GovTech
McLean, Va. – In a collaboration between a major government contractor and a Silicon Valley powerhouse, Booz Allen Hamilton, the McLean-based government services provider, announced a new partnership with venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and its a16z fund. Under the collaboration, Booz Allen will be the first a16z Technology Acceleration Partner for Governments, working to deliver new technology to the U.S. government in a range of areas.
“Over the years we’ve witnessed Booz Allen’s essential role in bringing commercial tech to the federal government,” said Ben Horowitz, co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “a16z portfolio companies – from defense production leaders like Anduril, to AI leaders like Databricks and Mistral AI, to autonomy pioneers like Shield AI – are building new platforms that are reinventing business and government. We are thrilled to partner with Booz Allen to help our portfolio companies connect their cutting-edge solutions with critical civilian and defense missions.”
Parsons Acquires McLean-based Altamira in $375 Million Deal
Chantilly, Va. – Parsons, the Chantilly-based defense and government contractor, announced that it has acquired McLean-based Altamira, a provider of intelligence technology, in a deal valued at $375 million. Altamira, founded in 1999, provides signals intelligence, cybersecurity and other technology to intelligence agencies. ClearSky was a major investor in Altamira, which also was backed by McNally Capital, Razor’s Edge, and NIO Advisors.
“Acquiring Altamira is a strategic accelerator for our national security growth strategy, strengthening Parsons’ ability to deliver rapid and agile mission‑ready, intelligence‑driven solutions across the Department of War and the Intelligence Community,” said Carey Smith, president and CEO of Parsons. “Altamira’s advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and analytics capabilities, plus their space‑based mission solutions expand our capabilities and position us to capture a larger share of the rapidly evolving intelligence and multi‑domain operations market.”
Baltimore-based Sinclair Continues to Pursue Merger With Scripps
Baltimore – After being rebuffed in December, Sinclair, the Baltimore-based media company, continues to pursue a combination with television and media company The E.W. Scripps Company that has rebuffed the overtures, according to a filing with the SEC. In December, the Scripps board of directors decided that a deal with Sinclair was not in the best interest of its shareholders.
“Over the last few weeks, Sinclair has continued to reinforce to Scripps its willingness to engage on a proposed Sinclair-Scripps combination,” said a letter from Sinclair to Scripps that was filed with the SEC. “Scripps has refused the invitations to speak with its single largest shareholder and instead has stated its preference to execute its standalone plan. Our last proposal to Scripps represents a premium of more than 240% over Scripps’ unadjusted share price, while the cash portion alone represents a 32.7% premium over the unadjusted share price.”
Maryland-based Cloudforce Raises $10 Million in Series A
National Harbor, Md. – Cloudforce, a Maryland-based provider of AI in education and healthcare, has raised $10 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Owl Ventures with participation from M12, Microsoft’s venture capital fund. With the investment from M12, Cloudforce said it will receive various resources from Microsoft.
“At Cloudforce, we believe the latest and most capable AI models shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the few who can afford hundreds a month in subscriptions, or are otherwise willing to trade away their private data for access,” said Husein Sharaf, founder and CEO of Cloudforce. “With the support of Owl Ventures and M12, Microsoft’s Venture fund, we are aggressively expanding our footprint to ensure that institutions – whether in London, Los Angeles, or Auckland – can rapidly deploy a private AI environment that empowers their people with equitable access to every AI model, without compromising their data.”
DC-based Nanochon Raises New Round; Total Raised at $11.3 Million
Washington, DC – Nanochon, a DC-based orthopedic device company developing implant technology for knee defects, announced that it has closed on a funding round. The company has now raised a total of $11.3 million. The newest round was led by cultivate(MD), with participation from The University of Virginia UVA Seed Fund, WSGR, Wealthing VC Fund, and others.
“The capital commitments from our investors speak volumes about their confidence in the work we’re doing to shift the paradigm of cartilage restoration,” said Ben Holmes, CEO and co-founder. “Not only do we have strong financial backing, but these partners also offer us support in commercial and regulatory strategies as well.”
McLean-based Positive Development Raises $45 Million Debt Facility
McLean, Va. – Following its recent $51.5 million Series C equity financing, Positive Development, a McLean-based company providing therapy for autistic children and their families, has closed on a debt financing facility of up to $45 million from Silicon Valley Bank and Pinegrove Venture Partners. The company said it will use the proceeds to expand its developmental therapy to new regions in the United States.
“With this new facility, we are strengthening our balance sheet and giving ourselves the flexibility to scale our model in a thoughtful, sustainable way,” said Mike Suiters, co-founder and CEO of Positive Development. “Our goal is to make high-quality developmental therapy accessible to families in every state, regardless of payer. SVB has been a long-standing partner of ours, and we’re excited to deepen that relationship alongside Pinegrove as we enter our next phase of growth.”
Euna Solutions Acquires McLean-based GrantExec
McLean, Va. – Euna Solutions, a Canadian company with its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, announced that it has acquired McLean-based GrantExec, a startup using AI to simplify the grant process. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. GrantExec was founded in 2022.
“Joining Euna Solutions is an exciting next chapter for GrantExec,” said Ryan Alcorn, CEO of GrantExec. “From the beginning, our goal has been to remove barriers between mission-driven organizations and the funding that fuels their work. Euna Solutions shares that vision and has the scale, reach, and commitment to customer success needed to take our technology even further.”
Dave Wajsgras Named New CEO at Herndon-based Everfox
Herndon, Va. – Everfox, a Herndon-based cybersecurity company, has named Dave Wajsgras as its chairman and CEO, succeeding Sean Berg who is stepping down as CEO and will continue in an advisory role. Wajsgras served as president of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business, in addition to Raytheon’s SVP and CFO. “I’m excited to be joining the company at this pivotal time and look forward to working with the Everfox team supporting our global customers as their trusted cybersecurity partner,” said Wajsgras. “The need for the trusted, innovative solutions that Everfox delivers is greater than ever.”
GovCon Outlook 2026 - Jan. 28 - Reston
Briefly Noted
(Herndon, Va.) ManTech, the Herndon-based government and defense technology contractor, has named Brandy Durham as its Chief Data and AI Officer. Durham currently leads the company’s Data and AI Practice.
(McLean, Va.) RunSafe Security, a McLean-based cybersecurity company, has named Bob Lyle as chief revenue officer. Lyle was formerly chief revenue officer at Medcrypt.