o Tysons-based Digital Global Systems Acquired in $5 Billion Deal
o DC-based Obviant Raises $7.1 Million in Seed Funding
o EY Names Winners of Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of The Year Award
o McLean-Based Raft Merges with N3bula Systems
o Baltimore-based Infinity Bio Raises $8 Million, Acquires Serimmune
o Reston-based Acclaim Names David Popelier as CEO
o Briefly Noted: Craxel, Patero, Consumer Technology Association, ASRC Federal
Tysons-based Digital Global Systems Acquired in $5 Billion Deal
Tysons, Va. – Digital Global Systems (DGS), a Tysons-based developer of spectrum optimization technologies, said it has been acquired by the Casa del Fuego Family Office and Trust in a deal valued at $5 billion. Casa del Fuego is an investment and asset management firm best known for its acquisition of the Oeno Group, a large fine wine and whiskey exchange. DGS, which applies AI and machine learning to real-time RF data, will now operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Casa del Fuego, with plans to monetize the company’s intellectual property and accelerate the deployment of new wireless capabilities across government, commercial and civilian networks.
"Joining Casa del Fuego gives us the strategic backing and global resources to fulfill our mission,” said Fernando Murias, the chairman and CEO of DGS. “We remain focused on enabling self-optimizing, autonomous networks powered by our patented AI-driven platform."
DC-based Obviant Raises $7.1 Million in Seed Funding
Washington, DC – Obviant, a DC-based data intelligence platform for Department of Defense acquisitions, announced that it has raised $7.1 million in seed funding. The round was led by Shield Capital, with participation from Motivate Venture Capital, A*, New Vista Capital, Aloft Venture Capital and Underdog Labs. Using AI, Obviant provides real-time data to support defense procurement decisions.
“We are at a historic inflection point for defense acquisition,” said Brendan Karp, co-founder and CEO of Obviant. “For the best capabilities to get to warfighters more rapidly, leaders across industry and government need real-time, actionable data – not guesswork or hand-built spreadsheets. Obviant's mission is to provide that source of truth and underlying trends, so technology, policy, and investment can finally move at the speed of relevance.”
EY Names Winners of Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of The Year Award
Washington, DC – Ernst & Young announced the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Mid-Atlantic Award. An independent panel of past winners, top CEOs, and business leaders selects the annual award winners. This year’s winners were:
Jeff Beck | AnswersNow
Kristen Valdes | b.well Connected Health
Richie Huffman | Celebree
Kirsten Brecht Baker | Jeenie
Greg Craddock | Patriot Group International
Debbie Ailiff | Procare Ambulance of Maryland
Shubhi Mishra | Raft
Helen Stefan Moreau | The Midtown Group
Eric Gertler | US News & World Report
John Ackerly | Virtru
Ahmad Nassar | Winners Alliance
Mark Drever | Xcelerate Solutions
McLean-based Raft Merges with N3bula Systems
McLean, Va. – Raft, a McLean-based defense technology company focused on autonomous warfare, said it has merged with Colorado-based N3bula Systems, a developer of infrastructure that connects sensors, shooters and weapons systems. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Raft said the merger “creates a unified AI and data backbone that transforms fragmented military systems into a seamless, machine-speed operational network.”
"N3bula Systems is one of the most impactful teams in defense technology—the minds behind a critical defense infrastructure," said Shubhi Mishra, the founder and CEO of Raft. "They chose to partner with us because we represent a New Prime. We embed directly with warfighters as trusted edge nodes, scale proven AI across mission-critical operations, and deliver real solutions to real battlefield problems—faster than established players. This signals a fundamental shift toward edge-native defense innovation."
Baltimore-Based Infinity Bio Raises $8 Million, Acquires Serimmune
Baltimore - Infinity Bio, a Baltimore-based biotechnology company developing technologies to map immune responses at scale, said it has raised $8 million in its first round of funding, led by Illumina Ventures. PTX Capital, Blackbird BioVentures and the Propel Baltimore Fund also took part in the round, which the company will use to expand its commercial footprint, accelerate the development of its platform and launch new immune profiling services. As part of its growth plan, Infinity Bio said it has acquired the assets of California-based Serimmune.
Reston-Based Acclaim Technical Services Names David Popelier as CEO
Reston, Va. – Acclaim Technical Services, a Reston-based provider of technology and mission services to the U.S. Intelligence Community, has named David Popelier as its new CEO. Popelier has been with the company since 2020, serving as the head of its Mission Technology and Solutions business unit. Popelier is a 24-year veteran of the national security community, beginning at the State Department as a civil servant, and then supporting the Intelligence Community in both government staff and contractor roles.
Briefly Noted
(Fairfax, Va.) Fairfax-based Craxel, a developer of AI software that delivers contextualized information needed for decision-making, has named Matt Kelley as its senior vice president and general manager for the U.S. public sector. Kelley most recently served as an executive at Steampunk, and earlier was a senior executive at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
(College Park, Md.) College Park-based Patero, a developer of quantum secure communications technology, has named five new advisors. They include: Neil Hersey, the CEO of Shadow Bright; Rick Gordon, the CEO of Tidal Cyber; Mark Greer, former deputy CIO of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency; Denny Brisley, the chief strategy officer of Saltenna; and Peter Clay, the chief information security officer of Aireon.
(Arlington, Va.) The Arlington-based Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced Bandora, developer of a SaaS platform using machine learning to optimize building energy efficiency, as the winner of its CEO Summit startup pitch competition in Lisbon. The Portugal-based company will receive complimentary exhibit space at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The event featured five startups across verticals like health, energy, AI, and entertainment, pitching innovations to a panel of investor judges.
(Reston, Va.) Reston-based ASRC Federal has named Mike O’Hara as its vice president of business development for its space operating group. O'Hara most recently was the business development director for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), and earlier held senior-level positions at Aerojet Rocketdyne, Ball Aerospace, Raytheon Technologies and Stanford Research Institute.