M&A Moves: Arlington’s BlueHalo acquired Maryland-based analytics firm Asymmetrik

Arlington, Virginia’s BlueHalo, a national security provider for space tech, has acquired Annapolis Junction, Maryland software application and data analytics firm Asymmetrik.

According to BlueHalo, Asymmetrik’s tech and software offerings compliment its products in cyber and foreign intelligence communication. Together, it said, the companies will have a suite of data products and actionable insight in intelligence. Prior to 2020, Asymmetrik also made itself known in the healthcare tech scene, developing products for patient care. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We could not be more thrilled to welcome the Asymmetrik team to BlueHalo as we bring our combined capabilities to bear solving some of the IC’s most challenging problems,” said BlueHalo CEO Jonathan Moneymaker in a statement. “The combination of Asymmetrik’s and BlueHalo’s deep technical capabilities, cultures of excellence, and focus on the mission will only further enhance our ability to serve our customers’ most important and complex needs.”

BlueHalo’s purchase of the company closely follows its acquisition of Intelligent Automation Inc, a Rockville, Maryland national security technology company, in September.

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Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tom Cotton introduced a bill this month to potentially regulate merger deals from Big Tech.

The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act would enable the government to require large companies to prove that merger deals over $50 million are good for competition. A companion bill has also already been introduced in the House. The legislation is aimed at conglomerates such as Google, Amazon and Facebook, as it only applies to companies with:

• Over 50 million US-based active users monthly or 100,00 monthly active business users
• Operates as a trading partner to other companies
• Has a market cap of $600 billion, calculated via a 180-day trading average

“Competition is critical to protecting workers and consumers and spurring innovation. But today, we’re increasingly seeing companies choose to buy their rivals rather than compete,” said Klobuchar in a statement. “This bipartisan legislation will put an end to those anticompetitive acquisitions by making it more difficult for dominant digital platforms to eliminate their competitors and enhance the platform’s market power.

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This one’s not a merger or acquisition, but it’s a notable that brings products together: TransitScreen, a transportation information software firm based in DC, is now known as Actionfigure.

The rebrand, Actionfigure said, was developed to bring all of its software solutions under a single identity. Its three core products, designed for homes, offices, hotels, entertainment venues and campuses, will also get a new name. Pre-pandemic, the company moved headquarters to a larger office in DC and in later 2020 released its CommuteWise app for trip planning for workers returning to the office.

“By combining movement (‘action’) and data (‘figure’), our new brand Actionfigure conveys how we are the most robust solution for informed urban travel using real-time data,” said Matt Caywood, cofounder and CEO, in a statement. “As more people return to their pre-pandemic activities like going out to eat, concerts, shopping, attending class, and commuting to work, they need what we call ‘Motional Intelligence’ — full awareness of all their transportation options, from subways, to buses, to scooters or shared ride services, and the ability to take action to save time and money.”

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• Rocket Lab USA, a space services company headquartered in California, acquired Silver Spring, Maryland’s Planetary Systems Corporation for $42 million. Planetary Systems provides mechanical separation and satellite dispenser systems for space missions and recently acquired Advanced Solutions in October.
• Brivo, a Bethesda, Maryland-based cloud and smart building technology firm, inked a merger agreement with New York’s Crown PropTech Acquisitions, a special purpose acquisition firm. Brivo will go public through the deal with an estimated value of $808 million.
• Cloud-based business resilience firm Recovery Point Systems, based in Germantown, Maryland, acquired Toronto, Canada orchestration and automation firm Geminare.
• Glen Allen, Virginia-based TriMech, a 3D printing design and manufacturing firm, acquired Ohio’s Adaptive Corporation and Michigan software company Forward Vision.
• Rockville’s Library Systems and Services, which operates library systems across the US, acquired LAC Federal, a Los Angeles, California government library data and information management firm.
• Anadot, a business monitoring firm from Ashburn, Virginia, acquired Pileus, a cloud firm from Ontario, Canada. Terms were not revealed.
• Gemspring Captial, a Connecticut private equity firm, acquired a majority stake in Gaithersburg, Maryland management software firm AINS.
• Alexandria, Virginia marketing firm Yes& acquired Philadelphia-based P’unk Avenue, a digital marketing and creative agency.
• Godspeed Capital Management, a DC government service and tech equity provider, acquired Roanoke, Virginia engineering and consulting firm Ascent Engineering for an undisclosed amount.
• Fairfax, Virginia custom apparel firm Custom Ink acquired New York marketing company Swag.com.
• Cherry Bekaert, an accounting firm from Richmond, Virginia, acquired Los Angeles private equity and transaction tax company TaxGroup Partners.