A DC university is launching an innovation lab for students who don’t yet have a polished pitch deck, a global quantum algorithms company picked Arlington for its North American HQ and a nat-sec simulation startup named its new CEO.
Keep reading to get the details on those and more regional power moves.
American University launches idea-phase startup programming
Students at American University have a new pathway to turn ideas into ventures, thanks to a partnership between the university’s Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship and startup support organization Builders + Backers.
The center’s new Innovation Lab includes an accelerator, an AI platform and one-on-one guidance with local founders, per a press release. This builds on other entrepreneurial programming out of American University, including a student-led venture fund and an additional innovation lab program.
“At American University, we believe that the best possible way to learn is by doing,” said Danielle Vogel, director of the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship. “This partnership is a major force-multiplier for us in terms of the resources we’re able to provide to support our students.”
UK quantum company lands in Arlington
Founded in Bristol, England, in 2019, Phasecraft focuses on the software side of quantum, creating algorithms that aim to improve efficiency and performance of quantum computing hardware.
The company plans to spend $113,000 to build out its North American headquarters in Northern Virginia, and to hire 19 new, local workers, according to a press release.
“Their investment,” said Matt de Ferranti, chair of the Arlington County Board, “reflects the confidence that innovative emerging technology companies from around the world have in Arlington’s talent, connectivity, and collaborative business environment.”
Phasecraft is participating in quantum-related research programs with DARPA and ARPA-E, which are in close proximity to the company’s new offices in the Rosslyn-Ballston area.
Defcon AI names new CEO
Aerospace and tech executive Margo de Naray is taking the helm as CEO at Defcon AI, inheriting the startup’s contract backlog of $150 million. She replaces Yisroel Brumer, who is staying on as cofounder.
The McLean, VA-based startup develops software to optimize military and commercial supply-chain and transport logistics, and to simulate issues in national security-related environments.
“With a substantial backlog and pipeline, differentiated technology and an extraordinarily talented team, Defcon AI has an exceptional foundation for growth,” said de Naray in a press release. “I’m excited to build on Defcon AI’s success and impact for our national security and private sector customers.”
Prior to this role, de Naray worked as an executive for 20 years at various companies, most recently as CEO and president of the solar energy space company Solestial.
Leadership appointments and acquisitions:
- Statecraft, a DC federal contractor deploying AI agents for repeatable tasks across different agencies, acquired San Francisco AI and data analytics contractor Daybreak.
- Restaurant management and finance platform MarginEdge hired seasoned restaurant tech leader Darien Bates as chief project officer. The Arlington startup also released its SmartPrep tool, which helps restaurants predict what ingredients and recipes will be in demand based on sales data, the day of the week and the season. MarginEdge recently raised a $80 million Series D.
- AI government contractor Quantum Sky, formerly known as Tyto Athene, hired three executive vice presidents focused on customers in the Department of War, civilian agencies and space and intelligence. Samantha Moore will oversee work with the DOW, Jessica Merriam will lead in space and intelligence and Nicole Gibson will steer civilian contracts.
- Global defense technology company Everfox appointed Maureen Stevens as its chief corporate affairs office. She previously led marketing for communications satellite operator SES.
- George Mason University tapped Sumeet Shrivastava, CEO and president of the government contractor Unissant, to lead its Board of Visitors. The university also renamed its entrepreneurial center after Anil Sharma, local founder and CEO of 22nd Century Technologies, and his wife Anupama.
Partnerships, product launches and awards:
- Open source agentic AI company pgEdge released a cloud platform designed to help companies move experimental AI projects into products used regularly.
- Aseel, an Arlington startup housing aid campaigns and an Etsy-like marketplace for Turkish and Afghan artists, is partnering with HesabPay to make digital payments possible using afghani currency.
- This football season, the Commanders have inked several corporate partner deals with defense tech and space companies from across the country, the Washington Business Journal reported.
- IT government contractor CGI federal launched a catalogue of AI agents with AWS, including curated agents for fraud detection and government benefits processing.
- Legal writing tool BriefCatch launched a new app housing all of its tools, including citation verification and writing recommendations.
- Hupside, a startup measuring the intersection of human creativity and AI, released a free public beta of Hupmapper. It attempts to measure how much the ideas in a piece of writing stand out from what AI might produce.
- Defense contractor General Dynamics Information Technology is partnering with OpenAI to deploy AI agents within federal agencies for tasks including data analysis and IT service desk operations.
- Local founder and author Adam Zuckerman launched authorchecklist.com, which compiles resources for authors, including how to enter for awards and get on bookstore shelves.
- Techstars and Permanente Medicine Mid-Atlantic States unveiled their fall accelerator cohort, which brings health-focused founders from across the globe to DC for the rest of the year.
- LaunchBridge, an AI platform to streamline how first-time entrepreneurs start a business in Virginia, landed in fourth place at the Moonshots pitch competition in Los Angeles.
