Following demand, Utah drone defense tech company Fortem is opening a DC office

As of this week, Utah-based aerospace and defense tech company Fortem Technologies is heading to the DC area.

Fortem, which is based in Pleasant Grove, Utah and builds technology to defend against drones, is opening a new office in Chantilly, Virginia. The company, which is backed by Toshiba, Boeing, DCVC and Signia Venture Partners, wanted to build a DC location after an influx of growth from the district-area market.

Fortem leadership told Technical.ly that the move to DC came from the primary interest and demand within the booming defense and security economy, which made Fortem’s tech in high demand. It also noted that over 50% of the company’s business is in defense and government agency security, so it was important for the company to continue those relationships in a local setting.

“Opening an office in Washington DC’s metro area is a necessary move,” said Jon Gruen, CEO of Fortem Technologies, in a statement. “We’re growing rapidly and much of that growth is coming from the DC environment. Having a presence at the nation’s capital will help us better address that business demand.”

The space in Chantilly, located at 14325 Willard Road, is approximately 2,5000 square feet. The company plans to start with 10 employees in the office, primarily comprising senior leadership with a DC focus. It does plan to do local hiring, although the company did not offer specifics.

Heading up the new office will be Fortem’s Executive Director of Enterprise Operations Michael Buscher, who previously held roles at BigBear.ai, Peraton, Vanguard Defense Industries, Huntington Ingalls Industries and the Central Intelligence Agency. He’ll be focused on engagement with US government entities, establishing regional partnerships and business development.

Other key hires for the new local offices include Matt Quinn, VP of government solutions, and Warren Brown, VP of marketing. Both execs have held prominent roles in government and large tech companies like SAIC and Boeing.

According to Fortem, which was founded in 2016, it has doubled its deal flow and booking projections over the past year, allowing for the expansion. Recently, the company was selected to provide security for the FIFA World Cup, working with Smart Communication Systems to install counter-drone solutions for Qatar’s Ministry of Interior.

Fortem is the latest of several tech and defense companies that have moved HQs or opened offices in the DMV over the past few years. Beyond Amazon HQ2, Boeing, Raytheon, Cloudpermit SimilarWeb and more have made homes in the DC area.