ByteCubed and CHIEF merge to launch tech and creative design company: U.Group

Two Washington, D.C.–area tech startups are combining forces to launch a new advanced tech and creative design company.

Back in September, Arlington, Va.-based ByteCubed, a tech firm specializing in government IT innovation, acquired D.C.-based marketing and design agency CHIEF to bring its creative aspect to the company’s clientele. The newly launched U.Group comes as a result of that.

*BREAKING* CHIEF and ByteCubed combine to form new company, https://t.co/b6nlGyz9tV. Find out what the company’s singular focus means to you → https://t.co/AaDmN4x1Bu pic.twitter.com/wsHIn4RGqd

— U.Group (@UGroupSocial) February 12, 2019

U.Group officially merges the two business’ operations and now offers comprehensive customer-centric technical solutions for the public and private sectors, a press release states. The companies made the announcement on Tuesday along with an updated website and social media handles. The more than 280 team members will be spread across three offices in the District, Arlington, Va., and Portland, Ore.

“U.Group expands the capabilities of ByteCubed and CHIEF to bring custom-tailored, end-to-end solutions to our customers. Now when we deliver data science and software, we also bring PhDs, MBAs, and economists to understand our clients’ business, regulatory, and policy environments,” U.Group CEO Lena Trudeau told Technical.ly. “On the creative side, the solutions U.Group provides are backed by the technical muscle that makes them actionable and scalable.”

U.Group’s team will be led by ByteCube’s previous leadership including CEO Lena Trudeau, founder and CIO Ahmad Ishaq, CTO Carlyle Davis and CCO Chris Lester. Ishaq said in a statement that the team took time with this merger to rethink the combined company’s name and market position as the industry continues to evolve. U.Group is working to serve customers in the commercial and government spaces.

“What we’re bringing to market is revolutionary. We’ve combined complex capabilities to create something totally new, and you—our customers, clients, and partners—are at the center of that,” Trudeau said in a statement.”By using research and analysis to develop a deeper understanding of your organization and environments, we’re creating custom technical and creative solutions that solve very specific needs.”