Funding alert: Arlington’s Second Front Systems closed a $6M seed round

Arlington, Virginia-based Second Front Systems has closed a $6 million seed round.

The six-year-old software company develops tech solutions in cybersecurity and advanced intelligence analytics for the U.S. federal government. Second Front Systems is a veteran-owned small business founded by former Marine Corps Major Peter Dixon and retired Marine Corps Colonel Mark Butler. Dixon is a scout sniper platoon commander who worked with In-Q-Tel and DARPA to establish some military technologies while Butler is a fighter and test pilot who was a part of forming the Marines’ arm of cyber command, a press release states.

“I came back from combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan where my men and I were hamstrung by outdated technology that negated what should have been an advantage against insurgent adversaries,” said Dixon in a statement. “This venture financing and initial partnerships gives Second Front the velocity to build a new type of ‘lean systems integrator’ that can harness the innovations of the American entrepreneurial ecosystem where the traditional defense firms have failed.”

This first funding round was led by ARTIS Ventures with additional investments from Kleiner Perkins, 8VC, Gula Tech Adventures and Abstract Ventures. Second Front Systems plans to use the fresh funding to expand its software platform, Atlas Fulcrum. Austin Walne, partner at ARTIS Ventures, will join Second Front Systems’ board.

“Second Front’s executive team comes with proven military backgrounds, giving them an insider’s perspective on vetting and integrating technologies that will have an immediate impact on national security,” Walne said.

The close of this seed round comes after Second Front Systems recently landed a contract award with the General Services Administration and the Air Force’s AFWERX. The company is also currently hiring for a software engineer.