Enterprise Information from the Fairfax County Financial Growth Authority – March 17

NearStar Fusion Accelerates World Power Innovation in Fairfax County

State and native officers gathered on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, to have a good time a ribbon-cutting at Fairfax County-based NearStar Fusion, a fusion vitality improvement firm. Based in 2021, NearStar Fusion’s staff of physicists and engineers is creating an modern, pulsed method to fusion vitality with the purpose of powering the globe with clear, compact resilient vitality.  

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Company (VIPC), the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), introduced on the occasion that NearStar Fusion had been awarded a $75,000 Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant. This grant will assist fund the design, computationally mannequin, construct, and experimentally show the operation of a plasma aspect injector, a vital enabling element of NearStar Fusion’s know-how.

“We’re thrilled to obtain a CCF grant from VIPC,” mentioned Dr. Doug Witherspoon, Founder, President and Chief Scientist of NearStar Fusion. “Fusion vitality has promise to supply nearly limitless clear electrical energy, however with technical challenges forward. Overcoming them will change the world. We’re excited to obtain this funding to permit NearStar to take step one in proving our fusion design.”

Based mostly in Chantilly, NearStar Fusion is creating a brand new pulsed method to fusion vitality that builds on profitable strategies of imploding metallic liners to create fusion and assist energy the globe with a clear and limitless supply of vitality. NearStar’s goal is to simplify fusion know-how, utilizing principally off-the-shelf gear and supplies to expedite the event path to sensible fusion vitality. An extra software of NearStar Fusion’s analysis contains interplanetary spacecraft propulsion.

As certainly one of an estimated 33 fusion analysis corporations within the free world, as of 2022, NearStar Fusion is among the plethora of rising tech and innovation analysis corporations in lots of business sectors that decision Fairfax County house. Worldwide, the fusion business is exhibiting big progress, in response to the Fusion Business Affiliation, reported Forbes.

Click on right here to learn extra.

Celebrating Ladies’s Historical past Month

Ladies who run two Fairfax County-based companies have been named on the Forbes annual listing of “100 Most Highly effective Ladies”: Phebe Novakovic, CEO, Basic Dynamics (Reston), which ranked thirtieth on the listing; and Kathy Warden, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman (Falls Church space), which positioned at no. 38. Two extra CEOs of corporations headquartered elsewhere however with workplaces in Fairfax County additionally positioned on the listing: Julie Candy, Chair and CEO of Eire-headquartered Accenture, which has an workplace in Reston, ranked at no. 9 on the listing; and Safra Catz, CEO of Texas-based Oracle, which additionally has an workplace in Reston, positioned on the listing at quantity 19.

Click on right here to see the listing.

A really large deal

Tysons-based conferences and occasions software program firm Cvent agreed to be acquired by New York-based personal fairness agency Blackstone in a deal valued at about $4.6 billion, the corporate introduced Tuesday, Virginia Enterprise reported. Based in 1999 by CEO Reggie Aggarwal, Cvent has about 4,900 staff and roughly 22,000 clients. Cvent has helped handle greater than 5 million occasions and lists greater than 302,000 motels and venues by way of its Cvent Provider Community, a web based platform with instruments to go looking, negotiate and contract with motels and venues for occasion house. “We’re excited to share this announcement and look ahead to our subsequent chapter alongside the Blackstone staff,” Aggarwal mentioned in an announcement. “As one of many world’s largest personal fairness corporations, Blackstone brings deep experience within the occasion and hospitality business, and with their backing, we plan to proceed to put money into our enterprise and ship the modern options that meet our clients’ wants and energy the conferences and occasions ecosystem.”

Enter Sandman

Legendary heavy metallic band Metallica has acquired a majority curiosity in Fairfax County-based vinyl information maker Furnace Document Urgent, Virginia Enterprise reported. Based in 1996, Furnace produces information in a 70,000-square-foot facility within the Fairfax County space of Alexandria, making it one of many largest record-pressing corporations within the U.S. Final yr, the information maker pressed 3.1 million information. Furnace has 107 staff, all of whom will stay of their present roles. Furnace has produced greater than 5 million Metallica vinyl items since 2014. “We couldn’t be extra blissful to take our partnership with Furnace … to the following stage,” Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich mentioned in an announcement. “Their indie spirit, the eagerness they’ve for his or her craft … culturally, we’re kindred souls.” Selection and Billboard have extra on this story. Excited about discovering out extra about Furnace Data? Click on right here to see a FCEDA interview with Mark Reiter, director of producing operations at Furnace Document Urgent.

Identify dropping

Twenty-four leaders of Fairfax County-based corporations have been named among the many “High 35 Execs to Watch 2023” by WashingtonExec. “For the eighth yr in a row, WashingtonExec has assembled its listing of executives in business and authorities altering the established order,” in response to the publication. Listed below are 24 execs:

• John Heller, CEO, Amentum (Chantilly)
• Kevin Kelly, Chairman and CEO, Arcfield (Chantilly)
• Jennifer Felix, President & CEO, ASRC Federal (Reston)
• Kristine Martin Anderson, Chief Working Officer, Booz Allen Hamilton (Tysons)
• Stephanie Mango, President, CGI Federal (Fairfax)
• Jeff Bohling, President and CEO, Empower AI (Reston)
• Jylinda Johnson; Sector Vice President & Basic Supervisor, Authorities Operations, Commerce and World Citizen Service, GDIT (Falls Church space)
• John Serafini, CEO, HawkEye 360 (Herndon)
• Andy Inexperienced, Govt Vice President & President of Mission Applied sciences Division, HII (Tysons)
• John Wasson; Chair and CEO, ICF (Reston)
• Gerry Fasano, President of the Protection Group, Leidos (Reston)
• Doug Wagoner, President & CEO, LMI (Tysons)
• Matt Tait, CEO & President, ManTech (Herndon)
• Tony Frazier, Govt VP & Basic Supervisor, Public Sector Earth Intelligence, Maxar (Herndon)
• Bruce Caswell, President & CEO, Maximus (Reston)
• Rick Wagner, President, Microsoft Federal (Reston)
• Mile Corrigan, President & CEO, Noblis (Reston)
• Carey Smith; Chair, President & CEO, Parsons (Centreville)
• Mike Londregan, Chief Safety Officer, Peraton (Reston)
• Shawn Purvis, QinetiQ US (Lorton)
• Bob Genter, President, Protection and Civilian Sector, SAIC (Reston)
• Tom Watson, CEO, Serco (Herndon)
• John Ustica, President & CEO, Siemens Authorities Applied sciences (Reston)
• Chuck Prow, President & CEO, V2X (Tysons)

Accelerating digital transformation

Centreville-based Parsons Company introduced a brand new international strategic partnership with Microsoft to assist organizations all over the world improve their digital transformation and cybersecurity capabilities, in response to Intelligence Neighborhood Information. The partnership will construct upon current collaboration between the 2 corporations, combining the ability of Microsoft’s Azure cloud and synthetic intelligence (AI) applied sciences with Parsons’ experience within the nationwide safety and international infrastructure markets, unlocking efficiencies, enhancing safety, and opening doorways to innovation as each corporations work to improve society’s infrastructure. “This partnership brings collectively the collective strengths of two business leaders and creates a brand new future for our markets. This is a crucial step in accelerating the world’s digital transformation and reinforcing the data-driven focus that fuels the improvements which create worth for our clients day-after-day,” mentioned Peter Torrellas, president, linked communities enterprise unit for Parsons.

Extra Parsons information

Centreville-based Parsons Company agreed to accumulate IPKeys Energy Companions. Based in 2014, IPKeys Energy Companions enhances Parsons’ vital infrastructure safety capabilities by way of complete cloud-based cybersecurity, software program options that function on the intersection of knowledge and operational know-how (IT and OT), and applied sciences that can assist speed up the worldwide clear vitality transition, citybiz reported. “The addition of IPKeys brings essential software program platforms and capabilities that strengthen our built-in options that shield vital infrastructure,” mentioned Carey Smith, Parsons’ chair, president, and chief government officer.

Greatest problem forward

Reston-based Microsoft Federal President Rick Wagner mentioned the competitors with different business giants, and what he sees for 2023, in an interview for a Washington Enterprise Journal article for subscribers. Requested by the Journal’s writer Alex Orfinger in regards to the large challenges coming down the pike for Microsoft Federal, Wagner replied: “Proper now, with macroeconomics in considerably of a downturn, the federal authorities has to find out the way it can finest proceed to help these missions. For us on this business, the federal authorities tends to be one of many extra steady patrons. It’s a long-term purchaser. You’re not going to see as a lot variation because it goes by way of that. So I truly don’t see the financial downturn as the first problem. I see extra the problem as: There are quite a few new applied sciences rising, and the federal authorities has to find out how can it make the most of all of these applied sciences. It’s automation, machine studying, AI.” Click on right here to learn your entire Q&A.

Satellite tv for pc cluster commissioned

Herndon-based HawkEye 360 has commissioned its sixth cluster of radio frequency (RF) sensing satellites, ExecutiveBiz reported. The Cluster 6 satellites are supported by a brand new floor station in Hawaii. With the beginning of Cluster 6 operation, HawkEye now has 18 satellites with frequency starting from 15 to 18 gigahertz. The corporate plans to launch its seventh cluster in April, and two extra clusters earlier than the yr ends. It intends to have 60 satellites as a way to meet the rising demand for RF-based intelligence. “As political and army tensions improve in [mid-latitude] areas, the necessity for tactically related information is much more vital to detect, assess, and reply to threats,” HawkEye 360 Chief Progress Officer Alex Fox mentioned.

Finals completed

Tysons-based satellite tv for pc service supplier Intelsat has concluded the evaluation of an operational and information assortment system for a novel space-based instrument, ExecutiveGov reported. Designed to look at vital air pollution throughout North America, the spectrometer shall be operated by Intelsat for NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. “Working intently with our companions, we efficiently accomplished a rigorous schedule of assessments to make sure that commanding, telemetry, and mission information are flowing precisely and at close to real-time pace from the IS-40e satellite tv for pc by way of the Intelsat floor system to the Smithsonian and NASA scientists,” mentioned Jean-Luc Froeliger, senior vice chairman of house techniques at Intelsat.

Deploying on the tactical edge

Tysons-based Booz Allen Hamilton chosen California-based machine studying operations firm Latent AI to assist its Chief Digital and Synthetic Intelligence Workplace develop and deploy ML and AI fashions on the tactical edge, ExecutiveBiz reported. Latent AI mentioned its platform shall be used to help the Division of Protection’s edge AI improvement and implementation efforts. Steve Escaravage, government vice chairman and lead of Booz Allen’s analytics apply and synthetic intelligence division, famous the organizations’ want for “scalable AI and information compression on the tactical edge” to create an interconnected drive.

Making certain security

Safety know-how supplier Pangiam, which established its international headquarters in Tysons in September 2022, has teamed up with Dutch airport administration firm Royal Schiphol Group to speed up the hand baggage screening course of at Schiphol and different airports. Powered by synthetic intelligence and algorithms, Pangiam’s know-how helps passengers move by way of safety checks swiftly whereas guaranteeing security. Schiphol is the first airport in Europe to help Mission DARTMOUTH, which is an alliance between Pangiam and Google Cloud. Pangiam Mission DARTMOUTH head Alexis Lengthy mentioned: “Royal Schiphol Group has a global popularity for innovation and excellence in know-how. This collaboration permits us to deliver the advantages of synthetic intelligence to the safety checkpoint and enhance the method.” Airport Expertise has extra.

Shared innovation dedication

Tysons-based kidney care firm Somatus expanded its partnership with Inova Well being System with the launch of a brand new Nurse Navigator Program. Collectively, the 2 organizations have a long-standing partnership dedicated to enhancing care and outcomes for sufferers with or prone to creating kidney illness. Inova Well being System carried out the brand new Nurse Navigation Program throughout all 5 hospitals in January 2023. It goals to remodel how sufferers of Somatus’ well being plan clients with kidney illness expertise and obtain care within the acute setting and all through their transition of care again to house. “The Nurse Navigator Program is a superb instance of our shared dedication to innovation coming to life,” Ikenna Okezie, MD, co-founder and CEO of Somatus, mentioned within the launch. “Collectively, we are going to proceed to supply exemplary high quality care and improved outcomes for all our sufferers.” Helio has extra.

Electrical faculty bus partnership

Reston headquartered Bechtel was chosen by Ohio-based First Pupil, a supplier of scholar transportation companies in North America, to help its electrification efforts. Bechtel will instantly begin designing and constructing charging stations for certainly one of First Pupil’s electrification initiatives within the U.S. The 2 corporations intend to accomplice on extra electrical automobile deployments sooner or later, with Bechtel offering engineering, procurement, and development companies, in response to College Bus Fleet. “Bechtel supplies electrical automobile charging infrastructure to fleet clients to allow them to give attention to their core enterprise, whether or not it’s safely shifting college students or delivering packages,” mentioned Catherine Hunt Ryan, President – Bechtel Manufacturing & Expertise, Govt Director – Bechtel Group. “Automobile fleet operators are instrumental within the electrical automobile transition. Bechtel will assist First Pupil advance their electrification objectives by being a one-stop accomplice by way of design and construct.”

Concerning the Fairfax County
Financial Growth Authority

The Fairfax County Financial Growth Authority (FCEDA) promotes Fairfax County, Virginia, as a enterprise and know-how heart. The FCEDA provides web site location and enterprise improvement help, and connections with county and state authorities companies, to assist corporations find and develop in Fairfax County.

Need to know extra in regards to the companies of the FCEDA, or how financial improvement helps Fairfax County? Go to the  FCEDA web site or e-mail  [email protected].

Fairfax County: “One of many nice financial success tales of our time” — TIME

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