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Hot off the presses: Fairfax County is home to 116 companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Our total is 37 percent of the 315 companies on the list from the Washington region and more than double the number from any other Washington-area county or city. Eight of the Fairfax County companies were in the top 500, led by Tysons-based Urgent.ly, which provides on-demand roadside assistance via an app. Learn more in this FCEDA release and video.

They’ve bot in: BAE Systems, the U.S. arm of the international defense, aerospace and security giant, announced the opening of its new Robotic Operations Center (ROC) in Tysons. The company will use the facility, operated with robotic-process automation company UiPath, to customize and deploy software bots that automate high-volume, repetitive tasks for national security clients. The Potomac Tech Wire linked to a BAE release.

Capitalizing on M&A: Tysons-based Capital One announced it will acquire Tysons-based investment bank KippsDeSanto.  Washington Business Journal reported that while Capital One has grown significantly, it hasn’t had a mergers and acquisitions presence. The sale also will allow KippsDeSanto to scale up its presence as well, said Robert Kipps, the firm’s managing director and co-founder.

Threat assessment: Reston-based threat intelligence and security software company ThreatQuotient, Inc. raised almost $7.9 million in new funding — and it aims to double in size in the next year, according to CEO John Czupak. The new round was from existing, and early, investors, including Cisco Systems Inc. and Blu Venture Investors, according to Czupak, bringing the company’s total fundraising to $64.5 million. The Washington Business Journal has more on the company’s funding history.

Center of the universe: Loyal E-Bird readers know Tysons as a business hub and shopping mecca. Writing for Forbes, Jennifer Kester calls it something else: “hidden travel gem.” Sandwiched between the nation’s capital and the countryside, she says, Tysons is well-situated for a trip that dips between both areas so that you can sample the best that D.C. has to offer and explore Virginia wine country.

Aerial maneuver: Fairfax-based MAG Aerospace, which provides aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services, said it bought Time Saver Aviation, a provider of commercial aerial charter and aircraft maintenance services in North Carolina.  Time Saver will be responsible for maintaining MAG’s fixed-wing aircraft. The Potomac Tech Wire flew with this release.

Higher frequency: Centreville-based engineering company Parsons sees an increasing focus on the federal market as a key part of its growth strategy. Carten Cordell of the Washington Business Journal wrote that last month the company purchased Fredericksburg, Va.-based radio frequency hardware company QRC Technologies for $215 million. Parsons also purchased Chantilly-based government technology contractors OGSystems in January and Polaris Alpha in May 2018.

 

A full account: Herndon-based Deltek, a software and services provider, will acquire construction-accounting software company ComputerEase. According to DC Inno, more than 6,000 North America contractors use ComputerEase’s platforms to streamline job costing, construction accounting, project management, field management and payroll. The press release states that the transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019.

Expanding the possible: Reston-based cloud-services company 1901 Group will add 225 new jobs to Fairfax County during the next three years as it also expands an operations center in Blacksburg. Virginia Business has more on a groundbreaking ceremony that happened in Blacksburg earlier in the month.

Increasing their defenses: Reston-based Converged Security Solutions (CSS) made an acquisition to add more cyber defense services for government and commercial entities, less than a year after it was created. Washington Technology writes that CSS purchased Centreville-based Maverick Cyber-Defense, a provider of risk and vulnerability assessments, cyber operations and security programs.

Picture-perfect health: Reston-based Leidos completed its purchase of IMX Medical Management Services, a consulting firm that offers medical evaluation, case management and record-review services to state and local government agencies. Yahoo Finance has more.

Acquiring intelligence: ManTech International completed the acquisition of H2M Group, a leading provider of intelligence analysis services primarily to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, says a release picked up by citybizlist. H2M becomes part of ManTech’s Mission, Cyber & Intelligence Solutions Group and brings the company to 180 new employees.

This just cropped up: The Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology  recently announced it invested in Charlottesville, Va.-based Babylon Micro-Farms, developer of an on-demand indoor farming service. According to a release picked up by the Potomac Tech Wire. 2-year-old Babylon aims to make sustainable indoor farming more accessible, and plans to use the investment to scale up its operations with new hires in product development, sales and marketing.

Rooms with a view: Tysons Reporter has new details about the boutique hotel planned for the upcoming Scotts Run development. Archer Hotel recently released more information about the hotel’s design and offerings. Situated adjacent to the McLean Metro Station, the seven-story, 178-room hotel will feature a Charlie Palmer restaurant and a rooftop event space.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

• Amyx won a pair of fixed-price contracts worth $104.7 million combined over nearly five years to support procurement and program management functions at the Defense Health Agency. GovConWire
• BAE Systems secured a follow-on contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to create machine-learning tools for U.S. military personnel to gain space situational awareness. GovConWire

Featured business events

• August 27 — NAIOP networking event. The event will include updates on Fairfax County, including development in Tysons around Capital One and the McLean Metro Station. Featuring Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the FCEDA. Click here.
• September 10 — Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County. Presented by the FCEDA with its partners the Community Business Partnership, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, and the Fairfax County government. Click here.
• September 11 — Intro to Selling to the Commonwealth—A Vendor’s Perspective. Part of the Business Education Series presented by the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce. Click here.