Latest news with #Tysons-based
Axios
01-08-2025
- Business
- Axios
DMV employers jump on pet benefits trend for fur baby parents
Washington companies are jumping on the "fur baby" trend and providing pet bennies to their employees. The big picture: As people continue to delay having children, more owners are considering their fuzzy offspring part of the fam. 94 million American households have a pet, per the American Pet Products Association, and they'll spend a projected $41.4 billion this year on vet care and pet products. State of play: Tysons-based Hilton offers pet insurance and, starting next month, employees will be able to access pet services through its concierge partnership with Wellthy, a spokesperson tells Axios. Think: help finding groomers, vets, boarding spots or doggie-friendly housing. Or, assistance setting up recurring food or prescription deliveries, or with understanding pet insurance claims. Companies with local footprints like Adobe, Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Hancock, Lyft and Workday partner with pet care group Airvet for free 24/7 virtual vet help and discounts on pet insurance, wellness plans, and backup care via resources like Rover, an Airvet spokesperson says. And at Google, workers can bring their furry pals (aka Dooglers) to the office and get discounts on pet insurance through the group Perks at Work, a spokesperson tells Axios. The intrigue: The number of D.C.-area clients Airvet works with jumped 267% between 2023 and 2024, per the spokesperson. What they're saying: Finding a company where pets are supported as part of an employee's family can be a deciding factor for some when choosing a gig, Airvet CEO Brandon Werber says. Many of Airvets' clients say their pet benefits are the highest used and fastest growing option they offer outside of regular health insurance, Werber tells Axios. While offering these types of benefits is a good way for companies to attract and retain the Gen Z and Millennial fur baby parents, says Werber, the appeal has been far more wide reaching than they expected. By the numbers: 32% of fur parents said having pet benefits would incentivize them to stay at their job, or to look for another that offers them, according to a 2021 survey led by Nationwide.
Technical.ly
05-06-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Virginia Tech hones in on advanced computing with new institute
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at dc@ Higher education and government contracting continue to prove their dominance in the DMV through new programs, acquisitions and hires. Following its opening of a new $1 billion campus in Alexandria, Virginia Tech is launching a new advanced computing program in the region. On the private side, government IT contractor Tyto Athene acquired its fourth company in less than a year and a half. On the other side of the district, a startup founder is working with the State of Maryland to improve police training. Keep reading to get the details on those and more regional power moves. Virginia Tech to open new advanced computing institute The university's new academic and research program will be housed at its recently opened campus in Alexandria. Dubbed the Institute for Advanced Computing, the center will cater to graduate students working in artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing. Computer science professor Kirk Cameron has been named the institute's interim director. 'As Virginia's land-grant research university, we are connecting the world's best talent and partners to the commonwealth and bridging the gaps between academia, industry, and government in the greater DC area,' Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a press release. Virginia Tech opened this new location in Alexandria this February. The university houses its colleges of business and engineering at the new campus while its main one remains in Blacksburg. Tyto Athene lands another acquisition After the Reston government contractor acquired three companies in 2024, Tyto Athene purchased yet another tech firm to boost its capabilities and expand its customer base. Tyto Athene acquired stackArmor, a Tysons-based cloud and cyber compliance company providing services to federal agencies. 'By combining the capabilities of Tyto and stackArmor, we're able to deliver secure and cost-efficient digital infrastructure that accelerates the mission of our government and defense customers through automation,' said Gaurav Pal, principal of stackArmor. StackArmor is also a part of the US AI Safety Institute Consortium out of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is still in operation even though President Donald Trump rescinded former President Joe Biden's AI executive order. Startup founder to serve on Maryland police committee Colin Fraser, founder of the cannabis delivery app Upling and a DC Startup and Tech Week organizer, will serve on the Maryland Police Training and Standards Committee after being appointed by Gov. Wes Moore. A returning citizen, Fraser will focus on training for police that reduces harm, he wrote on LinkedIn. 'As someone who has experienced both sides of the criminal justice system, I bring a unique perspective to police training and standards that I believe is essential for building trust and creating positive change,' Fraser wrote. More leadership moves Investment firm and incubator Red Cell Partners tapped John C. Aquilino, a retired admiral, to be an advisor for its national security vertical. Carr Properties landed approval to redevelop an office building on Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon into residential housing. Rhizome, which developed AI tools to identify vulnerabilities in energy grids caused by weather, is moving to San Francisco from DC, the Washington Business Journal reported. The startup recently raised a $6.5 million seed round. NobleReach, an organization aiming to bridge the public and private sectors to boost technological prowess in the US, appointed two members to its board: Ralph Semmel, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's director; and Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO at the National Geographic Society. Falls Church government contractor GDIT launched an AI tool that detects fraudulent payments, including healthcare claims and benefits. Blink Charging in Bowie is laying off 20% of its workforce as its revenue continues to drop, as additionally reported by the Washington Business Journal. The electric vehicle charging manufacturer relocated from Miami in 2024. IT services company Navteca in Chevy Chase hired Hector Collazo as its new president. ShorePoint, a cybersecurity company based in Herndon, appointed Kevin Cox as its new executive director of cyber operations modernization. Cvent, a hospitality and event technology platform, acquired the spatial event design technology Prismm. Core4ce, a data-focused IT company in Arlington, tapped Rick Hubbard to be the firm's chief data scientist. Global satellite communications company Iridium hired Rohit Braggs as its vice president of position, navigation and timing. Maryland's venture arm TEDCO tapped six new executive officers for its board of directors, including people hailing from the higher education sector and private companies. AI adoption firm Meibel is opening a 3,000-square-foot office in Tysons, also reported by the Washington Business Journal. Local business award grantor Moxie announced its 2025 finalists, including investment firms like K Street Capital and several government contractors.
Technical.ly
16-04-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Ex-Commerce Department advisor lands at Virginia tech nonprofit
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at dc@ The DC region saw plenty of new hires and acquisitions over the past month, along with layoffs and leadership departures. NobleReach announced its new chief innovation officer, while local DC data science startup Prefect cut a third of its workforce. The company joins several government contractors that continue to lay off workers due to federal government shake-ups. Keep reading to get the details on those and more regional power moves. Before then, check out some recent data on the most desirable skills for DMV tech positions, including how many job postings request each skill and how much those hired make. NobleReach taps new CIO Sree Ramaswamy comes to the Tysons-based organization from the federal government, where he served as the senior advisor to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo between 2021 and 2024. NobleReach focuses on bridging the public and private sectors to boost technological prowess in the US. Ramaswamy will lead the nonprofit's Science to Venture program, which a press release said links universities, local institutions and federal entities like DARPA and the National Science Foundation to drive innovation at the local level. 'NobleReach's mission to deepen America's talent and innovation ecosystem to strengthen our national and economic security is a natural corollary to my work in and out of government on emerging technology and industrial policy,' Ramaswamy said. 'We are at a unique moment of enormous challenge and opportunity, and it's critical that the private and public sectors align to maximize the competitive utility of our research capabilities.' Before his time in the Department of Commerce, he worked at McKinsey & Company's DC office and economic research nonprofit arm McKinsey Global Institute. Data science startup cuts staff Prefect founder and CEO Jeremiah Lowin announced in a blog post that he laid off 20 of his workers at the end of March. The startup would've been forced to find new capital in late 2026 if that staff stayed, he explained online. He instead decided to focus on being profitable and funded through customer revenue. 'A startup can do extraordinary things when it doesn't operate under the shadow of its next fundraise,' Lowin wrote. 'Our decisions can now flow purely from what creates value for our customers, not from what extends our timeline.' More leadership moves: Loudoun County's sole Cracker Barrel restaurant may be replaced with a data center campus, the Washington Business Journal reported. The land parcel of 93 acres in Sterling also includes old office buildings and parking lots. President Donald Trump established a group, dubbed the 'DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,' to double down on immigration enforcement and more strictly monitor crime. Neither Mayor Muriel Bowser nor any other DC leaders sit on the task force. CloudBolt Software in Rockville acquired the Arlington machine learning company StormForge. Global investment company Techstars restarted its programming in DC with a newly announced healthtech accelerator. Arlington-based restaurant management and bill payment platform MarginEdge hired Emma Whelan as the company's new chief financial officer. USAID contractors are laying off hundreds of staffers in the region, according to the Washington Business Journal. For instance, global development firm Chemonics International is planning on laying off 500 workers by the end of May. The regional economic growth-focused Greater Washington Partnership brought on new members to its board of directors: Ellen M. Granberg, the president of George Washington University; Patrick Ryan, managing partner for the DC region at KPMG; and Rob Sharps, chair, president and CEO of T. Rowe Price. Energy management technology firm GridPoint appointed Derek Booth as its new CEO. He previously worked as the company's chief operating officer. CEO Kim Russo of George Washington University Hospital left her role days before a new hospital she led in developing was set to open, the Washington Post reported. She's now in the C-suite at OSF HealthCare, which is headquartered in Illinois. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's commerce secretary resigned after shake-ups in the state government, the Post also reported. The Republican governor tried to transfer Secretary Caren Merrick elsewhere in the cabinet to promote her deputy and healthtech startup founder Juan Pablo Segura.
