More startups to watch
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Basket Basket’s smart-shopping app allows consumers to price-compare groceries and everyday goods across multiple local stores. Its founder, Neil Kataria, previously created NewBrand (acquired by Sprinklr last year), a software platform that turns customer comments from social-media sites into business intelligence. Founded in 2010 by lawyer-entrepreneur Tiffany Hosey Brown, the Ballston LaunchPad Challenge winner uses technology to make construction projects more efficient. Its cloud-based CTBIM software tracks inventory, subcontractor activity and costs in real time, allowing key decision makers to stay on top of what’s happening on the job site. ctbim.com
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Brazen Brazen’s chat-based B2B engagement software is used by clients ranging from Raytheon and Deloitte to major university alumni associations. The Courthouse-based company, founded in 2010 by angel investor Edward Barrientos, raised $4.7 million in new venture funding last year. www.brazen.com Founded in 1999, the Ballston company helps customers find and select the right software for their businesses. Capterra was recently acquired by the Connecticut-based IT consultancy Gartner for an undisclosed sum, but says it plans to stay in Arlington. The Arlington startup co-founded by former Vocus execs You Mon Tsang and Mark Heys uses data to improve customer engagement for subscription-based business models. Tsang’s startup track record also includes the business intelligence firm Brio Technology, which was ultimately acquired by Oracle. Churnzero.net
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The company that began in a Falls Church attic in 2002 now boasts clients ranging from Johnson & Johnson to the USDA. Founded by John and Daniel Saaty, the Ballston firm uses cloud-based software analytics for capital planning and budget optimization. Decisionlens.com DivvyCloud DivvyCloud’s cloud-management platform allows corporate IT pros to track and control both onsite and off-premise computer systems through a centralized dashboard. Founded in 2013, the Rosslyn-based startup recently became a technology partner with Amazon Web Services. Divvycloud.com Endgame
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Launched in 2008, the Clarendon-based cybersecurity company has raised $99 million in equity funding in recent years. In March, it was named to the JMP Securities “Fast 50” list of hottest privately held security and networking companies. Enterprise Knowledge The Clarendon consulting firm headed by Zach Wahl specializes in information management and application development consulting for clients ranging from Sodexo to the World Bank. enterprise-knowledge.com The education software company isn’t exactly new (it’s been around since 1974) but its scope is significant. Hobsons products are used by some 12,000 institutions in 105 countries, reaching 13.5 million students. That includes the public school systems in Arlington, Fairfax and D.C., as well as Northern Virginia Community College and GMU. Hobsons is headquartered in Ohio, but its largest office is in Clarendon, with 270 employees. www.hobsons.com Hunch Analytics Co-founded by Aneesh Chopra, the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer (appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009), Hunch harnesses big data to help people make better health care and education decisions. Its offices are in Rosslyn. Hunchanalytics.com |
Kitewire
The Ballston-based company founded by CEO Jere Simpson (currently ranked #4570 on the Inc. 5000 and #21 on the Virginia Chamber of Commerce “Fantastic 50”) has been developing mobile device management software for clients ranging from Samsung to the Oval Office since 2007. MomentSnap MomentSnap’s employee engagement programs reward retail, hospitality and restaurant employees for excellence based on positive online customer feedback. With offices in Virginia Square, the startup was launched by co-founders Kam Desai and Ashish Gambhir in 2015. Netpure Kitewire founder Jere Simpson’s latest venture, Netpure—which he launched earlier this year with fellow Arlington dad and D A Labs president Jared Agnew—allows parents to create a safe and secure home Wi-Fi network for kids via a simple device that plugs into the router. Notarize Launched at the start of 2016 by Pat Kinsel and Adam Pase, Notarize is the first on-demand remote, electronic notary public service valid in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The company has raised more than $10 million in equity funding and is housed in the 1776 tech incubator in Crystal City. notarize.com Opower Founded in 2007 by Daniel Yates and Alex Laskey, the Courthouse-based power player has transformed the way utilities engage with their customers by tracking individual energy usage and offering ways to conserve energy and money. Its software has been deployed to more than 95 utility partners worldwide and reaches more than 60 million households and businesses. Opower went public in 2014 and was bought by Oracle in June for $532 million. In 2015, it was included on Fortune’s “Change the World” list of 50 companies that have had a major impact on social or environmental problems. PerformYard The Rosslyn startup, launched in 2013 by Ben Hastings and Jon Malpass, makes employee progress reports automated, ongoing, transparent and reciprocal—so workers don’t have to wait for the dreaded annual performance review for feedback. performyard.com Phacil Founded in 2001, Phacil is enjoying its fourth year on the Virginia Chamber of Commerce “Fantastic 50” list of the fastest growing companies in the state. Headquartered in Ballston, Phacil has more than 900 employees nationwide and provides IT solutions to the federal government. Phone2Action Phone2Action’s civic engagement software helps organizations build grassroots support for their causes with tools that make it easier for people to contact their elected officials. Co-founded in 2012 by Ximena Hartstock, the company recently raised $4.7 million in funding and moved its offices from D.C. to Rosslyn, where it expects to create more than 100 new tech jobs. Privia Health In 2014, the Ballston-based health care technology firm received $400 million in expansion funding from an investor group led by a Goldman Sachs affiliate. Last year, The New York Times named it among “50 Companies That May Be the Next Start-up Unicorns” (meaning startups valued at $1 billion or more by their investors). priviahealth.com Shift Technologies Shift uses big data to create a peer-to-peer online marketplace for used-car buying and selling. The company was founded in 2014 and has raised nearly $74 million in funding. Its recently opened East Coast office, housed in the 1776 tech incubator space in Crystal City, is expected to create 100 local jobs. Snagajob Snagajob’s online recruiting technology matches hourly workers with hourly employers such as 7-Eleven, FedEx, Wendy’s and Home Depot. Founded by CEO Shawn Boyer in 2000, the company opened its Ballston office in 2015. It now claims more than 70 million registered users and recently acquired PeopleMatter, an HR software business. snagajob.com The cybersecurity company in Virginia Square has raised $22 million in equity funding since its founding in 2011. Its clients include Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. threatconnect.com |
Tamara Lytle lives in Northern Virginia, where she relies on her husband and 10-year-old twins for tech support. She wrote about Arlington’s office vacancy problems for the May/June 2016 issue.