HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA

U.K. aerospace and defense company Applied Atomics emerged from stealth in June and announced plans to establish a U.S. presence in Fairfax County, backed by more than $500 million in letters of intent and memoranda of understanding. The company said it has raised a $4 million oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Oxford Science Enterprises to build the Star Reacher Network, a mobility infrastructure for post-launch space operations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council hosted its 27th Annual Awards Gala at the CODE Building in Charlottesville on May 28 to recognize achievement across the full spectrum of the innovation economy. Among the honorees were Afton Scientific CEO Tom Thorpe, who won the CBIC Entrepreneur of the Year award for leading a $200 million expansion of the sterile injectable manufacturing firm. Afton Scientific was also the CBIC Employer of the Year. CBIC named Icarus Medical Innovations its Startup of the Year, recognizing its growth, including a $7 million Series A round. Icarus creates custom knee, ankle and leg braces based on 3D scans. (News release)

Arlington County startup Quartermaster AI raised $43 million in a Series A round, according to a mid-May announcement. Founded in 2023, it wants to make the world’s ships easier to spot and track. San Francisco-based venture capital firms First Round Capital and Quiet Capital led the round. The startup’s product, SmartMast, is a combination of cameras and radios installed on a ship’s mast that can lead to important data for shippers, militaries and insurance companies. More than 600 ships using SmartMast have sailed some 10 million square miles. (Washington Business Journal)

ScaleWolf, a Lithuanian venture capital firm, opened its first U.S. office in Alexandria, it announced in May. The firm is looking to invest in defense technology startups developing products for American and European interests. ScaleWolf co-founder and Managing Partner Dave Harden will oversee day-to-day operations of the roughly 5,000-square-foot office at 1 Wales Alley. Harden said the firm made a six-figure investment tied to renovations of the office, which will accommodate 10 employees by the end of the year. Founded in 2023, ScaleWolf has deployed roughly $23 million into 17 companies. (Washington Business Journal)

PEOPLE

Arlington County-based legal writing technology platform BriefCatch announced May 20 that Yoel Lavie is its new chief operating officer. Previously, he was general counsel for V, formerly known as Vidaa, a platform for smart TVs. He also has practiced law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, at Gornitzky & Co. and Epstein Rosenblum Maoz, where Lavie was a partner. Founded in 2017, BriefCatch is a legal writing platform that uses AI to improve clarity and persuasiveness in legal documents. As COO, Lavie will be tasked with helping the company scale operations. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Parry Labs, an Alexandria-based defense technology company that raised $80 million in 2024, named Don Claussen its CEO in late May. Founder and previous CEO John “JD” Parkes will become executive chairman. Claussen will be responsible for day-to-day operations across Parry’s five sites in Virginia, Alabama, Iowa, Maryland and Texas and organizational alignment. Claussen was most recently CEO
of ST Engineering iDirect, a global communications technology company based in Herndon. A U.S. Army veteran, he also held senior roles at L3Harris Technologies and Viasat. (Potomac Tech Wire; news release)