HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA: November 2025

Association Analytics, or A2, an Arlington County-based developer of a data analytics platform built to provide actionable insights for trade and professional associations, announced Sept. 25 that it had completed the sale of key assets to Theatre Capital, a New York-based holding company for software and recurring revenue technology companies, and Trajectory Capital Management, a New York-based technology fund. The newly created entity, A2Holdco, will own and operate A2. Earlier this year, previous owner Julie Sciullo left the company, according to A2. (News release)

Auterion, an Arlington County-based provider of software for military drone swarms, announced Sept. 23 that it had raised $130 million in a Series B funding round led by California-based Bessemer Venture Partners. The company states that the Series B funding will help scale production of its AuterionOS platform and Nemyx defense systems that enable autonomous drones to operate as coordinated swarms in combat. As part of this investment round, Bessemer Partner Alex Ferrara will join Auterion’s board. Other investors in the round include existing investors Lakestar, Mosaic Ventures and Costanoa Ventures. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Aventra, a Herndon-based defense technology startup, announced Oct. 1 its emergence from stealth mode with $3 million in seed funding led by Lavrock Ventures, an Arlington County-based venture capital fund focused on seed and Series A investments “at the intersection of software, data, cyber and national security.” Aventra was founded by former Army officers and defense tech entrepreneurs Michael Weigand, Brian Retherford and Jessup Meng. The funding will help Aventra to accelerate product development, expand testing operations and boost staffing for Aventra, which develops low-cost glide and guidance systems for long-range precision strikes. (News release)

Manassas-based aviation startup Electra.aero on Oct. 2 announced it is expanding its headquarters in Virginia as well as a location in Bleienbach, Switzerland. At Manassas Regional Airport, Electra is leasing a new 15,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot office space, expanding the company’s total footprint in Manassas to 57,000 square feet. This year, Electra has doubled its team from 40 employees to more than 80. The company says the expansion will house development and engineering teams. In Europe, Electra expanded its research and development center. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Hupside, a McLean-based tech company that develops tools for quantifying originality in thinking and identifying workforce talent primed to work with AI, announced Sept. 30 that it had closed a $1.7 million pre-seed round. The round was led by Ruxton Ventures and included participation from angel investors. Over the summer, Hupside unveiled Hupchecker, an assessment tool that helps companies identify AI-ready applicants. (News release)

On Oct. 7, HyperSpectral announced the close of a $7 million Series A-2 capital raise. The Alexandria-based company combines physics-based spectral data and advanced AI to perform tasks such as detecting pathogens and contaminants. The funding was led by New York-based RRE Ventures and Madrid-based Kibo Ventures. Avalanche Thinking, a Miami-based advisory and investment platform, is among HyperSpectral’s new investors. Vincent D. “Chuck” Mattera, CEO and chairman of Avalanche Thinking, has joined HyperSpectral as chairman. The funding positions the company for a Series B round in 2026. (News release)