A thriving tech ecosystem sees runaway success in Virginia.
What makes Virginia ideal for cybersecurity and AI? Density and concentration of cybersecurity talent and infrastructure certainly helps — as does continued investment and cultivation of AI innovation in the state.
“Virginia will always win with our talent here,” says Meghan Welch, Vice President, Knowledge Work, at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. “We’ve invested over $1 billion in our tech talent pipeline to meet current and future tech needs through Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program, coupled with this unique cybersecurity ecosystem that is intentionally designed to support companies of all sizes and all growth stages. So, whether those are companies focused on federal contracts or commercial cyber activities, we have a dynamic environment that pairs businesses together with our academic partners for collaborative research projects.”
The Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP) is a $1.1 billion public investment in the Commonwealth’s tech talent pipeline. Participating institutions have committed to increasing the number of bachelor’s and master’s graduates in Computer Science and related fields by at least 30,000 over 20 years.
Launched in 2019, TTIP provides capital, equipment, and operating expense support, including major investments in Virginia Tech’s and George Mason University’s Northern Virginia campuses. As a performance-based funding program, institutions’ operating expense awards are contingent upon meeting degree targets. Collectively, institutions are far exceeding these goals — producing 3,924 new bachelor’s degrees and 2,174 new master’s degrees to date, nearly 2,500 degrees above targets.
“Collectively, TTIP programs are far exceeding their overall targets, with bachelor’s degree programs more than doubling their goal to date,” says Welch. “This success illustrates Virginia’s leadership in developing talent aligned with industry needs.”
Statewide, Virginia school districts are also embedding AI literacy and learning standards for AI technology by adopting new computer science core competencies in classrooms.
Securing Tech Readiness
The academic ecosystem in Virginia is just one asset for tech companies. The state consistently ranks highly in tech and cybersecurity workforce readiness, earning the nickname the “Future State” in 2025 by Business Traveller. And it’s a top destination in the U.S. for venture capital investment.
“Arlington County has a global security tech launchpad, which is a three-day immersion program for companies to connect directly with Arlington’s national security, cybersecurity and innovation ecosystem,” says Welch about one of the local resources available to security professionals and companies. “It’s application-based, open to both international and domestic companies, as long as they’re outside of the D.C. area.”
Big projects continue to choose Virginia. Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington County, which opened in 2023, was unique in its heavy investment in talent and local infrastructure that favored a design strengthening quality of life such as reducing impacts on existing commute patterns. In late 2025, Fairfax County-based GDIT was awarded a $285 million contract from the state to strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure. Google, in addition to committing to a staggering $9 billion investment in AI and cloud projects in the Commonwealth, has also partnered with Virginia to offer free AI certifications, open to any Virginia resident. And in Fairfax and Prince William County school districts, OpenAI’s “ChatGPT for Teachers” is being piloting in classrooms.
Homegrown Cyber
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership works with partner agency the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) to promote homegrown cyber and invest in the future of cybersecurity and AI locally. VIPC facilitates projects with commercial companies, research universities and other stakeholders to build entrepreneur ecosystems and invest in qualified startups and early-stage companies. In 2025 alone, VIPC invested in AI-focused tech startups Cerbrec, Rising Tide, NOVI Space, Tiga AI and Spectrohm.
“Virginia will always win with our talent here. We’ve invested over $1 billion in our tech talent pipeline to meet current and future tech needs.”
— Meghan Welch, Vice President, Knowledge Work, Virginia Economic Development Partnership
The Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) also provides tailored services to several companies operating in AI and technology spaces, providing a cash reimbursement to support new hires and recruitment as well as services allowing companies to tap into Virginia’s deep talent pool. The Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund (COF) has deal-closing incentive funding that can be used to offset construction and buildout of qualifying new or expanding projects in Virginia. Together, public incentive options pair well with the thriving private sector: Virginia-based companies have raised record-making amounts in VC funding.
“One of the really interesting trends that we’ve seen recently in cybersecurity and AI is an influx in venture capital investment in these companies in Virginia,” says Welch. “Virginia was just ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. for venture capital investment. This is our highest ranking in over 15 years. We have companies like Zephyr AI that closed a $111 million investment; Antithesis, which closed $105 million in Series A funding for AI infrastructure testing; and then in Alexandria, Spector Ops just raised $75 million. We’re seeing continued interest and investment in Virginia AI companies.”
Looking to the Future
Innovative partnerships forming in Virginia’s AI scene include BigBear.ai, a publicly traded tech contractor based in McLean specializing in mission-ready AI for national security, enterprise operations, autonomous systems and cybersecurity. It is also the first AI firm to secure naming rights of an NFL team’s training facility, doing so with the Washington Commanders’ 162-acre facility in Ashburn (now coined the “BigBear.ai Performance Center”), and has become the official sponsor of the New England Patriots. The company’s biometric technology, which enables facial recognition scans in travel screenings, can be found in Chicago O’Hare Airport and Nashville International Airport.
With close proximity to Washington, D.C., and all major government departments and federal entities, Virginia is also a natural hotbed for technological innovation in national security applications. Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA), founded in the early 1970s, is a global provider of military electronics, flight control systems and radar in addition to mission-critical AI solutions and data-driven insights for national security programs.
In September 2025, SPA announced a $46.9 million expansion of its global HQ in Alexandria, including the renovation of a newly acquired 239,000-sq.-ft. office building, and an existing Fairfax County location.
“We are thrilled to deepen our roots in Alexandria and Fairfax County, two vibrant communities that have supported our growth for more than 50 years,” said SPA CEO Rich Sawchak. “This expansion reflects our commitment to providing exceptional data-driven analytical insights to our clients while fostering innovation within our own organization.”
This Investment Profile has been prepared under the auspices of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. For more information, visit www.vedp.org.
