Washington, D.C. continues to experience massive growth, and several tech companies made major announcements last week. Read on for the latest news. This is the Built In DC weekly refresh.
VC funding in D.C. continued to grow last quarter. So far this year, D.C. companies have brought in $4.3 billion from VC deals. That’s an increase of 150 percent from last year and investments were spread across 297 deals. [Built in DC]
Six D.C. tech companies achieved unicorn status this year. Before 2021, there were only two tech unicorns — companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more — in the area. This year D.C.’s funding has ramped up and six tech startups joined the exclusive club: Aledade, ID.me, FiscalNote, Morning Consult, Interos and Rebellion Defense. [Built In DC]
CACI International was awarded a contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory. During the 15-month, $4.9 million program, CACI will create a prototype that emits light over a broad range of wavelengths in the optical spectrum. This development will support improved optical sensors for a variety of military operations. [Business Wire]
SonderMind acquired Qntfy. With Qntfy’s expertise in behavioral analytics, Denver-based mental health SonderMind hopes to better identify patterns in patient behavior and give better treatment recommendations. The acquisition also means Qntfy’s founder Glen Coppersmith will join SonderMind’s executive team as chief data officer. [Built In DC]
Fluence Energy filed a $855.6M IPO. The energy storage company plans to sell 31 million shares of common stock ranging from $21 to $24. While Fluence has yet to set a date for its IPO, it hopes to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market and has applied to do so under the symbol “FLNC.” [Built In DC]