Cybersecurity firm Expel Inc. has announced a $1.4m investment to expand its operations in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The huge injection of cash will be used to increase the size of the company's Herndon headquarters and to create 164 new jobs in the company's engineering, customer experience, IT, marketing, and sales departments over the next three years.
News of the planned expansion was announced by the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, on Tuesday.
“Virginia has emerged as a national leader in cybersecurity and continues to be at the forefront of workforce development in this rapidly-evolving industry, thanks to companies like Expel, Inc.,” said Northam.
“We are thrilled to support this homegrown Northern Virginia business as they grow and expand and look forward to their ongoing success in Herndon.”
Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), voiced his support for the scheme.
“The security-focused industry cluster and the talent pool around it make Fairfax County and Northern Virginia a great location for Expel, and I am delighted that my office has had the opportunity to help the company expand its footprint in the Town of Herndon.
“We appreciate the company's vote of confidence in Herndon and Fairfax County and look forward to its continued growth here.”
The FCEDA and the Town of Herndon worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to secure the project for Virginia and will support the company’s job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP).
Expel's co-founder and CEO Dave Merkel described Fairfax County as a prime location in which to grow the business.
“There's a fantastic pool of tech talent located in Northern Virginia, and we have close proximity to strong education institutions and major tech companies,” said Merkel.
Expel offers round-the-clock cybersecurity monitoring, providing transparent managed security both on-premises and in the cloud. The company was founded by Dave Merkel, Yanek Korff, and Justin Bajko in a barn in Virginia in 2015.
The company currently has 171 employees and 14 strategic partners, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, CISCO, Crowdstrike, Palo Alto, and Carbon Black.