Seven small businesses complete the intensive two-year program

Congratulations to our 4th Hutch cohort! The future is bright for our 7 founders and we’re excited to see the mark they will make on government tech.

At our Dec. 2023 graduation, Hutch board member and VP of Digital Solutions, Julie Meloni told our graduates to focus on meaningful and lasting change in this journey.

“There are so many things to change, but there are so many things that are working in government. Remember that you’ve got to bring people along as you change.”

The 4th Hutch cohort is part of an alumni network of now more than a dozen companies building and growing successful digital services firms.

Mechanicode founder Emmanuel Apau (Class of ’23) has seen tremendous company growth in the two-year program.

“I’m a computer scientist, not a business owner. So when I joined Hutch I was a party of one. I saw this as an experiment. Can I start a business? Through the things that went on along the way and through my fellow Hutch members, all of that was a benefit to grow from a company of one to now a company of five.

Meet our 2023 Hutch cohort:

• BlackRose Cyber Solutions, founded by 21-year Army Cyber Warfare Veteran Hector Peralta, is a cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing. 
• Code360, Inc, founded by Makesh Pitchaipillai, is an 8(a) and HUBZone certified IT Services company providing software development and consulting services. Code360, Inc specializes in advanced Health IT, Cloud, Software Development, Business Intelligence, and Open Standards.
• greiBO solutions, founded by Phillip Stokes, helps its customers to understand its environment and how to secure their enterprise through data driven decisions. greiBO supports corporate capabilities and big data analytics through data management via Nifi, Hadoop, and more. Phillip Stokes, greiBO Solutions LLC
• Mechanicode, founded by a former USDS engineer Emmanuel Apau, is an agile SDB HUBZone MBE/DBE Digital services firm providing comprehensive DevSecOps, Cloud Native Engineering, IT Modernization & Automation, and Software Development consulting services.
• Pixel Creative Services, LLC, founded by Christina Alchus, is a EDWOSB certified design agency that provides custom professional designs, easy-to-use products, and helpful technology solutions for its DoD clients and partners. 
• Tall Glass Media, founded by Eric Murphy, is a full-service digital design studio that crafts thought-provoking and creative experiences through strategy, research, and world-class design. Tall Glass Media is dedicated to helping visionary organizations reach their communication goals and use design as a catalyst for social impact.
• Triton Technology, founded by Marvin Douglas, is a digital services company located in Baltimore delivering cloud, security, agile project management, and automation services to government healthcare agencies and private sector.

The Hutch journey

“These folks have been through the wringer for the last two years. It is no small feat to be a small business owner. And they have committed the past two years to being in our incubator program. They are growing their businesses and growing themselves as professional leaders,” said Stephanie Chin, Hutch Program Manager.

At Hutch, we believe increasing the number of minority and women-led companies in the digital services world is critical to building technology that better serves the public good. Most Hutch companies are engaged in contracting or subcontracting work before they even leave the program.

“It isn’t easy building a business. It’s scary and challenging and filled with ups and downs. I am so very proud of all our Hutch graduates,” said Fearless CEO Delali Dzirasa. “The federal marketplace is a $100B industry. It needs more leaders like our graduates. They bring unique experiences, perspectives, and skills to the table. It’s our honor to help our founders build their roadmap to scale their businesses for success.”

With 20+ companies currently in the Hutch cohort portfolio, Hutch has a goal to grow to 45 digital services firms by 2025.