Hutch, a government focused digital services incubator that provides minorities and women entrepreneurs with a blueprint for building successful and impactful government digital services firms announced today that a new cohort of seven founders will begin its intensive 24-month program with the goal of transforming the way government serves its people.

The following companies are included in the new cohort:

• BlackRose Cyber Solutions, LLC, founded by Hector Peralta, is a cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing.
• Code 360, Inc, led by President Makesh Pitchaipillai, is an IT services company that provides software development and consulting services in advanced health IT, cloud, software development, business intelligence and open standards and technologies.
• greiBO solutions LLC, founded by Phillip Stokes, is a professional services company specializing in data management, web and software development.
• Mechnicode, led by CTO 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, provides custom professional designs, easy-to-use products, and helpful technology for 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.
• Triton Technology, founded by Marvin Douglas, is a digital services company delivering cloud, security, agile project management, and automation services to the government healthcare agencies and private sector.

“I am proud to have been selected to join the Hutch program. We are all called to build technology that better serves the public good and I appreciate Hutch for creating a program that can help us meet this need in the market,” said Emmanuel Apau, CTO of Mechnicode and former employee of the United States Digital Service.

Hutch provides entrepreneurs with a foundation to secure government customers, and the specialization to scale their company and bring in more contracts. In December 2021, the second cohort graduated from Hutch’s program. Most were engaged in contracting or subcontracting work before they left the program. With this new cohort, the Hutch portfolio consists of 20 digital services companies.

“The Hutch program helped me and my business partner take our company to the next level,” said Colleen Godbout, Chief Operating Officer of Lucky Rabbit, a December 2021 graduate. “Most impactful for me were the discussions on establishing and growing company culture – defining our ‘why’ – as well as gaining the skills and understanding to strengthen our back office. Without these two key components, Lucky Rabbit would not be where it is today.”

“I believe in the message and mission of Hutch and love that we are increasing the representation of women-owned and minority-owned digital services companies,” said Victor Udoewa, Hutch board member and Chief Experience Officer and Service Design Lead, NASA SBIR/STTR. “Diversity isn’t just a marketing advantage; diversity actually affects the digital services we make and their outcomes. From the bias and racism in algorithms to the accessibility, inclusion, equity and environmentally-just outcomes our designs could possibly imagine, diverse digital services calls them forth, and speaks them into existence.”

This announcement was published independently of the United States Digital Service and NASA SBIR/STTR. This release does not constitute or imply an endorsement by United States Digital Service or NASA SBIR/STTR of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of United States Digital Service and NASA SBIR/STTR.