• Industry Overview

    • Made in Virginia

    In Virginia, software companies intersect with health care, government and defense, and banking and financial services companies, creating opportunities for innovative integration and partnerships. With abundant and inexpensive “hard” infrastructure (e.g. broadband, fiber, and electricity) and a skilled and educated talent pool, Virginia offers the tools to enable companies to make their next leap forward.

    Virginia is home to a dynamic roster of software companies, including:

    Appian is proud to be based in Northern Virginia. In our journey from start-up to IPO, we’ve found everything we needed in the region.

    Matt Calkins Founder & CEO, Appian
    Virginia Tech Data Science

    Virginia Tech

    Historic $1.1B Investment in Tech Talent

    The Tech Talent Investment Program is a $1.1 billion investment in computer science education that will transform Virginia’s tech talent pipeline for the next two decades.

    The addition of more than 32,000 graduates in computer science and related fields over the next two decades (in excess of current levels) will ensure a steady stream of qualified Virginians are prepared to fill the jobs of the future.

    This investment will also strengthen the K-12 pipeline enabling the Commonwealth to provide ongoing professional development to current and future teachers; create, curate, and disseminate high-quality curriculum and resources; support summer and after-school programming for students; and facilitate meaningful career exposure and work-based learning opportunities in high demand fields.

    Tech Talent Investment Program

    TTIP

    1901 Group Expands Corporate Footprint with Third Virginia Location

    The success of the company’s business model, ranging from urban Northern Virginia to the New River Valley and rural Southwest Virginia, demonstrates the assets, infrastructure, and talent that can be found across the Commonwealth’s diverse regions.

    Read the Case Study

    Virginia is a Global and Diverse Talent Hub

    Between 2010 and 2018, Northern Virginia saw the U.S.’s 7th-largest growth in international population. Women and African Americans are more likely to work in tech in NOVA than in Silicon Valley, and UVA’s computer science department now ranks as the 6th most gender-diverse undergraduate CS programs in the country by the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2019. In fall 2018, women made up 29.5% of the students in its undergraduate computer science program.

    Virginia has a robust talent pool of software developers with a leading location quotient for this job category, demonstrating a significant concentration in this occupation compared to the rest of the nation

    Close

    Higher Education & Training

    Virginia’s colleges and universities are working to meet the increasing demand for tech talent. Fifty-seven of Virginia educational institutions offer CS degrees. In Virginia, over 2,900 traditional computer and information sciences degrees were awarded during the 2018-19 academic year (IPEDS). 

    In addition, there are more computer science graduates annually (6,300) in the D.C./Northern Virginia MSA than any other metropolitan area in the country.

    Read More

    George Mason

    George Mason University

    Close

    The Commonwealth is home to renowned universities that offer an unrivaled set of innovation partnerships. These include the University of Virginia, the nation’s 4th-ranked and one of the country’s oldest public universities; Virginia Tech, one of the premier science and technical universities; and George Mason University, home to one of the largest CS departments in the U.S.  

    Four Virginia universities have the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s R1 (Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity) designation: George Mason, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech.

    Companies will find talent throughout all of Virginia. The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, is home to the first undergraduate software engineering program in Virginia and has proven to be a feeder program to software development companies in Southwest Virginia, including CGI.

    A number of programs in Virginia foster collaboration between academia and industry:

    • UVA's Computer Science Industrial Advisory Board includes local and regional companies that hire undergraduates. Companies also present possible curriculum revisions.
    • George Mason University’s Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program ensures students have the financial resources needed to complete their studies in specific fields like computing and computer science, laser optics, and engineering.
    • Northern Virginia Community College is partnering with Columbus State University and Amazon Web Services to develop a cutting-edge cloud computing curriculum.
    • Virginia's first registered cybersecurity apprenticeship was established by building a partnership between Tidewater Community College and Yorktown-based Peregrine Technical Solutions, LLC.
    • The Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI), formed by George Mason University and Prince William County, provides a new gateway to simulation, modeling and game design, applied research, and company formation, to help foster entrepreneurship within the industry.
    • The Captial CoLAB (Collaborative of Leaders in Academia and Business) is an action-oriented partnership that brings together the leaders of the region’s top academic institutions and businesses to develop and execute initiatives that support the vision of the Capital Region, spanning Baltimore to Richmond, as a leading global hub for innovation.

     

    Naval Station Norfolk

    Naval Station Norfolk

    Virginia's Veterans

    Virginia’s large military presence provides an ongoing source of talent from exiting members entering the civilian workforce. Virginia has the fourth largest population of working age veterans in the country according to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019.

    Easing the Transition

    Launched in 2013, Northern Virginia Technology Council's Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) accelerates veteran transitions to civilian life by providing better employment opportunities within Virginia’s technology community. 

    Providing Apprenticeships

    In 2017, Northern Virginia Community College and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced an innovative apprenticeship program designed to train veterans in Northern Virginia on highly technical industry certifications that are in demand by the technology sector.

    Hiring Skilled Veterans

    The Virginia Values Veterans Program is a free training and certification program for employers to help implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly skilled and dependable veterans. 

    Investing in K-12 STEM

    Virginia also encourages STEM and computer programming skills development at the K-12 level. Examples include:

    • The Commonwealth was the first state in the nation to adopt CS standards across the K-12 continuum, having integrated these disciplines into Standards of Learning (SOLs) in 2016.
    • Nonprofit CodeVA partnering with schools, parents, and communities to bring equitable computer science education to all of Virginia's students.
    • CodeRVA Regional High School, an innovative public high school preparing students for college and careers in computer science.
    • Virginia is the 11th-ranked state in the country for the number of 11th and 12th graders who are taking an AP Course (College Board, 2018).
    • 2019 U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best High Schools" naming 278 out of 323 Virginia High Schools among the top 75% of nationally ranked high schools. Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is ranked as the No.4 Best High School
    • Capital One Coders Middle School Initiative, a partnership between Capital One and targeted Fairfax County schools, where 90 students attend an introductory software development course after school and receive a free laptop for their personal use upon completion of the program.
    • NOVA SySTEMic, a college-sponsored initiative with dedicated staff that provides STEM outreach efforts in schools throughout the Northern Virginia region, including STEM Awareness Days, Summer Technology Camps, and VEX Robotics Competitions.

     

    Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

    Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

    CodeRVA

    CodeRVA

    Arlington Elementary Schools

    Arlington Elementary Schools

    Raging Wire

    Raging Wire, Loudoun County

    A Robust Technology Infrastructure

    Virginia offers a robust technology infrastructure, with the largest data center market in the U.S. concentrated in Northern Virginia. As a result, the region boasts the highest density of dark fiber in the world.

    In addition to Northern Virginia, advanced levels of connectivity are seen throughout Virginia. Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation owns and operates 1,900 miles of open-access fiber optic network in 31 counties in Southern Virginia, and operates long-haul fiber network for optical transport to key peering hubs on the East Coast. Virginia Beach is now the landing point for four new transoceanic fiber cable connection points – the first in the Mid-Atlantic. 

    Demonstrating a particular strength in the federal sector, Virginia houses a large ecosystem of technology integration and development companies. Forty-one of the Washington Technology Top 100 federal contracting companies are headquartered in Virginia, including five of the top 10.

    America's Top State For Business

    Consistently ranked as one of the top states for business in the U.S., Virginia is a leader in information technology. Virginia offers a low cost of doing business, an acclaimed business environment, a highly educated workforce, and opportunities for sustainable operations.  

    Virginia 1 top state for business
    Virginia ranks 2nd highest in share of tech companies
    Virginia is a top state for stem concentration
    Accenture

    Accenture, Arlington

    Virginia Offers a Welcoming Business Climate for Software Companies

    • 2019 electricity rates are below the U.S. average at 6.24 cents per kilowatt hour vs. 7.01 cents nationally.
    • Access to renewable energy resources is increasing, including Dominion’s solar capacity growing over 630% since 2015 with nearly 895 MW in operation or under development.
    • 2019 unemployment insurance taxes are the 5th-lowest in the nation and 43% lower than the national average.
    • Average workers' compensation costs are among the nation’s lowest.
    • Building costs range from 7% to 19% below the national average, depending on the region.
    • Annual tech industry wages are 29% below California, 18% below Washington, and 17% below Massachusetts, according to Cyberstates 2019.