COLSA Corporation
COLSA Corporation is a privately held Huntsville, Alabama–based federal contractor founded in 1980, delivering systems engineering, software, cybersecurity, AI/data science, SETA, and now commercial NDAA-compliant drones to DoD, NASA, and other U.S. federal agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersHuntsville, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What COLSA Corporation does
COLSA Corporation is a privately held U.S. federal contractor founded in 1980 by Francisco J. Collazo and headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, with eight additional offices co-located near major U.S. military and civilian installations. The company delivers professional and technical services — including acquisition and program management, systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA), software development, cybersecurity and information warfare, data science, and test and evaluation — to the Department of Defense (Army, Air Force, Navy, Space Force, USSOCOM, MDA, DEVCOM), NASA, NOAA, HHS, and other federal agencies. Its primary revenue stream is federal contract work executed through vehicles such as OASIS/OSIG, the DoD JAIC AI T&E BPA, HHS IAAI, NOAA ProTech, and MDA TEAMS, with pricing negotiated on a quote/basis-of-award basis per task order.
The company's core technology assets include a CMMI-DEV Maturity Level 3–appraised Software Factory operating the proprietary FAST-SM Agile methodology, and the Data Analysis & Computational Sciences (DACS) Lab, which develops NLP, computer vision, multi-source fusion, and edge-AI capabilities for defense and intelligence customers. In 2025 COLSA extended beyond pure services with the launch of two NDAA-compliant commercial uncrewed aerial systems — the Talon (heavy-lift, 60-minute endurance) and Crest (ISR, 50-minute endurance) — manufactured in Huntsville with proprietary 3D printing and CNC capabilities and integrated with ATAK for tactical operations. The company holds ISO 9001 (25+ years), ISO/IEC 27001, AS9100, CMMC Level 2, and CMMI-DEV Level 3 certifications, supporting eligibility for sensitive federal workloads. COLSA operates a vertically segmented go-to-market targeting defense and federal civilian program offices via direct sales, contract vehicles, and industry events, with all revenue concentrated in U.S. federal customers.
COLSA Corporation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- COLSA Corporation
- Legal name
- COLSA Corporation
- Website
- https://colsa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- COLSA Corporation is a privately held Huntsville, Alabama–based federal contractor founded in 1980, delivering systems engineering, software, cybersecurity, AI/data science, SETA, and now commercial NDAA-compliant drones to DoD, NASA, and other U.S. federal agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
COLSA Corporation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Defense Contracting Services
- NAICS
- International Affairs (92812), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones (IMABAIAA)
Keywords
Where COLSA Corporation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Huntsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
COLSA Corporation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Federal Government Contracting: COLSA generates revenue primarily through federal government contracts including IDIQ contracts, BPAs, and task order awards. Services include program management, systems engineering, software development, cybersecurity, and technical support across DoD, Space Force, Army, Air Force, and civilian agencies.
- AI Test and Evaluation Services: DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) AI T&E Blanket Purchase Agreement for 5 years, providing test and evaluation services for AI capabilities developed and acquired for DoD operations.
- Commercial Drone Sales: Sale of commercial uncrewed aerial systems (drones) including Talon and Crest platforms, along with maintenance, support, and training services. Full lifecycle development from consultation to delivery.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
COLSA Corporation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
COLSA Corporation is a privately held federal defense contractor providing systems engineering, software development, cyber and information warfare, uncrewed systems, data science/AI, and acquisition and program management services to the U.S. Department of Defense, Space Force, Army, Air Force, NASA, and other civilian agencies. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells commercial drone platforms (Talon and Crest) through its uncrewed systems business.
Product overview
COLSA Corporation is a defense contractor offering a portfolio of products and services including commercial uncrewed aerial systems (drones) and professional services. The product line consists of two drone platforms: Talon (heavy-lift rugged drone with 60-min endurance) and Crest (ISR-focused nimble drone with 50-min endurance). Supporting these are the DACS Lab (AI/ML innovation hub) and the Software Factory (CMMI-DEV Level 3 appraised software development). The service portfolio includes Cyber & Information Warfare, Uncrewed Systems, Systems & Software Engineering, Federal Support Services, and Data Science capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- COLSA Software Factory: CMMI-DEV Maturity Level 3 appraised software development business unit located in Huntsville headquarters.
- DACS Lab
- Talon
- Crest
Products and services
- Talon Drone Rugged commercial drone capable of heavy cargo lifts with 60 minutes endurance and a Picatinny Rail mount for custom payloads; NDAA Section 848 and American Security Drone Act compliant.
- Crest Drone Nimble commercial drone designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions with 50 minutes endurance, collision avoidance, and Blue List Cleared status; NDAA compliant.
- Cyber & Information Warfare Services Cybersecurity and information warfare capabilities supporting defense operations, including penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, security operations, social media analytics, OSINT, and threat entity tracking.
- Systems & Software Engineering Services Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) and software development services translating operational requirements into configured systems, managing interfaces, characterizing technical risk, and verifying designs for aircraft, weapons, space, and cyber systems. Delivered via the CMMI-DEV Maturity Level 3 appraised Software Factory using FAST processes.
- Federal Support Services Expert analytical services, acquisition and program management, and comprehensive solutions throughout the system lifecycle for federal government customers across DoD and civilian agencies.
- Data Science Services Machine learning, data science, and AI services for federal customers, including knowledge discovery (NLP, entity detection, sentiment analysis), multi-source fusion (NLP, computer vision, geospatial/temporal data), and intelligent automation for mission operations.
- Uncrewed Systems Design and Manufacturing End-to-end uncrewed aerial system design, development, and manufacturing services for defense and commercial customers, including consultation, integration of tactical cellular networks, and lifecycle support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivered thousands of Group 2 and Group 3 drones for DoD customer supporting Ukrainian war effort
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use COLSA Corporation
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
COLSA Corporation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability12 records
Feature9 records
COLSA Corporation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Northrop GrummanminorNorthrop Grumman served as a Commercial Navigator mentor during the 15th CADEW (Directed Energy and Electromagnetic Warfare) cohort, providing mentorship to participating companies alongside COLSA, Viasat, and other industry leaders.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
COLSA Corporation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Parsons Corporation: Federal engineering, defense, and critical-infrastructure services prime with comparable presence in missile defense, space, and uncrewed/counter-UAS work for DoD customers.
- Peraton: Federal IT, cyber, and mission services prime serving DoD, intelligence, and civilian agencies. Comparable in cyber, space, and IT modernization services to federal customers.
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Major federal IT, cyber, and AI services provider for DoD and civilian agencies. Overlaps directly with COLSA's cyber & information warfare, AI/data science, and SETA offerings.
- ManTech International (now part of Carlyle portfolio): Federal IT, cyber, and intelligence services prime serving DoD and intelligence community. Closely comparable in secure software development, mission-IT, and cleared-workforce services.
- CACI International: Federal IT and intelligence services prime focused on DoD, ISR, cyber, and electronic warfare. Comparable to COLSA in cyber/Info Warfare, SETA, and signals/electronic warfare work for the Army and Space Force.
- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC): Top-tier federal IT and systems engineering prime serving DoD, intelligence, and NASA. Closely comparable in customer set (DoD, NASA), services mix (SETA, cyber, software engineering), and contract-vehicle participation (OASIS).
- KBR (Government Solutions): Federal science, engineering, and IT services provider with strong NASA and DoD presence. Overlaps with COLSA on NASA Stennis work, defense systems engineering, and SETA services.
Broad incumbents
- Leidos: Largest pure-play federal IT and aerospace prime. Overlaps with COLSA in defense software, space, missile defense (MDA), and NASA enterprise IT (e.g., NASA NTSS predecessors).
Emerging players
- Skydio: U.S.-based small UAS manufacturer focused on autonomous drones for defense, public safety, and commercial markets. Directly comparable to COLSA's Talon and Crest in the NDAA-compliant small-UAS segment.
- Anduril Industries: Defense technology company building autonomous systems (UAS, counter-UAS) and AI-enabled mission software. Comparable to COLSA's Uncrewed Systems line and AI/edge computing capabilities, though at much larger scale and with substantial venture capital.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
COLSA Corporation social profiles
Digital presenceCOLSA Corporation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
COLSA Corporation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
COLSA Corporation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
COLSA Corporation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
COLSA Corporation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about COLSA Corporation
What does COLSA Corporation do?
COLSA Corporation is a privately held federal defense contractor providing systems engineering, software development, cyber and information warfare, uncrewed systems, data science/AI, and acquisition and program management services to the U.S. Department of Defense, Space Force, Army, Air Force, NASA, and other civilian agencies. The company also designs, manufactures, and sells commercial drone platforms (Talon and Crest) through its uncrewed systems business.
Is COLSA Corporation a public or private company?
COLSA Corporation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was COLSA Corporation founded?
COLSA Corporation was founded in 1980. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is COLSA Corporation based?
COLSA Corporation is headquartered in Huntsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does COLSA Corporation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Federal Government Contracting is the primary driver. The others are AI Test and Evaluation Services and commercial Drone Sales.
Who are COLSA Corporation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Parsons Corporation, Peraton, Booz Allen Hamilton, ManTech International (now part of Carlyle portfolio), CACI International, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and KBR (Government Solutions). Leidos is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Skydio and Anduril Industries.
Does COLSA Corporation have an API?
No public API is recorded for COLSA Corporation.
What industry is COLSA Corporation in?
COLSA Corporation's product category is Defense Contracting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAOAM, Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems, with a secondary code of IMABAIAA, Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) & Multirotor Drones. Its NAICS code is 92812 and its SIC code is 3812.