Red Alpha
Red Alpha is a privately held, SBA 8(a)-certified defense and intelligence technology contractor founded in 2010 and based in Columbia, Maryland, delivering AI, cloud, cyber, software, and system engineering professional services to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community through its GSA STARS III contract vehicle.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersColumbia, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Red Alpha does
Red Alpha is a privately held defense and intelligence technology contractor founded in 2010 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with a second office in Annapolis Junction. The company operates as an SBA 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business and holds a GSA STARS III government-wide contract vehicle, providing it with direct procurement access to federal agencies. Its customer base consists of the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and selected federal civilian agencies; a commercial-sector vertical is referenced but secondary in scale.
Red Alpha delivers professional services across six integrated practice areas: AI Solutions (anchored by its proprietary ADJACENT platform for multi-provider AI workflow orchestration, unstructured-data transformation, and rapid authorization decisions), Cloud Engineering (secure-by-design cloud infrastructure), Cyber Solutions (Multi-INT, computer network operations, exploitation, threat intelligence, and penetration testing), Software Engineering (full-stack development in Python, R, Java, SQL, and React), System Engineering (including a Red Alpha Data Fabric and scalable LLM cloud architecture), and Innovation (LLM exploration, RPA, BPM, and prototyping). System engineers are embedded across the other practices to integrate Data Tradecraft, Mission Engineering, Software Development, and Cloud Deployment. The company emphasizes a member-centric culture with an average of 6 hours per week per employee spent on training.
The business model is professional services delivered under federal prime contracts, with pricing not publicly disclosed and structured on a quote-based, enterprise/government basis. Go-to-market is primarily direct to federal agencies through the GSA STARS III vehicle, supplemented by teaming channels enabled by Enlightenment Capital's national security network following its July 2023 minority SBIC investment. Leadership is founder-anchored: Daniel Ra (CEO, founder), Tom Shelly (COO, former KEYW co-founder), Mike Kim (CTO, former NSA Senior Executive and 2023 Presidential Distinguished Rank Award recipient), Dennis Park (CIO), and David Goldstein (CFO, 30+ years of govcon financial leadership).
Red Alpha firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Red Alpha
- Legal name
- Red Alpha
- Website
- https://red-alpha.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Red Alpha is a privately held, SBA 8(a)-certified defense and intelligence technology contractor founded in 2010 and based in Columbia, Maryland, delivering AI, cloud, cyber, software, and system engineering professional services to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community through its GSA STARS III contract vehicle.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Red Alpha industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Defense Technology Services
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence (C4I) Systems (IMABAOAA), Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Platforms (HDAEAHAB)
Keywords
Where Red Alpha is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Red Alpha business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Defense and Intelligence Services: Professional services revenue from defense and commercial sectors including cybersecurity, data science, cloud migration, and mission innovation consulting.
- Government Prime Contracts: Prime contract revenue as an 8(a) SBA certified company holding GSA STARS III contract vehicle for government clients.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Red Alpha product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Red Alpha is a defense and commercial technology consulting firm that delivers integrated professional services across AI Solutions (powered by its proprietary ADJACENT platform), Cloud Engineering, Software Engineering, System Engineering, Cyber Solutions, and Innovation. It builds production-quality AI systems, cloud infrastructure, full-stack software, and mission-critical cybersecurity capabilities for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, federal agencies, and commercial enterprises.
Product overview
Red Alpha is a defense and commercial technology consulting firm that provides a portfolio of integrated service offerings rather than a single unified product. The core portfolio includes AI Solutions (featuring the proprietary ADJACENT Platform for AI workflow orchestration and data transformation), Cloud Engineering, Software Engineering, System Engineering, Cyber Solutions, and Innovation services. These offerings are designed to work together, with System Engineers embedded across teams to facilitate integration between Data Tradecraft, Mission Engineering, Software Development, and Cloud Deployment. The company specializes in data exploitation, cloud migration, data science, and cybersecurity to solve mission-critical challenges in defense and commercial sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AI Solutions Production-quality AI systems built by Red Alpha's engineers and data scientists, delivering real business impact through custom platform integration and agentic automation for defense, intelligence, federal, and commercial clients.
- ADJACENT Platform Proprietary suite of specialized tools powering Red Alpha's AI solutions, including intelligent workflow orchestration across multiple AI providers, unstructured-to-structured data transformation, and rapid authorization decision-making at scale.
- Cloud Engineering Cloud infrastructure design, management, and optimization services that integrate cybersecurity from the ground up, delivering secure, scalable, and efficient cloud operations for defense, intelligence, federal, and commercial clients.
- Innovation Emerging technology exploration, prototyping, and productization services including Large Language Model exploration, business process management, robotic process automation, and mobile application development for defense and commercial clients.
- System Engineering Cross-functional problem-solving services embedded with Innovation, Data Tradecraft, Mission Engineering, and Software Development teams, including data fabric solutions for data quality and management, scalable LLM cloud architecture, and malware/traffic analysis.
- Cyber Solutions Cybersecurity expertise including computer network operations, exploitation and defense, threat intelligence, target analysis, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and cyber consulting for defense, intelligence, and commercial clients, leveraging Multi-INT depth across linguists, analysts, and cyber professionals.
- Software Engineering Full-stack software development services spanning analytics, data ingest, data transformation, and visualization, with capabilities across Python, R, Java, SQL, React, and related technologies for defense, intelligence, and commercial clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- 6 hours per week average training investment per team member
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Red Alpha
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Red Alpha technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Red Alpha partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Red Alpha competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Premier defense and intelligence consulting firm with extensive AI, cyber, and data exploitation capabilities; sets the price and capability benchmark against which smaller firms like Red Alpha must compete.
- ManTech International: Established mid-tier defense IT services prime covering AI, cyber, cloud, and mission engineering for DoD/IC — overlapping with Red Alpha's portfolio but operating at materially larger scale and broader contract vehicle footprint.
- Leidos: Top-tier defense and intelligence IT services provider with broad AI, cloud, and mission engineering capabilities; a frequent incumbent Red Alpha must displace or partner with on full-and-opens.
- SAIC: Large defense IT services prime with deep DoD/IC footprint and dedicated AI/data analytics offerings; competes with Red Alpha on multi-provider AI workflow, cloud, and mission engineering task orders.
- CACI International: Large defense IT services prime with significant presence in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; competes with Red Alpha for IC and DoD mission engineering and cyber work.
Direct peers
- ECS Federal: Mid-sized federal IT and AI services contractor serving DoD and civilian agencies with capabilities spanning cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics — directly comparable to Red Alpha in size, customer base, and contract vehicle reliance.
- Novetta: Data analytics, cyber, and mission-focused services provider serving defense and intelligence customers; overlap with Red Alpha's Data Tradecraft & AI and Mission Engineering practices is substantial.
- T-Rex Solutions: Small business federal IT solutions and cloud engineering firm with similar DoD/IC customer mix and SBA contracting credentials; directly competes for the same task orders Red Alpha pursues.
- CyberPoint International: Small/mid defense and intelligence cybersecurity and analytics firm that, like Red Alpha, blends cleared talent with proprietary tradecraft around cyber and data exploitation for IC customers.
- KEYW Corporation (now Jacobs): Co-founded by Red Alpha COO Tom Shelly, KEYW was an intelligence community-focused systems and cyber engineering firm — making it the closest historical analogue to Red Alpha's IC-first services model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Red Alpha social profiles
Digital presenceRed Alpha financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Red Alpha leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Red Alpha funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Red Alpha 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 Red Alpha
What does Red Alpha do?
Red Alpha is a defense and commercial technology consulting firm that delivers integrated professional services across AI Solutions (powered by its proprietary ADJACENT platform), Cloud Engineering, Software Engineering, System Engineering, Cyber Solutions, and Innovation. It builds production-quality AI systems, cloud infrastructure, full-stack software, and mission-critical cybersecurity capabilities for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, federal agencies, and commercial enterprises.
Is Red Alpha a public or private company?
Red Alpha is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Red Alpha founded?
Red Alpha was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Red Alpha based?
Red Alpha is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Red Alpha make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Defense and Intelligence Services are the primary driver. The others are government Prime Contracts.
Who are Red Alpha's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Booz Allen Hamilton, ManTech International, Leidos, SAIC and CACI International. Direct peers are ECS Federal, Novetta, T-Rex Solutions, CyberPoint International and KEYW Corporation (now Jacobs).
Does Red Alpha have an API?
No public API is recorded for Red Alpha.
What industry is Red Alpha in?
Red Alpha's product category is Government Defense Technology Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAHAJ, Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services, with a secondary code of IMABAOAA, Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence (C4I) Systems. Its NAICS code is 541519 and its SIC code is 7373.