Lion Federal
Lion Federal is an SBA 8(a)-certified IT consultancy founded in 2014, providing software development, cloud engineering, data science, and Generative AI services primarily to U.S. federal agencies (DHS, CBP, USCIS, Army, GSA, USAID) and select commercial clients, with the DigiCloud Services joint venture (Ventera) extending its federal reach.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersVienna, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lion Federal does
Lion Federal is an SBA 8(a)-certified, minority-owned Small Disadvantaged Business IT consulting firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in McLean, Virginia, with additional offices in Vienna, Falls Church, Washington D.C., and a forthcoming Richmond location opening July 1, 2026. The company delivers software architecture and engineering, cloud and infrastructure engineering, facilities and data center design engineering, data science and analytics, and Generative AI services primarily to U.S. federal agencies (DHS, CBP, USCIS, Army Resilience Directorate, GSA OIG, USAID) through multiple contract vehicles including SBA 8(a) (sole-source authority up to $4.5M per contract), GSA MAS (GS-35F-201GA), and the 8(a) STARS III GWAC, with the pending CIOSP4 vehicle under pursuit.
The firm has built a portfolio of three proprietary AI-powered products: AI Recruiter, an LLM-driven technical screening and candidate management application; an On-Premises Knowledge Base Chatbot leveraging Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), function calling, and air-gapped/SCIF deployment; and a Test Automation Framework (TAF) that converts plain-English instructions into browser, security, and performance test scripts. A September 2023 Frontier AI Solution combines RAG, programmatic function calling, and model fine-tuning, while a June 2024 enterprise AI Solution adds AI-driven compliance matrices and AI-powered candidate search. The company partners with DataRobot for AutoML/MLaaS and integrates with Selenium, Jira, and TFS within TAF.
Revenue is generated primarily through federal IT professional services contracts (prime and subcontract), with a smaller commercial segment serving pharmaceutical, automotive, energy, and finance clients. The April 2020 SBA-approved mentor-protégé joint venture DigiCloud Services LLC with Ventera Corporation extends market reach into federal cloud engineering, DevSecOps, data management, and facilities engineering across defense, intelligence, health, and civilian agencies. ISO 9001:2015 certified (achieved December 2020, recertified 2022 and 2023), the company is privately held with founder/management control under President and CEO Mani Qazi.
Lion Federal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lion Federal
- Legal name
- Lion Federal, LLC
- Website
- https://lionfederal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lion Federal is an SBA 8(a)-certified IT consultancy founded in 2014, providing software development, cloud engineering, data science, and Generative AI services primarily to U.S. federal agencies (DHS, CBP, USCIS, Army, GSA, USAID) and select commercial clients, with the DigiCloud Services joint venture (Ventera) extending its federal reach.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lion Federal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government IT Consulting Services
- NAICS
- National Security and International Affairs (9281)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- IT Governance, Risk & Compliance (IT GRC) Platforms (HDAEALAK)
Keywords
Where Lion Federal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vienna
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Lion Federal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government IT Consulting Services: Lion Federal generates revenue primarily through federal government contracts including prime contracts and subcontracts. The company serves multiple government agencies (DHS, CBP, USCIS, Army Resilience Directorate, GSA, USAID) through various contract vehicles including 8(a) sole source awards (up to $4.5M), GSA MAS, and STARS III. Revenues come from software development, cloud modernization, IT support services, and facilities engineering.
- Commercial IT Services: Revenue from commercial sector clients in pharmaceuticals, automotive, energy, and finance industries. Provides end-to-end solutions for short- and long-term projects including software architecture, cloud solutions, and data science services.
- DigiCloud Services Joint Venture: SBA-approved 8(a) mentor-protégé joint venture with Ventera Corporation provides enterprise solutions to U.S. Government's defense, intelligence, health, and civilian agencies. Services include Cloud Engineering, DevSecOps, Data Management, and Facilities Engineering.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lion Federal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lion Federal is an SBA 8(a) certified IT consulting firm that delivers AI solutions, custom software development, and IT modernization services to U.S. federal government agencies and commercial clients. The company builds proprietary AI products including an AI Recruiter, an On-Premises Knowledge Base Chatbot, and the Task Automation Framework (TAF), and staffs engagements with agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Product overview
Lion Federal is a GenAI, ML, and Data Science-focused IT consulting firm offering a portfolio of proprietary AI-powered products alongside professional services. The core product lineup includes three branded innovations: AI Recruiter (LLM-powered technical recruitment automation), the On-Premises Knowledge Base Chatbot (RAG-powered enterprise knowledge assistant), and the Test Automation Framework / TAF (Generative AI-powered testing and RPA platform). These products are complemented by DigiCloud Services—a joint venture sub-brand providing Cloud Engineering, DevSecOps, Data Management, and Facilities Engineering to U.S. government agencies. The broader services portfolio encompasses Software Architecture and Engineering, Cloud and Infrastructure Engineering, Facilities and Data Center Design Engineering, Data Science and Analytics, and Generative AI solutions. Products share a common thread of applying AI/ML to enterprise challenges, with both government (DHS, CBP, USCIS, Army, USAID) and commercial (pharma, automotive, energy, finance) go-to-market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DigiCloud Services: A Small Business Administration approved 8(a) mentor-protégé joint venture between Ventera Corporation and Lion Federal, providing cloud engineering, DevSecOps, data management, and facilities engineering services to U.S. Government agencies.
Products and services
- AI Recruiter
Quantifiable outcome
- AI recruitment system greatly enhanced efficiency and volume of cleared recruiting and hiring process
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Lion Federal
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Lion Federal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
Lion Federal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and core.
- DataRobotsupportingPartnership with DataRobot, an innovative machine learning firm providing cutting edge Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) such as AutoML. DataRobot's platform enhances Lion Federal's ML capabilities for government and commercial clients.
- PaycomminorPartnership with Paycom to utilize latest timesheets, payroll and HR services, improving quality of service employees receive and ensuring best support throughout difficult times and beyond.
- Ventera CorporationcoreVentera Corporation serves as mentor in SBA-approved 8(a) mentor-protégé relationship with Lion Federal. Together they formed DigiCloud Services LLC, an approved joint venture pursuing opportunities across federal government. The relationship brings complimentary and quality services to government customers including cloud engineering, DevSecOps, data management, and facilities engineering.
- Alaskan Native 8(a) FirmsupportingTeaming agreement signed with an Alaskan Native 8(a) firm for a task order on a multi-billion-dollar IDIQ, providing access to additional federal contracting opportunities.
- Virginia-based Small Business PartnersupportingPartnership with a Virginia-based small business to provide complimentary skillsets, creating opportunities across different government agencies.
- Large Defense/Intelligence IntegratorcoreStrategic Agreement with a large integrator to support their over $1 Billion contract over 9 years. Provides Lion Federal with vehicle to provide talented teams of professionals with agreed labor categories and rates.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Lion Federal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IntelliBridge: IntelliBridge is a mid-sized federal IT consulting firm providing cloud, data analytics, AI/ML, and digital transformation to defense, intel, and civilian agencies — comparable in size, DMV presence, AI/data focus, and federal customer mix to Lion Federal.
- Tantus Technologies: Tantus Technologies is a small federal IT consulting and solutions firm serving federal civilian and defense health agencies with cloud, data, and application services — overlapping with Lion Federal's federal-customer base and cloud/data service lines.
- Halvik: Halvik is an SBA 8(a)-certified small business providing IT, cybersecurity, cloud, and engineering services to federal agencies — overlapping with Lion Federal on 8(a) status, federal customer mix, and cloud/cyber service lines.
- Aptive Resources: Aptive Resources is a federal consulting and digital services firm supporting agencies including DHS and other civilian clients with digital transformation, communications, and program support — comparable in mission-support consulting and federal-civilian customer overlap.
- TISTA Science & Technology Corporation: TISTA is an SBA 8(a)-certified federal IT services company providing cybersecurity, software development, data analytics, and cloud to federal agencies — a tight comparable on size, 8(a) status, and core IT service lines.
- Sev1Tech: Sev1Tech is a small, SBA 8(a)-certified federal IT services and engineering firm headquartered in Northern Virginia, delivering cloud, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and IT modernization to defense and civilian agencies — closely matching Lion Federal's size, certifications, contract vehicles, and service portfolio.
- AgileDefense: AgileDefense is an SBA 8(a) federal IT and cybersecurity services provider serving DoD and civilian agencies with cloud, DevSecOps, and cyber capabilities — similar in scope, certifications, and small-business set-aside positioning to Lion Federal.
Broad incumbents
- ICF International: ICF International is a public-sector-focused consulting and digital services firm serving federal civilian, defense, and commercial clients with analytics, IT modernization, and mission support — overlapping with Lion Federal on federal digital services delivery.
- Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton is a large federal professional services incumbent serving defense, intel, and civilian agencies with AI/ML, cloud, and engineering consulting — overlapping on customer base and AI/cloud capability, but at vastly larger scale and breadth than Lion Federal.
- ManTech International (now SAIC segment): ManTech, now part of SAIC, is a large federal IT services incumbent focused on defense, intel, and federal civilian agencies with cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/analytics — overlapping with Lion Federal on federal customer base and IT modernization services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lion Federal social profiles
Digital presenceLion Federal compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Lion Federal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lion Federal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Lion Federal subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Lion Federal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lion Federal 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 Lion Federal
What does Lion Federal do?
Lion Federal is an SBA 8(a) certified IT consulting firm that delivers AI solutions, custom software development, and IT modernization services to U.S. federal government agencies and commercial clients. The company builds proprietary AI products including an AI Recruiter, an On-Premises Knowledge Base Chatbot, and the Task Automation Framework (TAF), and staffs engagements with agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Is Lion Federal a public or private company?
Lion Federal is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lion Federal founded?
Lion Federal was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lion Federal based?
Lion Federal is headquartered in Vienna, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lion Federal make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government IT Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are commercial IT Services and digiCloud Services Joint Venture.
Who are Lion Federal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IntelliBridge, Tantus Technologies, Halvik, Aptive Resources, TISTA Science & Technology Corporation, Sev1Tech and AgileDefense. Broad incumbents are ICF International, Booz Allen Hamilton and ManTech International (now SAIC segment).
Does Lion Federal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lion Federal.
What industry is Lion Federal in?
Lion Federal's product category is Government IT Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAM, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of HDAEALAK, IT Governance, Risk & Compliance (IT GRC) Platforms. Its NAICS code is 9281 and its SIC code is 8700.