Harmonia has made a focused investment in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, which permit secure peer to peer data protection and sharing with computation between parties.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is the foundation of Harmonia Holdings Group. Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, Harmonia has made a focused investment in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, which permit secure peer to peer data protection and sharing with computation between parties that do not fully trust each other, and non-repudiation of transactions, including private firms, or countries that are trading partners, and individuals sharing with huge internet companies. The company offers a portfolio consisting of two related technologies: Blockchain Medley, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) SBIR-funded platform to make construction, testing, and deployment of new blockchains and applications easier; and Custody Chain, a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) SBIR- funded blockchain for tracking the chain of custody of technical artifacts and controlling artifact access. Utilizing SBIR funding, Harmonia developed prototypes of both Medley and Custody Chain, and validated those prototypes with real use cases.
Harmonia is no stranger to successful SBIR technology transition, with past successes including a cashless payment system for the U.S. Navy Littoral Combat ships, human factors engineering tools for the Zumwalt Destroyer, and command/control aids for the Army and Navy. Harmonia applies its SBIR products to work across the Federal Government, in the areas of data understanding (including artificial intelligence, machine learning, business intelligence, data warehouses, and blockchain), IT modernization and cloud optimization, application development, and cybersecurity. Today, key projects include serving as prime contractor for the 2020 Census IT systems and building one of the largest enterprise data warehouses in the civilian sector at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The company has performed 50+ federal system engineering contracts totaling over $170 million in value applying SBIR capabilities.
Harmonia describes DARPA’s SBIR approach as unique in fostering the development of fundamental game-changing technologies while encouraging high risk/high payoff ideas that can propel an SBIR technology to success, enabling the company to tackle risky innovations. DLA DTIC also provided Harmonia a truly supportive environment to understand how its SBIR work could aid DTIC’s unique mission.
Harmonia has received more than $74.6 million in Phase III funding, including follow-on funding and licensing. Since 2006, Harmonia has expanded from 25 employees to over 345, creating a culture of diversity along the way by hiring employees from 22 nationalities who speak 34 different languages. The company has been on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing firms for 10 years, and today has offices in 8 locations across the United States, including Virginia (headquarters), Washington D.C., Alabama, California, and Missouri.