Expedition Technology (EXP) launched on October 30, 2013. The four of us who founded the company wanted to:
- Bring together talented people to solve interesting problems that would make a difference in our world.
- Empower ourselves and those who would join us to choose the customers and projects that most appealed to our interests and influenced our professional development.
- Create an environment that emphasized innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit, yet promoted teamwork and collaboration to reach our collective goals.
- Make work fun!
Bringing that vision to reality proved to be the easy task. Like most startup companies, however, we faced challenges that accompany building a sustainable business. That required most of us to wear many organizational hats, work on multiple projects simultaneously, and take risks to help us establish and expand our presence in the defense and intelligence communities.
In EXP’s early years, given our size, we primarily pursued short-term research projects. These opportunities allowed us to leverage our technical expertise, scratch our intellectually curious itches, and deliver ideas and results that enhanced our credibility. Our successes helped us eliminate the day-to-day uncertainties of our longer-term viability and form the foundation upon which we could grow with confidence.
As we celebrate our eighth anniversary, our team’s labor has borne fruit as the profile of our work rises. Much of the research we have conducted over the years is now being implemented – turning ideas and science into groundbreaking and impactful real-world solutions that contribute to our national security.
With a strong track record behind us, our company continues to innovate and adapt. More than ever, we continue executing research projects, developing ideas, and adding value by doing things that simply haven’t been accomplished previously. At the same time, customers now approach EXP for sole source contracts. We are winning longer-term, larger contracts where we deliver products, not paper. Increasingly, this unique combination of research and demonstrated capabilities, particularly in the application of AI/ML-based approaches, differentiates us from other companies who only talk about what AI might be used for. These engagements provide greater predictability, and in turn enable us to scale even faster and further.
What does all of this mean as EXP enters Year 9? We remain small enough that each employee represents a significant percentage of the company, affects what and how we do things, and has the potential to make a huge impact on our trajectory. We retain our entrepreneurial spirit and minimize bureaucratic distractions. Yet we have grown large enough to pursue bigger, more diverse, more impactful programs that create more avenues for career and personal growth for every member of our team.
Since our inception, we have averaged 25-30 percent annual growth, but we see that rate accelerating. Today, 60 people comprise the EXP team. Thanks to the creativity, collaboration, and consistent hard work and excellence of that group, we are looking to hire another 25-30 individuals. At this rate, it won’t be long before we are a 100-person company.
If you are already an EXP employee, you have my deepest gratitude and appreciation for all that you do every day. If you seek a new adventure, please consider joining us! Check out our current openings and see why we recently won awards from The Washington Post and The Washington Business Journal as a great place to work.
Together, we will guide EXP to new heights and milestones – all while having fun and making a difference in our world.
