HUNTSVILLE — Bluestone Investment Partners has completed a strategic investment in Qualis Corp., a missile defense and space systems technology business based in Huntsville, the two companies announced.
Qualis supports the development of next-generation missile defense and satellite communications systems with advanced modeling, simulation, and testing services. The company’s expertise in modeling and simulating RF waveforms is enabling the development of resilient communications and navigation in GPS-denied and contested environments.
“We at Bluestone have great admiration for Qualis’ history of performance and innovation,” said Managing Partner John Allen of McLean, Va.-based Bluestone Investment Partners. “We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with the excellent Qualis team to support their continued technology development initiatives.”
At its Huntsville headquarters, Qualis maintains a laboratory with a hardware-in-the-loop high-performance computing environment for advanced modeling and simulation. Qualis’ customers include Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Test Center, Space Force, the Space Development Agency, the Missile Defense Agency, and NASA.
Qualis’ management team will continue to lead the company as it looks to accelerate growth through organic expansion and acquisitions.
“This was the perfect time to partner with Bluestone to enable our continued investment in the development of capabilities in support of our customers’ missions,” said Qualis co-founder Elizabeth Morard. “I am very proud of what Qualis has achieved to date and am excited about this next phase for the company in partnership with Bluestone.”
Bluestone’s investment in Qualis was completed through its recently established Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) vehicle, a news release said. In June, the Small Business Administration announced that Bluestone Investment Partners was the first recipient of an SBIC Critical Technologies (SBICCT) Initiative license.
The SBICCT Initiative is a joint effort between the SBA and the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) to increase private capital investment in 14 Critical Technology Areas defined in DoD’s National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.
According to the news release, Qualis’ research and development activities are closely aligned with these Critical Technology Areas, particularly in the development of satellite communications path diversity.
“We think the Bluestone team is the perfect partner given their industry expertise and record of success,” said Qualis President and CEO Rod Duke. “In particular, the newly-awarded SBICCT license will advance the development of next-generation capabilities for our national defense and help us to continue delivering for the customer.”
Qualis was founded in 1993 and has 310 employees, primarily scientists and engineers serving U.S. government customers at major tests sites throughout the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region.
In partnership with Bluestone, Qualis will continue to provide support to its customers across the DoD and NASA while pursuing opportunities to bring its expertise and proprietary technology solutions to new customers throughout the missile defense and satellite communications segments of the market.
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