Virginia-based IT security company Expel Inc. — founded by three D.C.-area IT security industry veterans four years ago — will invest $1.4 million in its existing Herndon headquarters and almost double its existing workforce.
With the investment, Expel’s headquarters at 12950 Worldgate Drive will increase its existing space by 25% to 30,000 square feet.
The company said most of the 164 new jobs it will create over the next three years are in engineering, customer experience, administrative support, marketing and sales. The company currently has 176 employees.
Expel will receive incentives through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program, including $700 per job created, up to a total of $114,800.
Expel Inc. was founded in 2016 by Yanek Korff, Justin Bajko and Dave Merkel, whose past careers have included stints at AOL and FireEye.
Merkel is married to the current Mayor of Herndon, Lisa Merkel. His LinkedIn account lists “First Lady, Town of Herndon, July 2015 — Present” under experience.
“There’s a fantastic pool of tech talent located in Northern Virginia, and we have close proximity to strong education institutions and major tech companies,” Merkel said, of choosing to expand in Herndon.
The company, which provides systems security monitoring services both on premises and in the cloud, raised $40 million in investor funding last June, bringing its total raise since its founding to almost $68 million.
It is using its latest round of funding to expand its cloud monitoring capabilities and fund sales and marketing.
