He's No Technologist, But Moves in Tech Circles

Today the firm will announce the formation of Savvis Federal Systems , a subsidiary created to do business with the government. For many years, Savvis, which posted huge losses after the tech bubble burst, was based in Herndon and St. Louis, but last year it consolidated its executives in St. Louis.

The company still has some operations in Herndon, making it the obvious choice for the new federal business. To lead the subsidiary Savvis hired Donald E. Teague, who previously ran government sales divisions for both Sprint Corp. and AT&T Corp.

Savvis has struggled in the past year. The company continues to lose money, and last month its chief executive, Robert A. McCormick, resigned following a scandal over $241,000 in charges run up at a Manhattan strip club.

Acting chief executive Jack Finlayson says Savvis has 2,000 employees, "focused on moving the company forward." We'll have to wait to see how much the new federal business can aid that effort.

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The holiday season was sweetened for Alon S. Moritz last week, when his company, Annapolis-based Moozatech Inc ., was wired the first part of a $2.5 million round of venture funding.

The investment, from Althone Global Security , the venture arm of a Toronto investment firm, is the eight-year-old cyber-security company's first round of institutional funding. Moritz said the company, now housed in the Chesapeake Innovation Center , an incubator for homeland security start-ups, will use the funds to expand its marketing team and set up a sales office in Arlington.

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Washington's technology community fared quite well in 2005. Government contracts fueled job growth in the region, dozens of companies were gobbled up in pricey acquisitions, and local techies were once again able to engage in their favorite topic of debate: the fate of America Online .

Of course, there's always room for improvement, so we checked in with a few industry notables from around the Beltway to find out what they'd like to see from Washington's tech sector in 2006.

Jonathan Silver , of Core Capital Partners , a District venture fund, said he's hoping more seasoned executives will make the risky jump to start-up companies. The area has plenty of ideas, talent and capital, he says, but not enough "experienced executives to lead these new ventures."

Jennie Hunter-Cevera , president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute , is hoping for public-private funding for product commercialization at local universities, while John Sanders of the DC Tech Council simply wants the District to "be better recognized" for its tech economy.

Ray Rice , of Reston executive recruiting firm KenRay Partners , is hoping 2006 will bring the return of entrepreneurs like WebMethods Inc. founder Phillip Merrick .

Julian Waits , chief executive of Brabeion Inc ., would like the region to develop more programs to help start-ups grow, and Bobbie Kilberg , president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, wants some relief from the traffic nightmares. "The employees of our member companies cannot move on the roads anymore -- it's impacting their ability to transact business and taking time away from their families."

Blackboard Inc. chief executive Michael Chasen , however, is just hoping the local tech community can start generating as much buzz as Tai Shan , the baby panda. "We'll have to work on how to boost our cute factor," he says.

Ellen McCarthy writes about the local tech scene on Thursdays. Her e-mail address ismccarthye@washpost.com.