Two Six Technologies saw substantial growth and notable milestones in 2024 by sticking to its ethos: A tech company that puts the mission first.
The company achieved 25% organic revenue growth, supported over 46,000 mission operations, and expanded its single-award contract ceiling to over $1.5 billion and annual recurring revenue to $60 million through proprietary products and software platforms. And that was just 2024.
“The thesis behind this company is that people alone won’t fix our clients’ problems. Technology will,” said Joe Logue, the company’s CEO since its founding in 2021 by The Carlyle Group.
Two Six develops and delivers products for national security clients, including DARPA, the departments of State and Homeland Security, U.S. Cyber Command, and the Intelligence Community. The company applies private R&D, innovation, and expertise in cyber, information operations, resilient secure communications, electronic systems, and zero trust to tackle complex national security challenges.
Two Six grew revenues to more than $330 million last year and in just four years has grown the workforce to over 900 employees.
“Our products and what we do — it is not window dressing,” Logue said. “We are extremely engaged in what’s going on in the world, and everything we do is in concert with our clients.”
A Mission-Oriented Product Company
Two Six prides itself on being a true defense tech company, not just a services company. It has nine products in its portfolio, and 30% of its revenues are derived from yearly software sales. “The other 70% of our revenue is in conjunction with our software,” Logue said. “We only deliver and service the things that we create.”
The company’s proprietary products include IKE, Pulse, SIGMA and TrustedKeep — solutions that offer “direct and scalable impact for real-world challenges in critical sectors including cybersecurity, information advantage, CBRN detection, resilient secure communications and zero trust,” according to Two Six.
Rather than chasing Requests for Proposals or waiting for people to tell the company what they need, Two Six identifies national security needs and invests in and builds the products that can help meet them. “We create the markets,” Logue said. “It’s worked exceptionally well.”
For instance, Two Six has over 20 research and development contracts with DARPA and helped the agency transition 15 new technologies to operators in the last two years. “We can’t wait 18 or 24 months. The world’s too ugly of a place, and it’s getting worse by the second,” Logue said.
Two Six guides transition clients from kickoff to mission-focused technology deployment, working closely with them to achieve their goals. After completing these transitions, the company invests in and commercializes select solutions — a unique business model that has proven successful.
Leading in a New Environment
Two Six’s business model was unlike anything Logue had experienced. He spent over 20 years at Booz Allen Hamilton, retiring as an executive vice president in 2018. In 2008, he was leading the Defense & Intelligence business when The Carlyle Group acquired Booz Allen.
Later, Logue helped The Carlyle Group explore other opportunities and create an investment thesis for Two Six. “It’s nice knowing your financial backer, but more importantly, they understand the industry,” he said.
He credits much of Two Six’s growth to The Carlyle Group’s backing. For example, Two Six has built its portfolio of of labs and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) to 22 classified labs — a major financial investment that Carlyle understands is essential to Two Six’s work.
This flexibility enables Two Six to build markets as it grows. When Logue became CEO, he had to learn an entirely new business. Working with expert scientists and technologists many years his junior, he leaned on his experience to support and guide his teams.
“Aside from understanding the market and helping drive the market, I spend a lot of my time mentoring, teaching and trying to get them ready for hopefully a nice long career doing what they do — the work they’re doing is incredibly important to the country,” Logue said.
He attributes the company’s successes to his strong leadership team, too. Logue spends much of his time on two things: the culture of the company and the market. “That’s what I know and that’s what I do, and so far, it’s come along pretty well,” he said.
It Starts with People
Logue sees Two Six’s success as driven by its energy and momentum. He calls it “palpable” and unlike anything he’s experienced. The company’s brilliant minds tackle the nation’s toughest challenges, creating an energy that fuels itself.
As a tech company that puts mission first, Logue said the Two Six team is “working on things that have to be fixed and solved — and not two years from now. This stuff needs to be figured out right now.”
That’s what drives and excites his workforce. “They’re learning and they see their future,” he said. “I think that helps them, but mostly, they know the work they’re doing is just so important.”
That’s why Two Six also invests in its people and feeds their ambition with the resources and flexibility they need to do their jobs. The company’s strategic expansion in 2024 included investments in its infrastructure and secure labs, and the opening of new offices in Herndon, Virginia; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Laurel, Maryland.
Two Six’s employees work in 26 office locations in seven states — in its offices, labs, customer sites, and hybrid and remote locations.
“When you’re looking for the best scientists and engineers in the country, you must go find them where they are,” Logue said. This includes providing remote options and SCIFs around the country because of the nature of some of Two Six’s work. “We work closely with our clients to make sure that people can do some work from home, or they can sit in an office that has a window and have the opportunity to talk to other people.”
Two Six hosts two annual employee-focused events: an all-hands meeting and Two Six Day. For the all-hands meeting, the company brings employees from across the country to Virginia for networking, leadership talks, and connections with clients, board members and the company’s mission.
Of the 750 people in the company last year, 625 people joined. “I think this is probably one of the more impressive statistics I can think of,” Logue said. “People care about what they do here and they show it.”
Two Six Day honors Two Six Labs’ Feb. 6 founding date with a companywide day of service. Last year, employees partnered with Rise Against Hunger to package 200,000 meals for those in need across the country. These traditions and values contribute to Two Six’s 89% retention rate and strengthen its culture.
The Future Remains Bright
On the heels of these recent successes and growth, Logue said Two Six won’t change its strategic course in 2025. “We’ve been doing it the same way since we started. We’re going to continue doing it the way we do it,” he said.
For Logue, success isn’t just about revenue — it’s about how Two Six’s people show up and perform, and how he supports them. When energy is high and mission-driven, the company stays ahead of national security needs and builds the right technology. “Numbers will take care of themselves if you’re doing the right thing. Fortunately, that’s worked out,” he said.