The Real Deal

In this episode of The Real Deal, Cy Alba sits down with Mark Drever , CEO of Xcelerate Solutions, for a candid conversation about building, scaling, and leading a successful GovCon business. The discussion walks through Mark’s career journey, from his early days in government consulting to the launch of Xcelerate and its growth into a major player in the federal market. Mark discusses challenges...

In this episode, Sarah Djamshidi and David Blackburn welcome Ali Reza Manouchehri , CEO and co-founder of MetroStar, who shares the story behind one of GovCon’s most compelling growth journeys. From a college startup in 1999 to a 500-person AI-driven national security platform poised for its next chapter following Veritas Capital’s acquisition.   The conversation explores the pivotal moments that...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Cy Alba talks with Cesar Nader .  From U.S. Marine to GovCon CEO, Cesar Nader has steered X Corp Solutions (XCorp) through a bold evolution; starting with language services and expanding into intel, IT, cyber, and now AI and Disruptive Technologies. In this no-nonsense co...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi and David Blackburn chat with Alex Duan , Co-founder and CEO of Dynamo Technologies. Alex shares the raw story of why he started Dynamo in 2012, coming off a failed startup, with a baby on the way and little money in his pocket. From those beginnings, how...

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi and Cy Alba sit down with Ganesh Natarajan , CEO of Ennoble First, to uncover the realities behind growing a government contracting company. Ganesh shares his journey from leaving a senior role at Lockheed Martin to bootstrapping his own firm, starting wit...

In the third episode of The Real Deal: Winning, Growing, and Exiting in GovCon, Sarah Djamshidi , CEO and Managing Partner of SpeedShift Ventures, and David Blackburn sit down with Gary Daigle from RealmOne to unpack the real playbook behind sustained growth, strategic acquisitions, and seamless integrations in the federal contracting space. Gary shares RealmOne’s journey from a lean startup in 20...

In the second episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi , CEO and Managing Partner of SpeedShift Ventures, and David Blackburn have a conversation with Gautam Ijoor , CEO of Alpha Omega, to uncover the strategic blueprint behind the company's meteoric rise—from a startup to a $226M powerhouse in less than nine years. Gautam shares the internal building blocks that made Alpha Omega’s growth sustain...

The Real Deal is a new Peel series created by Speedshift Ventures and PilieroMazza PLLC. Episodes will explore the fast-evolving world of M&A in the government contracting space. This series dives deep into the realities facing buyers, sellers, advisors, and operators—unpacking the trends, risks, and decisions behind successful (and sometimes failed) deals. In this premiere episode, Sarah Djam...