Markon acquires cyber tool developer
Gettyimages.com / Dr Pixel
By
Ross Wilkers
Markon grows its workforce to around 600 people with this transaction, the newest in a handful of them with Sterling Investment Partners' backing.
Markon has acquired a developer of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence tools as part of ongoing efforts to further build out a portfolio of digital engineering work for federal agencies.
PLEX was founded in 2014 and stands for People, Leadership, Excellence and X-Factor. Some of PLEX’s core focus areas include agentic AI, zero trust architecture, industrial control system cybersecurity and autonomous threat simulation.
With this transaction announced Friday, Markon grows its workforce to around 600 people and brings in PLEX’s research-and-development program geared toward new tool development and autonomous threat models. Financial terms of the move were not disclosed.
PLEX touts the Air Force, Army Materiel Command and Air Force as users of the company’s technology that is designed to work in classified and other defense environments.
“We’ve long supported national security missions across enterprise technology, operations, and infrastructure. With PLEX, we’re infusing those efforts with elite cybersecurity and AI capabilities, delivering integrated systems that elevate our impact,” Markon’s chief executive Ray Carney said in a release. “From secure systems engineering to digital modernization, this move expands what’s possible for our clients.”
Cohn Reznick LLP provided buy-side financial advisory services. Morrison & Foerster LLP, Dechert LLP, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP acted as legal counsel to Markon. Piper Sandler & Co. and Baxter Accounting provided sell-side financial advisory services. Holland & Knight LLP provided legal counsel to PLEX.
Markon has made a handful of acquisitions since it became a standalone federal contractor in 2023, two years after Sterling Investment Partners first acquired the company.