Theta
About the Company
Theta is a digital and management firm that caters specifically to government agencies. The company provides services like digital integration, cloud migration, and software development, with a focus on improving public-facing web applications and government systems. Emmanuel’s background in technology and civic engagement has allowed him to build a business that plays a vital role in helping government agencies adapt to the evolving tech landscape.
Theta's clients include major U.S. government agencies such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These partnerships highlight theta’s capability to create tech solutions that positively impact society.
Idea Behind Company
Emmanuel's father was a major influence on his entrepreneurial journey. Growing up, he witnessed his father's work providing mental health and family preservation services to the City of Baltimore. Inspired by this civic-minded work, Emmanuel sought to build a company with a similar focus on public service. However, his interests leaned more toward technology.
While working for a federal systems integrator, Emmanuel realized the importance of technology in improving government services. His “aha moment” came when he saw the potential to make a meaningful impact by providing tech solutions that address government inefficiencies. This idea formed the foundation for theta, a firm dedicated to helping the government stay current with tech advancements.
Creating the Company
Emmanuel's career as a web operations and site reliability engineer gave him valuable insights into the federal tech space. These experiences allowed him to understand what services the government would purchase, enabling him to shape theta’s offerings to meet government needs. His company’s services are modeled after the Agile Manifesto and the U.S. Digital Services Playbook, ensuring they provide high-quality, efficient solutions.
Emmanuel designed theta’s service offerings around these principles, focusing on digital integration, product development, and management consulting. They developed their own framework, ta-daas! (theta agile-discovery as a service), which helps guide their engagements with clients, ensuring their services align with government policy and program goals.
Launching the Business
One of the key factors in theta’s success was Emmanuel’s participation in Hutch, a Baltimore-based incubator program for minority and women entrepreneurs. Hutch provided Emmanuel with mentorship and the opportunity to network with other government-focused digital services firms. This helped him attract and retain clients, which is crucial in the competitive Gov IT services market.
The incubator also introduced Emmanuel to subcontracting opportunities, which have been vital in helping theta grow. Through these partnerships, theta has been able to serve a broader range of government clients, positioning the company as a prime contractor for various projects. Networking with like-minded companies and testing their capabilities in real-world scenarios has played a significant role in the firm’s success.
Earnings
Theta generates approximately $72,000 in monthly revenue, primarily through government contracts. Initially, much of this revenue came from subcontracting engagements. However, Emmanuel’s goal is to balance theta’s earnings between prime and subcontractor engagements, ideally reaching a 50/50 split.
Despite challenges, including the pandemic, theta has been steadily growing, doubling its number of employees in recent months. Looking ahead, Emmanuel plans to continue expanding theta’s reach within the government sector, further cementing its reputation as a reliable provider of digital solutions for government agencies.
