Montgomery County Delivered Big Business Wins in 2025
Despite federal budget cuts that have challenged local economies across the region, Montgomery County, Maryland continued to attract key investment across industries in 2025. Nationally recognized as the 3rd largest biohealth hub in the nation, and a thriving hub for technology, defense, and satellite and advanced communications companies, the Montgomery County business ecosystem proved to be resilient and still attractive to established employers that generate high-quality and high-paying jobs, and continue to bring investment to our community.
In 2025, Montgomery County companies secured more than $1,755.67 million in private equity and venture capital investment, underscoring the strength and competitiveness of their innovative services, products and technologies. Recently, the County and MCEDC announced the recipients of the annual Technology Innovation and Founders Funds, which was created to support businesses developing proprietary technology, including tech entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented backgrounds. A total of $10 million was available through the program, which awarded 55 local companies in early-stage growth. Last year, Montgomery County also launched its fourth Business Innovation Center in October 2025. The center, which is located in Rockville, is focused on supporting startups working with Artificial Intelligence.
The MOVE Grant is another key county program for local companies and is a valuable resource that strengthens the local business ecosystem. The program supports companies ready to get a commercial lease and recently was expanded to include companies signing new lease agreements. The program has disbursed over $6.1 million since 2014 and is a unique tool for the county to support business growth.
Leading innovative companies also announced large investments in Montgomery County last year.
Biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, headquartered in Gaithersburg since 2013, announced that it will build another state-of-the art facility, also in Gaithersburg. This new facility, which follows the opening of the company’s $300 million cell therapy manufacturing facility opened in Rockville last spring, will create 100 new jobs and continue to expand the company’s R&D in the County.
Earlier in the year, X-energy, a leading developer of next-generation nuclear reactor and fuel technology, announced the consolidation of its two Rockville offices into a new 125,000-square-foot headquarters in Gaithersburg’s Washingtonian Center. The company plans to retain 260 full-time employees and create more than 525 high-skilled jobs over the next six years. The move positions X-energy for long-term growth while strengthening Maryland’s emerging leadership in advanced nuclear energy solutions.
Additionally, Korean contract development and manufacturing company Samsung Biologics announced in December that it will expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint through the strategic acquisition of the Human Genome Sciences facility in Rockville, Maryland from GSK. This acquisition, which is anticipated to close by the end of Q1 2026, represents Samsung Biologics’ first U.S.-based manufacturing site, and will retain more than 500 existing GSK employees at the site.
The County also notched a major gain in the defense technology sector with the opening of AeroVironment’s new 57,000-square-foot research and manufacturing facility in Germantown. Governor Wes Moore, County Executive Marc Elrich, and local officials joined company executives in July to celebrate the $12.5 million project, which is expected to generate over 200 high-tech jobs, expanding AeroVironment’s Maryland workforce to roughly 600 employees and reinforcing the state’s role as a national hub for defense innovation.
Montgomery County’s strong business climate also continued to attract investments in real estate, technology and other high-growth industries.
Last summer, Bernstein Management Corporation, a major commercial real estate investment and management firm with a 70-year history in the Washington metropolitan area, relocated its corporate headquarters from D.C. to a newly renovated 15,000-square-foot space in Bethesda, bringing 50 full-time employees to the County.
In May 2025, Rockville also welcomed Powersolv, an IT consulting firm that relocated its headquarters from Reston, Virginia. Supported by a MOVE grant from Montgomery County, Powersolv employs more than 40 people at its new site and plans to add 20 new jobs within three years. The company cited access to top talent and the County’s growing Mid-Atlantic tech corridor as key reasons for its move.
Rounding out the strong period of economic momentum in Montgomery County, advanced materials for thermal insulation company Liatris celebrated the expansion of its pilot manufacturing facility in Rockville in July. The project is expected to create 15 jobs, along with more than 100 indirect and induced jobs, generating an estimated $20 million in economic impact over the next three years. The facility will support the company’s innovative work in thermal insulation solutions.
Looking ahead at future development sites, Governor Moore, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced in June the selection of Hines, a global real estate investment manager, as the developer for a transformative mixed-used development in North Bethesda. This innovation campus, which will be anchored by the University of Maryland’s Institute for Health Computing, demonstrates the County’s commitment to fueling the growth of its already well-established life sciences and technology industries.
Additionally, the County announced the $2.8 billion mixed-use development planned for East Montgomery County. The site, Viva White Oak, is approved for more than 12 million square feet of mixed-used development and will include over 3 million square feet of lab, office, and medical office space, as well as retail and up to 5,000 residences. Viva White Oak also represents the county’s first use of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) proposal to support development.
From life sciences and clean energy to defense technology, corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing, and transformative development projects, Montgomery County’s business ecosystem thrived in 2025. Even amid national economic uncertainty, the County has proved its ability to continue to attract investment, create high-quality jobs, and lay the groundwork for long-term growth.