George Mason University has secured the first commercial tech tenant for its new Fuse at Mason Square innovation and research center in Arlington.
By next spring, D.C.-based cybersecurity firm Cybastion will relocate its headquarters from 1776 K St. NW to the 345,000-square-foot facility at 3401 Fairfax Drive in the Virginia Square neighborhood. Fuse at Mason Square opened in September, though it won't be fully open to students and researchers until August 2025.
Cybastion, which employs about two dozen workers and specializes in researching cybersecurity efforts and 5G technologies in the U.S. and Africa, is no stranger to GMU. Founder and CEO Thierry Wandji has worked with Mason professor Duminda Wijesekera out of the university's Cyber Living Innovation Lab, also located within Mason Square, for several years on research to advance digital technology adoption across the African continent.
"Given its location and research talent, including Wijesekera’s team, Cybastion is pleased to take up residency in Fuse," Wandji said in a statement. "The partnership with George Mason University offers us an opportunity to seamlessly blend our strengths for fostering digital innovation while tapping into the university’s wealth of research and development to scale."
Wandji was unavailable for comment.
Securing Cybastion as its first tech tenant marks a pivotal moment for Fuse, a $178 million public-private venture looking to become hub of tech across academia and the commercial sector. The building, which broke ground in April 2022, was developed by a team including Bethesda-based Edgemoor and Chicago's Harrison Street. Clark Construction served as general contractor and EYP as architect. Newmark leases the property.
Fuse boasts dedicated commercial-ready lab space for digital arts, simulations and virtual reality as well as robotics development and testing areas, among other built-in amenities spanning nine floors, each ranging from 10,000 to 26,000 square feet.
John Hollis, a spokesperson for GMU, told me the university hopes to host over 10 companies out of Fuse in the coming years. He declined to share specific figures regarding lease terms for Cybastion or the amount of space it will occupy. He said Wood & Iron, a Richmond-based sports bar, will take over ground-floor retail space at Fuse in early 2025.
The university partially funded the Fuse project with $84 million in state funding delivered as part of a special program created to lure Amazon.com Inc.'s second headquarters to Northern Virginia. Mason was expected to match that amount in private funding.
