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Sentar
Sentar is an employee-owned cyber intelligence company founded in 1990 by CEO Bridget McCaleb, serving the DoD and Intelligence Community from Huntsville.
Sentar
Sentar was founded in 1990 and initially focused on applied technology for national-security command-and-control challenges. CEO Bridget McCaleb expanded the firm’s mandate in 2009, pushing into intelligence and full-spectrum cybersecurity services. The company remained closely held until February 2025, when it transitioned to a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan — a recapitalization that now makes its more-than-300-person workforce collective owners of the business. Sentar’s deployment model blends prime-position federal contracting with an in-house technology stack. Its revenue base spans three disciplines: cybersecurity risk management, intelligence and analytics, and systems and software engineering. The firm holds a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3 appraisal for both services and development. Recent prime award flow illustrates the scale: a $172.7 million task order under the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic’s Risk Management Operations vehicle (2024), a $164 million Defense Health Agency IDIQ via SeaPort-NXG (2019), and a $160 million DHA award under Task Orders 6 and 7 (2016). Commercial client work exists but the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community remain the dominant revenue drivers. Geographically, Sentar operates from Huntsville headquarters, plus offices in South Carolina, Maryland, Texas, and California, reflecting a deliberate build-out around major defense and intelligence installations. In 2023 Sentar acquired Waterfront Technical Services, a Huntsville-based firm, deepening its bench inside the Army and missile-defense ecosystem. Headcount passed 300 professionals in 2025; roughly 40% are military veterans, according to the CEO. The firm also maintains a proprietary product suite — CodeValor, MissionValor, KnoWeb, DASE, Specula, and Theseus — designed for the converged cyber domain it describes as the intersection of once-siloed technical disciplines. Sentar’s structural differentiator is less its contract vehicle access than its ESOP governance. In a sector dominated by private-equity roll-ups and founder-led small businesses, employee ownership creates a retention and incentive architecture that is unusual for a cleared defense-services company of its size. The 2025 ESOP conversion also functions as a succession mechanism, embedding economic continuity alongside McCaleb’s leadership.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1990
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Huntsville
Corporate office
675 Discovery Drive, Suite 205, Huntsville, AL 35806, United States
Additional offices
North Charleston, SC · Columbia, MD · San Antonio, TX · San Diego, CA
Principals
Bridget McCaleb
Catalyst and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Sentar?
Sentar is an operating company, not an investment firm — it does not deploy third-party capital or maintain a fund structure. Resource allocation and M&A decisions are led by CEO Bridget McCaleb, who has run the business since its 1990 founding. The 2025 ESOP conversion adds an employee-ownership governance layer but does not change day-to-day operational control.
What agencies and contract vehicles drive Sentar's revenue?
Disclosed prime awards concentrate at the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic and the Defense Health Agency. Sentar holds a position on the SeaPort-NXG IDIQ, the ITES-3S Army contract vehicle, and multiple task-order primes under NIWC. The firm lists the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community as its primary clients, with a smaller commercial practice.
How does the 2025 ESOP conversion change Sentar's ownership structure?
Before February 2025, Sentar was privately held by its founders and executives. The Employee Stock Ownership Plan transition made the entire workforce — more than 300 professionals — collective owners. ESOP structures in government contracting can provide tax advantages and retention hooks; Sentar explicitly frames the move as aligning employee incentives with long-term mission delivery.
What proprietary technology does Sentar own?
Sentar's product portfolio includes CodeValor, MissionValor, KnoWeb, DASE, Specula, and Theseus. The firm positions these tools as solutions for the 'converged cyber domain,' combining cybersecurity, intelligence analytics, and systems engineering. Specific capabilities and customer deployments are not publicly detailed.
Has Sentar made acquisitions to expand its footprint?
Yes. In 2023, Sentar acquired Waterfront Technical Services, a Huntsville-based company, adding capacity in its home market and strengthening ties to Army and missile-defense programs. Prior growth was organic, centered on contract wins at naval and health-agency customers.
What are Sentar's primary geographic hubs?
Corporate headquarters are in Huntsville, Alabama — a major aerospace and defense center. The firm maintains additional offices in North Charleston, South Carolina (Navy concentration); Columbia, Maryland (intelligence community); San Antonio, Texas (military health and cyber); and San Diego, California (naval and Pacific operations).
Is Sentar a veteran-owned business?
The firm is not formally designated as veteran-owned, but CEO Bridget McCaleb stated in 2026 that roughly 40% of the workforce has military service backgrounds. Sentar's recruitment strategy actively targets veterans, and the firm has received repeated recognition from VETS Indexes.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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