Building What’s Next: Arlington’s Innovation Ecosystem in 2026

January 20, 2026 | By Tally Wolff, Startup Ecosystem Manager

Arlington Economic Development’s (AED) Business Investment Group is entering 2026 with a clear focus: strengthening Arlington’s startup ecosystem while accelerating National Landing’s emergence as a hub for innovation.

At the core of this work is the Arlington Innovation Fund (AIF), AED’s strategic initiative to position Arlington as a nationally recognized destination for founders, investors and innovation-driven companies. In 2026, AIF is pairing ecosystem-building with stronger data, regional coordination and exploration of physical infrastructure to support long-term impact.

Listening First: A Stakeholder Survey to Inform Strategy

A key FY26 initiative is a comprehensive stakeholder survey of founders, investors and ecosystem partners. The survey will establish a baseline understanding of how Arlington’s startup ecosystem is perceived and provide insight into AED’s visibility, effectiveness and value across core functions such as funding, convening and storytelling.

Results will inform FY27 planning and longer-term ecosystem strategy, while creating a repeatable tool for regular benchmarking and impact reporting. By grounding future decisions in data and feedback, AED is prioritizing clarity, accountability and continuous improvement centered on the voices of founders.

Building Momentum Through Regional Collaboration

AED will continue its collaboration with the National Landing Business Improvement District, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and major corporate and strategic partners to advance shared goals around innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth.

The collaboration will result in programming, partnerships and storytelling that creates a neighborhood-wide ecosystem in National Landing supporting entrepreneurs and startups to mature companies. This work emphasizes sustained momentum around Arlington’s strengths in national security, defense, aerospace and advanced technologies, ensuring National Landing is seen as a long-term innovation hub rather than a one-off destination. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on this initiative in February.

Exploring a Physical Hub for Dual-Use Innovation

AED is also collaborating with a real estate partner to explore a physical hub concept for dual-use and national security startups. The goal is to assess how purpose-built space could support collaboration, commercialization and ecosystem density, while remaining market-driven and sustainable.

If realized, this effort would represent a meaningful step toward supporting dual-use founders and strengthening the connective tissue between startups, investors and institutions.

Onward

As 2026 unfolds, AED’s focus is not just on growing activity, but on building durable systems, partnerships and feedback loops that sustain growth over time.

Subscribe to AED’s newsletter on Arlington’s innovation ecosystem to stay connected as these initiatives take shape throughout 2026.