George Mason University launches partnership with MetroStar | news/fairfax

George Mason University has launched a partnership with MetroStar, an artificial intelligence-focused defense company, to recruit and develop technology leaders.

Reston-based MetroStar got its start at George Mason over two decades ago when three students launched the company from their dorm room.

The students’ idea was rooted in the belief that “technology would drive change in the federal government,” according to a news release from MetroStar.

Through the multi-year strategic partnership with George Mason, MetroStar will support students and programming across the university. It will become a Costello Corporate Partner in the Donald G. Costello College of Business and an Industry Partner in the College of Engineering and Computing.

Through the collaboration, MetroStar will launch a scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students with preference for those minoring in government contracting or management information systems. MetroStar will also launch a Clearance Ready Scholarship for students interested in obtaining a national security clearance.

“MetroStar’s investment in the Costello College of Business’s Corporate Partners program aligns closely with our strategic priorities—particularly in fostering innovative business collaboration and advancing career readiness,” said Ajay Vinzé, the former dean of the College of Business and current interim provost and executive vice president of the university.

“Their support will expand access to education in government contracting for our students and strengthen the academic offerings of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting—the first university-based center in the nation focused on the business, policy, and regulatory dimensions of this vital sector,” Vinzé said.

MetroStar will also support the Dean’s Excellence Funds in the College of Engineering and Computing and in the Costello College of Business, in furtherance of strategic academic initiatives.

“We are extremely grateful for this gift from MetroStar, which will support the education and training of our students who are interested in serving our nation as federal employees or as employees of our government contractors,” said Ken Ball, the dean of the college for engineering and computing. 

Ali Reza Manouchehri, MetroStar’s CEO and co-founder, earned a bachelor of arts in philosophy from George Mason in 1999. He recently served as the 2025 Winter Commencement speaker for the university.

“This is more than a corporate partnership. It’s a personal return,” Manouchehri said. “George Mason is where we built the foundation for MetroStar. We’re investing in students who will one day shape the digital future of government just like we dreamed about doing back then.”

The three-year partnership will create a “new model of agile collaboration between academia and the public sector, bridging the fast-paced world of government innovation with the grounded mission of education,” the release said.

Earlier this year, George Mason released its plan for advancing a “responsible approach to harnessing artificial intelligence and driving societal impact,” officials said.

The partnership will also fuel the Mason Innovation Exchange, an incubator for student-driven ideas and power events such as PatriotHacks, the university’s hackathon that challenges students to solve real-world problems with coding.

“Our partnership isn’t about one-off contributions but investing in people and the future of civil servants who will protect and guide the nation,” Manouchehri said. “We’re creating deliberate pathways from campus to cleared service, from idea to implementation, and from classroom projects to real-world impact.”