Northern Virginia, known for its entrepreneurial spirit and abundance of technology companies, has been referred to as "the Silicon Valley of the East" by Atlantic Magazine and "Data Centre Alley" by the Washington Business Journal. It is considered the driving economic force of the Commonwealth of Virginia and much of the Washington metropolitan area, with nearly 70% of all Internet traffic flowing through the Dulles Technology Corridor.

Comprised of a large, diverse business community with a highly educated workforce, cities like Ashburn and Reston in Northern Virginia greatly benefit by their close proximity to the federal government, its high quality healthcare and one of the best transportation and mass transit systems in the country, according to the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.