Pat Host 
- Jay Colavita, Vertosoft president, started the firm in 2016
- He wants Vertosoft to become a leading AI-first distributor of tech for government
- Colavita sat down with ExecutiveBiz to talk cloud trends and exciting market opportunities
Jay Colavita took a leap of faith in 2016 when he started Vertosoft. That bet has paid off as Colavita, the company’s president, has helped build a company with a clear purpose of bringing innovative technology to the government.
The former IBM employee was inspired to start Vertosoft to help companies better understand how to enter the government market and for agencies to find and acquire the right technological solutions. Vertosoft has since accumulated selections for prestigious acquisition vehicles like NASA’s Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement VI and GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule-IT.
Colavita is heading a major initiative at Vertosoft to meant to position the firm as a leading AI-first distributor of innovative and emerging technologies for government. Vertosoft sees AI as a way to help its team deliver better service and work more effectively while keeping strong relationships at the center of its work.
We first sat down with Colavita in 2025 to discuss impactful emerging technologies and his advice for up-and-coming GovCon firms. ExecutiveBiz caught up with Colavita for a brand new Spotlight interview to talk impactful cloud trends, how AI is changing software development, exciting market opportunities and how he embodies Vertosoft’s values.
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ExecutiveBiz: What cloud trends will have the biggest impact on government operations over the next five years?
Jay Colavita: I expect security requirements and authorizations to play an even greater role in shaping how government adopts cloud technology. For federal agencies, FedRAMP is an important part of that conversation while state and local governments are also evaluating frameworks such as GovRAMP. These requirements influence how technology companies design and bring products to market and they can be especially challenging for emerging vendors.
We’re focused on helping companies understand those requirements and identify practical paths into the public sector, including the right partners, procurement channels and security support. The opportunity is to make secure cloud solutions more accessible to agencies while helping innovative companies navigate the steps required to serve them.
EBiz: How is AI changing software development and deployment across government?
Colavita: AI is helping compress the time between developing an idea, testing it and improving the resulting software. Teams can increasingly work in shorter, more iterative cycles, with releases and enhancements happening weekly or monthly instead of waiting for a large, multi-year project to deliver value. That creates opportunities for agencies to respond more quickly to changing needs.
Government adoption still requires careful attention to security, data protection, testing, integration and human oversight. AI can accelerate development, but agencies and vendors need sound governance and a clear understanding of how a tool will be used. The organizations that pair faster iteration with those safeguards will be best positioned to turn AI’s potential into useful services.
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When procurement is easier to navigate, agencies can reach useful technology sooner and companies with strong solutions have a clearer path to serving the public sector.
EBiz: What market opportunities are you most excited about right now?
Colavita: I’m encouraged by the government’s growing interest in adopting innovative technology and in making the procurement process simpler and more responsive. There is a significant opportunity to connect agencies with solutions that address real mission needs, including technologies that improve efficiency, strengthen security and help employees do their work more effectively.
For Vertosoft, that means helping emerging technology companies understand the public sector market and helping government customers find practical ways to evaluate and acquire solutions. When procurement is easier to navigate, agencies can reach useful technology sooner and companies with strong solutions have a clearer path to serving the public sector.
EBiz: How do you personally embody Vertosoft’s values as a leader?
Colavita: I try to lead by example and to show, through my decisions and actions, how much our mission matters. That means acting with integrity, following through on commitments, and approaching our work with dedication and a spirit of service. I also invest heavily in our culture and our employees. I want people to understand the purpose behind their work, feel supported in doing it well and see themselves as part of a team working toward a shared goal.
