Former Richmond football standout enters tech world as a defense contractor

Richmond native Mark Parson has constantly fed off the energy of others, whether on the football field or the business world.

The former Monacan High school standout, who also played cornerback for the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints in the NFL, used his love of association with people to be part of a lucrative post-football tech career. He and his team won a share of a $43 billion Department of Defense contract to help modernize computer systems at healthcare facilities for military personnel and their families nationwide.

The base of his startup, Richmond-based EighthPARALLEL Inc., is interoperability.

"A lot of times, old and new computer systems don't talk to each other," Parson said. "The bigger your organization gets, the more you need it as new technology systems integrate into existing databases. The government and military seek this, and many corporations don't even know they need it."

In partnership with INTRVST Corp., his portion of the contract is a 10-year initiative to improve the Defense Health Agency's computer system, making the process smoother.

"It will help doctors and nurses and assist the patients in receiving quality and faster service," he said.

Parson describes himself as more of a business development mind and less of a tech guy, so this venture needed to begin with forming a team. 

After his NFL career ended, Parson worked at Rosie's Gaming Emporium in 2016, where he met his eventual business partner, Chaun Burnette, who does have a tech background and was trying to get Rosie's on board with a similar business model. Parson was intrigued.

"I'm always looking for scalable, big ideas," he said. "I wanted to be a part of something that could change the world. I could provide the relationship-building part because I love meeting new people."

The early years of this relationship were rough as the model proved to be a tough sell. While they did have clients here and there, some were skeptical.

"The system uses AI, which people equated to sci-fi in 2017," he said. 

Parson used his NFL connections to secure a big client in 2023. The league found the model valuable for the data in its player portal, both present and past.

"It took a year of consulting, but we got it working for them, and they were pleased," he said. "We started to get traction, and AI is trending. Things are starting to happen."

Soon after that, while at a charity golf tournament, he met a business owner who is a disabled veteran.

"It turns out government systems, like the ones at the DoD, are perfect for this," Parson explained. 

A post-career quandary

EighthPARALLEL is working with the Department of Defense to enhance its portal to ensure that information is readily available for veterans who need extra support after their military careers.  

While Parson didn't serve in the military, he spent some time between high school and college at Fork Union Military Academy in Fluvanna County.

He didn't have scholarship opportunities to play football coming out of Monacan, so his coach suggested he do a post-graduate program at the academy.

"I was very spoiled and grew up in the suburbs," he said. "Fork Union prepared me for college and prepared me for life. The day is full of work, and you learn to take instructions. Everything is structured."

It prepared him for attending college at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, his time in the NFL and life after it.

There are parallels between serving in the military and serving in football. In both cases, it's hard to adjust to a world where that's not happening.

"That happened to me after my career was over. I went into a state of depression, and I didn't even watch football for a while," Parson said.

Parson felt inspired by how well-run a good football team was during his football career.

"When I was with the Saints, head coach Sean Payton always told players to do their job," he said. "Everyone has an individual role and is held to the highest standard. Everybody has the same goal. When I left, it was hard to find companies with that same philosophy."

Since every business uses digital systems, Parson believes more companies can benefit from this technology. Some are still skeptical because of the presence of AI in the system. "My partner, Chaun, always tells potential clients that the technology is not here to take your job," he said. "They're told to let the machine help them make better decisions." 

Parson loves Richmond and its rich military presence locally and throughout the state. "For much of my youth, I didn't even realize it since my focus was on football. I feel proud to be from Richmond, and I have a lot of pride in my country."