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On your mark
When Virginia Commonwealth University closed its buildings in spring 2020, then-student Julien Reininger wasn’t deterred from his entrepreneurial pursuits. In the kitchen of his parents’ Springfield home, Reininger ran a dehydrator for eight hours at a time, creating vegan jerky from canned jackfruit and developing different marinades. “I’m sure when I started doing it, they [&[...]
Va. receives $230M for startup, venture capital funding
Virginia has been approved for as much as $230.4 million in federal funds to accelerate startups, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced Tuesday. The money comes from the Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). Virginia will operate five programs, including two loan participation, one loan guarantee and two equity/venture capital programs. Loan programs include [&hellip[...]
AWS boosts women-led startups
Nessle co-founder and CEO Carly Buxton and her chief technology officer have passed up salaries and dipped into their savings to keep the Richmond-based tech business running since its 2019 launch. The Nessle platform connects new parents with real-time tailored support. To keep Nessle running, Buxton applied for grants and participated in two previous accelerators. […]
Coworking hub for entrepreneurs opening in Harrisonburg
The brains behind the Staunton Innovation Hub are working on bringing a new hub to a new city: the $4.5 million Harrisonburg Innovation Hub is expected to open in late 2023, investors and partners announced Tuesday. Harrisonburg “has a very vibrant and growing startup ecosystem in place already, and there’s just a need for it […]
Mighty Dream Day 2: Finding and seizing opportunities
The second day of Pharrell Williams‘ Mighty Dream Forum in Norfolk included poetry, news about Williams’ Something in the Water music festival and advice for entrepreneurs. Just as Mighty Dream’s first day was focused around a central theme of diversity and equity, the second day was largely dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurs to find and create […]
Apex Systems co-founder gives $500,000 to Va. Tech
Virginia Tech‘s Apex Center for Entrepreneurs has received a $500,000 donation from Apex Systems co-founder Win Sheridan. A 1994 Tech graduate with bachelor’s degrees in political science and English with a minor in business administration, Sheridan made the donation to help the Apex Center engage with student entrepreneurs through programing, networking and funding, according to [&hel[...]
StartVirginia: Hopewell businesses get boost from pitch contest
Jonathan Montiel and his business partners, Phillip and Lexi Hughes, bought a building in downtown Hopewell and asked community members what they needed. Their answer: more restaurants. That’s how City Point Ice Cream & Burgers was born, and the trio think it’s also why they won the $15,000 first prize in the Homegrown for Hopewell […]
No myth
Last year, Lori Stacy found herself leading a unicorn. The CEO of Norfolk-based Trader Interactive, an online marketplace for boats, recreational vehicles, motorcycles and other niche vehicles, Stacy helped shepherd the company through its June acquisition by Australian auto retailer carsales.com Ltd. The Australian company paid $624 million for 49% of the business in August […]
Regional biz mentorship program jump-starts startups
Ruth Rau started her business as a hobby. Now, seven years later, her Winchester-based toy company — Mouse Loves Pig — is on track to generate revenue in six figures. The entrepreneur‘s toys for babies and young children are sold in more than 250 stores in nine countries, and she’s partnered with a manufacturing company […]
STARTVIRGINIA: HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. has formed a $100 million corporate venture capital arm, the McLean-based Fortune 500 global management consultancy announced in mid-July. Named Booz Allen Ventures LLC, the arm will invest in early-stage companies and technologies across four categories: defense, artificial intelligence/machine learning, cybersecurity and deep technology. Booz Allen Ventures will help the[...]
Hopewell businesses get boost after pitch competiton
Jonathan Montiel and his business partners Phillip and Lexi Hughes bought a building in downtown Hopewell and then asked community members what they needed. Their answer: more restaurants. That’s how City Point Ice Cream & Burgers was born, and it’s why the trio think they won the $15,000 first prize in the Homegrown for Hopewell […]
Bio-plastic startup wins Lighthouse Labs pitch contest
While pitching to the sharks, entrepreneur Alec Brewer told them, “I do have white powder in my pocket,” before quickly clarifying that it wasn’t an illicit substance: “It’s PHB! It’s PHB!” Brewer passed the vial over for the sharks’ inspection during his Lighthouse Labs Demo Day pitch Thursday for his company, Ourobio, of which he […]
