On cloud nine
In 2007 — the same year that Apple unveiled the iPhone and Netflix introduced the idea of “streaming” movies — Buddy Rizer started aggressively targeting an industry that many of the people he worked for in Loudoun County didn’t yet fully comprehend. “It was not an easy story to tell at first,” Rizer recalls of […]
Navigating metaverse investments
Investors itching to get in on the latest tech trend are zooming in on the metaverse — a presumed future virtual or mixed reality iteration of the internet in which users would navigate 3D environments for working, shopping, socializing and entertainment. By some estimates, the metaverse market could balloon to $5 trillion in annual revenue […]
Major companies pledge $1.5M for broadband expansion
Dominion Energy Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. — formerly Facebook — Glen Allen-based Primis Bank and Petersburg-based The Cameron Foundation have collectively pledged more than $1.5 million to expand broadband access across Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The funding will contribute to efforts to extend service to 233,000 Virginians who lack access to broadband. “These […[...]
Facebook bringing broadband to Grayson County
Facebook, Appalachian Power and Gigabeam Networks are partnering to bring faster internet to Grayson County residents, the social media giant announced Thursday. The trio of companies will bring fiber-to-the-home and wireless internet to about 6,000 households in Grayson, a Southwest Virginia county with a population of about 15,000. Gigabeam will begin offering internet service in […]
Facebook removes Amanda Chase’s Senate page
Facebook appears to have permanently removed State Sen. Amanda Chase’s official state Senate page, according to email communications provided by the campaign. After multiple unsuccessful attempts by her campaign to get her public page reinstated as recently as last week, Chase, R-Chesterfield, said Sunday that she is considering a national class action lawsuit against the […]
Capital One taps new board members from Facebook, Nike
McLean-based Capital One Financial Corp. announced Tuesday the addition of two new members to its board of directors: Ime Archibong, head of new product experimentation at Facebook Inc., and Craig Williams, president of Jordan Brand at Nike Inc. Archibong and Williams have been appointed to fill two new seats on the board, and will stand […]
Va. candidates and groups drop $12M+ on Facebook ad spending
RICHMOND, Va. — In an election forecasted to have record voter turnout, political campaigns have deployed a multiplatform media blitz. Facebook is for more than likes these days, with the platform getting its share of Virginia political and issue spending to the tune of over $12.7 million in a recent three-month period, according to the […]
Facebook opens Black business grant program
Starting Wednesday, any majority Black-owned business in the U.S. with up to 50 employees can apply for a grant through Facebook Inc.’s Black Business Grant. In June, Facebook announced it had committed $100 million in grants this year to support U.S. Black-owned businesses, creators and nonprofits. The social media giant announced Wednesday that $40 million […]
One-third of small businesses not operating during pandemic
Nearly one-third of small and medium-sized businesses aren’t operating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results released Monday from a national survey conducted by Facebook Inc. and the Small Business Roundtable (SBR). Approximately 86,000 people who own, manage or work for a small or medium-sized business were surveyed. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of […]
Facebook awards nearly $170k in grants to three Va. newsrooms
Facebook Inc. announced Thursday that it has awarded a total of nearly $170,000 from its COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund Grant Program to three Virginia media outlets: The Richmond Free Press, Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Henrico Citizen. Facebook received more than 2,000 applications for the funding, dividing more than $10 million in grants among 144 […]
Facebook opens applications for Va. small business grants Wednesday
Facebook Inc. announced Tuesday that it will begin taking applications for its small business grant program in Virginia on Wednesday, April 22. The social media giant opened the program to more than 30,000 businesses in more than 30 countries, including the United States, totaling $100 million. Thirty-one businesses in the Richmond region will receive a […]