Sign In
Free Newsletter
NFIB hires grassroots manager for five-state region
Small business advocacy organization the National Federation of Independent Business announced Tuesday that it hired Katie Whittington as its grassroots manager for Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina Virginia and West Virginia. In the role, Whittington will be based in Richmond and work directly with NFIB members across the five-state region to advance small business agendas […]
Virginia Best Places To Work 2025: Small Company Winners
#1 SMALL BUSINESS SPURRIER GROUP www.spurriergroup.com Spurrier Group fosters a collaborative and supportive environment where employees thrive. The company unites a diverse group of women, from new college graduates to grandmothers, who work together to deliver best-in-class performance media campaigns. Spurrier Group’s unique approach ensures that employees feel valued and appreciated thro[...]
STARTVIRGINIA April 2025 news roundup
Antithesis Operations, a Vienna software testing startup whose tools find bugs in computer programming code, announced in mid-February it had raised $30 million in new funding. The company aims to double its workforce and continue its expansion into new markets. Repeat investor Amplify Partners, a California-based venture capital firm, led the funding round, and San […]
Founders of Black-owned brands adapt their hopes and business plans for a post-DEI era
NEW YORK (AP) — The co-founders of a company that makes lip products for darker skin tones no longer hope to get their line into Target. A brother and sister who make jigsaw puzzles celebrating Black subjects wonder if they need to offer “neutral” images like landscapes to keep growing. Pound Cake and Puzzles of Color […]
Paragon Systems fined $52M for alleged fraud
Herndon-based federal contractor Paragon Systems agreed Tuesday to pay $52 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice that Paragon used its own subsidiaries to fraudulently win small business set-aside contracts, violating the federal False Claims and Anti-Kickback acts. The company is one of the federal government’s largest providers of security, fire and […]
VCEDA seed grants sow small business growth
Adam Patterson knew if his fashion design company was going to thrive in his hometown of Big Stone Gap, he needed capital — and a new sewing machine. “Mine was so old, it sewed crooked stitches,” says Patterson, founder of Jones-Hurst Designs. Patterson received a $10,000 grant in September from a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development […]
StartVirginia: Heard Around Virginia October 2024
Fairfax County announced Sept. 13 that it has awarded eight companies grants as part of the second cohort of the Fairfax Founders Fund (FFF). The fund, which supports the growth of the county’s startup ecosystem, provides technical assistance and $50,000 grants to startups developing innovative technology solutions and demonstrating business growth opportunities. The second FFF […]
265 Va. companies make 2024 Inc. 5000 list
This year, 265 Virginia companies made the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies, released Tuesday by Inc. magazine. Ranking at No. 53 overall, Ashburn IT services firm Blu Omega, a woman-owned small business founded in 2020, was the highest-ranking Virginia company on the list. Blu Omega’s clients include federal agencies […]
StartVirginia: Heard Around Virginia August 2024
Blacksburg is moving forward with the renovation of a former dry-cleaning business into a retail business incubator. Slated to open by the end of 2025, the Blacksburg Retail Incubator is planned at 414 N. Main St., a 5,000-square-foot building owned by the town. After the building has been improved, Downtown Blacksburg Inc. will locate there […]
StartVirginia: HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA
Comcast said April 9 it is opening grant applications for a program benefiting small businesses across Greater Richmond. The global cable broadcasting company said the grant packages include business coaching, education sources, media schedules, creative production, technology makeovers and $5,000 in cash. Comcast’s RISE program is aimed at supporting the growth of small businesses while [&h[...]
Small biz pilot program to aid Phoebus retailers
Five small retailers in Hampton’s Phoebus downtown historic district will receive micro grants and nearly a year of free professional guidance, thanks to funding from a state grant awarded to The Retail Alliance, a nonprofit trade association in Norfolk. The Retail Alliance and the Phoebus Partnership, a nonprofit organization bolstering area small businesses, won the […]
Anthem, Va. Chamber partner on WiseChoice Healthcare Alliance
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield on the WiseChoice Healthcare Alliance, the next step in providing health insurance to small business owners through a newly legalized consortium structure, President and CEO Barry DuVal announced Wednesday. In June 2022, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation allowing associations — including […]
