Charlottesville’s Astraea acquired by Fla. satellite company
Astraea, a Charlottesville-based geospatial analytics firm, has been acquired by Nuview, a Florida-based company developing a satellite imaging constellation, the companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not available. Founded as a for-profit benefit corporation in 2016, Astraea applies data science and artificial intelligence to analyze imaging and sensor data gathered from E[...]
Roanoke fintech startup KlariVis closes $11M funding round
KlariVis closed an $11 million Series B funding round, the Roanoke-based banking data analytics startup announced Thursday. KlariVis provides data analytics solutions for community banks and credit unions. The fintech company has doubled its revenue and customer count year-over-year and has 100 clients, according to a news release. The $11 million will be used for […]
Pulaski startup aims to turn pollutants into profit
Where some people see pollutants, Steve Critchfield sees the potential for profit and to improve the environment. As founder and president of Pulaski-based MOVA Technologies, Critchfield developed and patented a filter about the size of a refrigerator that captures selected air pollutants and breaks them into byproducts that can be sold and reused. It’s based […]
Electra’s hybrid prototype aircraft takes first flight
This story was updated Dec. 1. A Manassas aircraft manufacturer that’s developing an electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft logged a significant milestone Nov. 19 when it completed its first hybrid-electric flight. Electra’s EL-2 Goldfinch took off from Manassas Regional Airport and flew 23 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,200 feet and covered about […]
Scout Space founder has out-of-this-world goals
Eric Ingram wanted two things as a kid: blue hair and to travel to space. As CEO of Alexandria-based aerospace startup Scout Space, Ingram found the freedom to establish his now-trademark electric-blue hair. And it might provide the boost to reach that other goal. Ingram co-founded Scout Space in 2019 while he was furloughed from […]
Startup resources
Entrepreneurship continues to grow across Hampton Roads, with many organizations dedicated to helping startups and small businesses expand and thrive. Here is a sample of the many resources available: 504 Capital 504capital.com 757 Accelerate 757accelerate.org 757 Angels 757angels.org 757 Startup Studios 757startupstudios.org 757 Makerspace 757makerspace.com Black BRAND blackbrand.biz Business Dev[...]
Innovation center could be boost for life sciences
Kipton Currier envisions Virginia joining other mid-Atlantic states to form a super region for the life sciences industry. Before that happens, the state must secure some key ingredients missing from the ecosystem, namely sufficient lab space for biotech startups. Activation Capital, the brand name of the Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority — which promotes the […]
Gathering power
While working on a cellular tower a few years back, Kyle Mullins got what he describes as the “call of a lifetime” — an invitation to work on the first two pilot wind turbines for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. A Navy veteran who received a telecommunications technical certification from Texas A&M University, […]
Son’s cancer fight inspires startup
The sight of Neal Piper’s then-3-year-old son, Noah, stuck on the couch all day, tethered to an IV pole with a feeding tube after the boy’s cancer diagnosis in 2019 put his father on a new mission. Piper, who had 15 years of experience in commercializing health care products, including 10 years in sales, marketing […]
StartVirginia: August 2023 Heard Around Virginia
Two Virginia business owners were among 20 women entrepreneurs chosen in June out of 6,500 applicants to participate in a 10-week accelerator sponsored by Allergan Aesthetics, the maker of Botox. Monika Jefferson, CEO and founder of the Hampton Roads-based Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs, which provides networking and resources to military spouse business owners, and […]
Agtech startup to invest $25M in Albemarle expansion
Agricultural biotech startup AgroSpheres will invest $25 million to expand in Albemarle County, creating an estimated 50 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. The company will increase production at its facility at 1180 Seminole Trail and build a research and development and demonstration facility for new products, which will be a pilot plant for a […]
StartVirginia: May 2023 Heard around Virginia
Richmond-based Babylon Micro-Farms Inc. raised $8 million in a series A funding round led by VentureSouth, the company announced April 4. The money will help expand go-to-market efforts and grow the company’s client base in the U.S. and beyond. Founded in 2017, Babylon enables businesses and communities to grow produce, and its software remotely manages […]

















