757 Angels to join VentureSouth network
757 Angels, a Hampton Roads angel investment group that matches venture capitalists with local entrepreneurs, is partnering with VentureSouth, one of the largest angel network groups in the United States, the group announced Friday. The partnership, effective June 2023, will provide more access to capital and investors to 757 Angels‘ 140 members. VentureSouth has about […]
Lawyers aim to lower barriers to legal advice for startups
It takes a lot to start a business — a marketable idea, available capital and good advice, among other resources. Tricia Dunlap puts legal guidance in the same bucket. A former history teacher who became a lawyer in her 40s, Dunlap started her own Richmond-based law firm, Dunlap Law PLC, in 2015 to help “un-lawyered […]
Richmond wellness space gets shot from Jack Daniel’s
On his 33rd birthday, Brelan Hillman learned that BareSOUL Yoga and Wellness was selected as one of six finalists to compete for $10,000 in a pitch contest for Black-owned businesses in Richmond. With just a weekend to prepare, Hillman, a business partner and board member for BareSOUL, crafted his three-minute appeal to connect Richmond’s history […]
StartVirginia: Nov. 2022 Heard around Virginia
Virginia Tech‘s Apex Center for Entrepreneurs has received a $500,000 donation from Apex Systems co-founder Win Sheridan. A 1994 Tech graduate, Sheridan made the donation to help the Apex Center engage with student entrepreneurs through programming, networking and funding. Launched in 2014, the Apex Center is named in recognition of a $5 million commitment from […]
Modus Create acquires Philadelphia-based firm
Reston-based Modus Create Inc., a technology consulting firm, has acquired Philadelphia-based product and application development firm Promptworks LLC, Modus announced Tuesday. A dollar amount for the acquisition was not disclosed. The acquisition follows two others made by Modus Create this year. In May, the company acquired Atlas Authority, a New York-based information technology services and [&[...]
Zebox opens U.S. incubator in Arlington
ElectroTempo Inc. CEO and co-founder Ann Xu wants her company’s software to reach 70% of the United States by 2027. Founded in 2020, Electro Tempo provides analytics and tools to help vehicle fleets, utilities and governments optimize the size and location of electric vehicle-charging infrastructure. The company took a step toward accomplishing its goal by […]
StartVirginia: Oct. 2022 Heard around Virginia
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Astraea Inc., a geospatial analytics startup based in Charlottesville, spearheaded an effort to provide free satellite imagery that could be used by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, as well as civilians and humanitarian organizations. The company’s platform allows users to see and analyze images of any location on the planet […]
Evermade Foods to expand Fauquier County operations
Warrenton-based Evermade Foods is investing $110,000 to expand its manufacturing operations and add 46 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. Evermade Foods is a co-manufacturer of prepared meals sold under private labels at grocery stores and through meal subscription services. The company has invested $1.7 million in building upgrades, machinery and tools to its 12,000-square-foot […[...]
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 […]
All businesses great and small
There are 32.5 million small businesses in the United States, employing more than 61 million people and making up a staggering 99.9% of the nation’s businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. As business journalists, though, we tend to focus almost exclusively on the larger businesses that reap bigger profits and make bigger news. […]
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 […]