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Commentary: Va. ecosystem supports growth
It has been almost four years since I began leading economic development and innovation efforts at George Mason University, and what a whirlwind! This is an exciting time to be in Virginia, and getting to do this job every day feels like winning the lottery. It all started with the Amazon.com HQ2 win in 2018, […]
From seed to success
On an early morning in summer 2021, a small group of engineers and drone operators gathered at Lake Elsinore in California to see if their machines would fly as designed. With newly incorporated sensor technology, it was the first time the founders of Leesburg-based Flying Ship Co. attempted to fly one of their autonomous vehicles […]
From salutes to startups
When Navy veteran Leland Remias was preparing to launch his Newport News real estate startup, VroomBrick, he looked for every resource possible to help him learn about business and scaling up. First, he completed an MBA from William & Mary in May. And in 2022, he participated in the Veteran Startup Challenge, a five-week intensive […]
VIPC launches $100M fund partnership for Va. startups
The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. is partnering with seven venture capital fund managers to invest $100 million in 100 Virginia-based startups. Through the partnership, announced Monday by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and named Virginia Invests, VIPC will commit $40 million to the seven funds using previously awarded funding from the U.S. Treasury Department’s State Small Business […]
Lighthouse Labs leader has ‘deep heart for entrepreneurship’
Explaining how she became involved in supporting entrepreneurism, the new managing director of Richmond-based accelerator Lighthouse Labs jokes that “it was all accidental.” As a James Madison University senior putting herself through school, Debbie Irwin couldn’t find a class that lined up with her work schedule, so her dean suggested writing a senior thesis instead. […]
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[...]
SCCF to host national entrepreneurship conference
Shenandoah Community Capital Fund is hosting a national entrepreneurship organization’s summit in Harrisonburg, marking the first time the bi-annual event has convened in a rural area like the Shenandoah Valley, says Anika Horn, who directs SCCF’s entrepreneurial ecosystem-building efforts. The Startup Champions Network (SCN) Spring Summit runs April 30 through May 2. Staunton-based SC[...]
VIPC taps Benevento as permanent president and CEO
Joe Benevento will remain as the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp.’s president and CEO permanently after serving in the role on an interim basis since September 2023, VIPC announced Wednesday. Benevento took over as interim CEO when Bob Stolle announced he was stepping down. A not-for-profit corporation created in 1985 by the General Assembly as an […]
Israeli defense giant launches Herndon aerospace accelerator
Herndon will soon have something in common with Tel Aviv — an aerospace accelerator and innovation center run by Israeli state-owned aerospace and defense company Israel Aerospace Industries, which helped design Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. IAI and IAI North America, its Herndon-based U.S. government contracting subsidiary, in cooperation with California- and Washington, D.C.[...]
McLean AI health care startup raises $111M in Series A funding
McLean-based Zephyr AI has raised $111 million in a Series A funding round, the health care technology startup announced March 13. The round included participation from about 30 investors, including Revolution Growth, Eli Lilly & Co., Jeff Skoll, and Epiq Capital Group, according to a news release and a Securities and Exchange Commission filing from […]
Lighthouse Labs names new managing director
Debbie Irwin, the former director of the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund, will be the next managing director of Lighthouse Labs, the Richmond accelerator announced Friday. She begins her new role Feb. 26. Irwin is leaving her role at SCCF, another entrepreneurial support organization based in Staunton, where she served for six years, first as director […]
