Tiny Cargo gets big local support
In a bid to keep the startup local, the Roanoke Regional Partnership found a 10,800-square-foot warehouse to renovate and looped in Roanoke Valley Development Corp. and Greater Roanoke Valley Development Foundation, which jointly purchased the building and offered Tiny Cargo favorable leasing terms. “If a place has the real es[...]
STARTVIRGINIA: HEARD AROUND VIRGINIA
The second CvilleBioHub Device & Tech Expo will take place Jan. 30 at Northfork Research Park in Charlottesville. Registration is open, and participating companies include Luna Labs, Inbio, Cutagenesis, BrightSpec and others. Tickets are available at cvillebiohub.org. (News release) Joining a number of other Northern Virgini[...]
VCU startup grabs military attention, funding
A discovery by a Virginia Commonwealth University research scientist that could revolutionize the treatment of massive blood loss injuries is receiving major support from the military. In August, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $1.8 million grant to Perfusion Medical, a company co-founded by Martin J. Mangino with support from the [...]
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 Econom[...]
Defense tech startups close major funding rounds
Venture capital firms are betting big on two Northern Virginia-based defense contracting startups that are promising high-tech solutions to military challenges. In August, McLean-based Defcon AI announced it had raised $44 million in seed funding led by San Francisco investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners. The same month, Par[...]
SEC, Hampton managing partner of BFM Fund settle charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission settled charges in early October against a Hampton-based managing partner of The BFM Fund and a limited liability company for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties and misleading investors. Himalaya Rao-Potlapally of Hampton is a managing partner of Portland, Oregon-based BFM Fund, a s[...]
Boones Mill store plays Trump card
The red, white and blue Trump Town sign hanging high upon a former Boones Mill church is as prominent as a sign can be without being lit by neon. But in case drivers passing through town somehow miss it, there’s also a 15-foot cutout of a smiling Donald J. Trump leaning up against the building, […]
Startup resources and local economic development offices
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: Local startup resources 504 Capital 504capital.com 757 Accelerate 757accelerate.org 757 Angels 757angels.org 757 Startup Studios [...]
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 […]
Summit for entrepreneurs planned for Danville
Two South Boston-based economic development organizations will host a summit for entrepreneurs and business leaders Oct. 19 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville. Launched by the SOVA Innovation Hub, a nonprofit working to drive economic transformation with digital skills and entrepreneurship, and RISE [...]
County grants boost early-stage entrepreneurs
As an early-stage startup founder, Ray Magee grew accustomed to hearing ‘no.’ In the eight years since he founded Centreville-based BloomCatch, a plant recognition app, Magee reckons he’s applied for seven or eight grants. So, when BloomCatch landed a $50,000 grant from Fairfax County in November 2023, he admits to some in[...]
StartVirginia: Heard Around Virginia September 2024
Blue Delta Capital Partners, a Tysons-based venture capital firm, is preparing to make more equity investments in regional growth-stage tech firms serving the federal government following the close of a $250 million fund. The firm plans to offer noncontrolling ownership investments of between $15 million and $50 million from its Blue Delta Capital Fund IV. […]