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Ecosystem insights
Leaders from across Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem discuss investing in new companies, challenges facing startups and advice for success. KAREN BOOTH ADAMS CEO, Hot Technology Holdings LLC Richmond What do you look for when you’re investing in a startup? The most important thing I look for when investing in a startup is the tenacity, drive, intelligence […]
June 2023: Heard around Virginia
Agricultural biotech startup AgroSpheres will invest $25 million to expand in Albemarle County, creating an estimated 50 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced May 4. The company, founded in 2016 by Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakeel when they were undergraduates at the University of Virginia, will increase production at its facility at 1180 Seminole Trail and […]
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 […]
CarLotz, Need Supply founders launch schools startup
For about a decade after meeting at a business function, Michael Bor and Chris Bossola met for lunch periodically, swapping stories about their shared experiences in launching and scaling companies. Their conversations eventually landed on what they say could transform funding for public schools nationwide. The two have plenty o[...]
Lighthouse Labs exec jumps to 757 Angels, 757 Collab
Paul Nolde, executive managing director of Lighthouse Labs in Richmond, will be the new managing director of Norfolk-based 757 Angels and 757 Collab. He replaces Monique Adams, the current executive director of 757 Angels and managing director of 757 Collab, who will leave the organizations this summer. Nolde starts his new role[...]
StartVirginia: April 2023 Heard around Virginia
Richmond-based Absurd Snacks is ready to enter major retailers after a reformulation and taking on some new packaging. Founders Grace Mittl and Eli Bank worked with a New York agency and redesigned the packaging. Absurd Snacks has been available at independent grocery stores, but Mittl and Bank are eyeing larger retailers and wanted to make […]
McLean startup raises $75M for air taxi network
Fritz Lang’s 1927 film “Metropolis” predicted cities with flying cars, while Hanna-Barbera followed that vision 35 years later with “The Jetsons” and its commuter “skyways.” Now, however, air taxis are close to becoming reality. The industry could generate up to $16 billion in new business investments in Virginia a[...]
Ready for launch
Virginia’s version of the business accelerator doesn’t always rely on the traditional model of sponsorship by angel investors who provide capital for startups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Here in the commonwealth, “it’s more founder-focused,” and accelerators are often run by nonprofit[...]
Report: Air taxis could land Va. $16B in new biz by 2045
Air taxis could generate up to $16 billion in new business in Virginia and carry as many as 66 million passengers by 2045, according to an economic impact study released Tuesday. The report, commissioned by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. and the state commerce and trade secretary, forecasts short, carbon-free flights[...]
Farmville SEED hub seeks to grow innovation
Luther Cifers launched fishing equipment company YakAttack LLC in 2009 out of his friend’s basement, and he moved to the garage to create prototypes of its gear. Now, he is putting in work so future entrepreneurs will have a dedicated space for their projects. The Farmville SEED Innovation Hub, slated to open in late fall, [&h[...]
