StartVirginia: Heard Around Virginia August 2025

AgroSpheres, a Charlottesville biotech company developing nontoxic crop-protection products, announced in late June it was launching commercial sales of Fun-Thyme, a biofungicide derived from thyme oil. The company is partnering with Denver-based agricultural products marketer and distributor Wilbur-Ellis to introduce the product to U.S. farms. Fun-Thyme is billed as a highly effective alternative to traditional products for conventional and organic farming. It’s approved for use in Virginia, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin, and its registration is pending in California. (Richmond Inno)

Backed by Nvidia and other heavy hitters, Emerald AI — a new AI startup with offices in Arlington County — emerged from stealth on July 1, stating that it aims to alleviate some of the concerns about data centers’ energy usage through software that will help data centers adjust energy consumption, making them more efficient in their energy usage during periods of peak power demand. The startup, which was incorporated last year in Washington, D.C., but has its primary offices in Clarendon, said it has secured $24.5 million in seed funding. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Lockheed’s R&D division for aerospace and defense technologies, and Manassas aviation startup Electra.aero signed a memorandum of understanding to “explore opportunities” for Electra’s EL9 ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft, according to a mid-June news release. Lockheed Martin will collaborate with Electra to explore ways to accelerate development of the EL9, which can take off and land in 150 feet. The Skunk Works and Electra teams will also seek opportunities for potential programs of record with the U.S. Defense Department and global customers; about 85% of Skunk Works’ work is classified. Lockheed Martin Ventures signed a strategic cooperation agreement to invest in Electra’s Series A funding round in 2022. (News release)

Mountain High Seltzer announced in June that its beverage is the first legal THC seltzer to be distributed statewide by major companies: Hoffman Beverage and Virginia Eagle Distributing, an Anheuser-Busch wholesaler. The milestone is a significant win for Mountain High Seltzer founder and CEO Joe Kuhn, who began his business under the name Albemarle Hemp Co. in 2019 in Crozet. The new beverage contains just 30 calories and zero alcohol, featuring a blend of 2 milligrams of THC and 4 milligrams of CBD. (VirginiaBusiness.com)

Reston cybersecurity and cloud services provider Neovera closed a deal on June 18 to buy Greenway Solutions, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based fraud detection and prevention firm. The deal marked Neovera’s fourth acquisition in 20 months and brought its workforce to nearly 200 people. Neovera CEO Scott Weinberg said Greenway’s customers include many of the country’s top 100 banks, which are using its tech to run fraud simulations across payment platforms and call centers to identify vulnerability points, find where controls fail and learn how systems can be implemented to prevent attacks. (DC Inno)

As of early July, Charlottesville wedding flowers company Poppy Flowers had raised $1.7 million in equity funding, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company is seeking to raise $3 million total, and the round includes six unnamed investors. The first sale in the round was recorded on May 30. Cameron Hardesty launched Poppy in 2020. It provides flowers for weddings through a national network of floral designers and via boutique growers in Latin America and has raised about $8 million across several rounds since its founding. (Richmond Inno)