NIKKI HASTINGS | Co-founder and executive director, CvilleBioHub,

Co-founded in 2016 by Nikki Hastings, CvilleBioHub works to accelerate the life sciences sector in the region by supporting biotech startups, facilitating strategic connections and building infrastructure to commercialize academic research.
Hastings, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia, has served as the nonprofit’s executive director since 2018.

Through a collaboration between CvilleBioHub and U.Va., the Commonwealth Bio Accelerator opened on Feb. 25. Located at North Fork, a UVA Discovery Park, the accelerator offers early stage biotech companies office and lab space, equipment and mentorship. This summer, the accelerator welcomed its first cohort of six life sciences startups.

“This accelerator is already attracting high-potential companies and positioning our region as a serious contender in the biotech space,” Hastings says.

Under Hastings’ leadership, CvilleBioHub has secured millions in funding. That includes $4.3 million announced early in 2025 from the state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative. In August, the CvilleBioHub announced it had received an additional $15 million in funding from the commonwealth and U.Va. to expand the accelerator.

Additionally, Hastings is director of the biotechnology track of U.Va.’s master’s degree in commerce and an adjunct faculty member. She brings real-world experience to the classroom; earlier in her career, Hastings was vice president of operations at HemoShear Therapeutics and chief operations officer at Contraline, both Charlottesville-based biotech companies.

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