Adding an intern to your organization is a great way to expand your venture, while helping a student integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. At VCU, we are happy to help your organization develop, post, and identify talent for your new internship. Visit: http://careers.vcu.edu/employers/internships/ or contact Carrie Hawes (cjhawes@vcu.edu) today to get started.
VCU Innovation Gateway hosts multiple “Pop-up Pitches” each month. These pitches literally “pop up” randomly around campus. They give students 2 minutes to pitch their idea for a chance to win $300. After pitching, all students will be sent information on programs available to help them move their ideas forward. Keep an eye on our calendar for the next pop-up pitch, or sign up for notices.
VCU Innovation Gateway has designed an ongoing mentor program for those entrepreneurial students who have new business or product ideas and are committed to moving them forward. The team provides ongoing, guidance that pushes students through a structured process, based on LEAN Startup methodologies. When appropriate, the team connects students with necessary and supportive resources around VCU and the community. Visit our site for more information or Email Lacy Spott at spottvl@vcu.edu to set up a meeting.
The VCU Pre-Accelerator provides students with $5,000 and access to an intense 3-month program focused on guiding teams through the challenging early stages of building a start-up. Startups accepted to the program take part in 3-hour weekly sessions. Through a structured approach of group discussions, mentor sessions and weekly pre-work deliverables, startups walk away with the skills needed to validate their business idea, a clear understanding of their customer development strategy, a completed market and competitive analysis, a MVP and an investor-ready pitch deck. Applications for the Spring 2017 program are now open, and you can apply here. Visit the Quest For Innovation Fund website or email Dominic Costanzo for more information at costanzodr@vcu.edu.
VCU da Vinci Center holds VCU’s annual business plan completion. The Competition comprises an undergraduate division and a graduate division where students can compete for cash prizes and in-kind services that can be used to realize the commercial potential of the respective concept, invention, and/or technology. Each division offers a $4,000 first prize; $3,000 second prize; $2,000 third prize; and two $1,000 finalist awards.
Built in 1907 as a station for the Richmond-Ashland trolley line, the Depot has undergone a state-of-the-art renovation, which has modernized the building while preserving its historical character. The Depot houses a new facility dedicated to interdisciplinary collaborations, events and creative entrepreneurship education.
VCU Libraries' Innovative Media Department (on the lower level in Cabell Library) offers a comprehensive suite of resources. Their new space on the lower level offers workstations, a makerspace and much more. Users will find spaces for editing of sound, video and graphics as well as equipment and softwares for creating scholarship, illustrating research, presenting information and inventing new things. Use of equipment and space is free and open to all members of the VCU academic community.
Founder's Corner is a brand new co-working space in the Student Commons available to students working on new product or business ideas. In addition to providing office space to VCU student entrepreneurs, Founder’s Corner also serves as a hub where students can network, attend professional development events and receive support from Innovation Gateway and University Career Center staff members to help them advance their businesses. All VCU students, undergraduate and graduate, are eligible to apply for space at the Founder’s Corner website.
ArtUp is the student club that brings together students from all departments within VCUarts that are interested in translating their skills and passions into creative entrepreneurship. For more information on ArtUp contact club President, Alexander Kreher at krehera@mymail.vcu.edu.
StartUp VCU is the club for entrepreneurially minded students at the university. For more information on StartUp VCU, contact club President, Jack Alden at aldenjd@mymail.vcu.edu, or club Vice President Bryan Daulton at daultonbe@vcu.edu.
VCU School of Business has developed an entrepreneurial internship program open to all students at VCU. Those who are accepted will be placed with in a local start-up and work hand-in hand with founders on key projects.
Students enrolled in the School of Business’s entrepreneurship program have the opportunity to participate in their annual business plan competition. In addition to submitting business plans, participants must pitch to a panel of local investors for a chance to win funds to further their ideas. **must be enrolled in the School of Business’s entrepreneurship program to participate.**
Participating in an internship is a great way to integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting, all while working to expand a venture. At VCU, we are happy to help you find and prepare for your new internship. Visit the VCU Career Services website or contact the main office at Careers@vcu.edu today to get started.
Adding an intern to your organization is a great way to expand your venture while helping a student integrate knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. At VCU, we are happy to help your organization develop, post and identify talent for your organization. Visit the VCU Career Services website or contact Carrie Hawes (cjhawes@vcu.edu) today to get started.
The Park is a dynamic and growing life sciences community and is home to nearly 60 life science companies, research institutes, state/federal laboratories and is adjacent to Virginia Commonwealth University, a “Top 100" life sciences research center. Whether you are a life science company executive, entrepreneur or researcher, come discover the advantages of scientific collaboration, world-class business support and specialized facilities, all designed to help you grow and succeed in today’s global biotechnology environment. VBRP offers networking events, classroom instruction, physical space and equipment and mentorship opportunities.
All Students within VCU’s School of the Business have the opportunity to get a concentration in the study of entrepreneurship. The Entrepreneurship and Small Business track enables students to develop skills in working with small firms and eventually starting small firms of their own, as well as to gain knowledge of entrepreneurial concepts useful for a variety of positions in organizations of any size.
VCU Innovate is da Vinci Center’s living-learning program. The mission of VCU Innovate is to spur a mindset and culture that enables students to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship efforts. Students interact with local and national practitioners — inventors, entrepreneurs, members of research and development teams—through a series of events and activities programmed by the residential community. A multidisciplinary perspective is emphasized so that students robustly approach innovation and entrepreneurship.
Open to all VCU undergraduate students, the Certificate in Venture Creation focuses on developing a multidisciplinary mindset for successful entrepreneurialism and venture creation. Students participating in the program will hone understandings of the challenges, skills, and resources necessary for venture creation, and through an immersive culmination experience, integrate these understandings around conceiving, planning, and implementing a real venture.
Integrating arts, business and engineering principles, students in the Masters of Product Innovation program learn advanced product innovation topics pertaining to conceptualization, development and commercialization of new products/services. Through unique instruction and experiential learning that culminates with a year-long masters project, students have a real product innovation experience. The program emphasizes product innovation and teamwork skills so graduates can take on key leadership roles that stimulate the creation, development, and management of new products and services.
Employing an interdisciplinary perspective that embodies concepts from the arts, business and engineering, undergraduate students are provided a robust learning experience to understand the challenges associated with and means for managing product design, product development, and new product introduction endeavors. The Certificate will run concurrently with a student’s major; it is not a standalone program. Students must have a declared major in either the schools of the Arts, Business, Engineering or College of Humanities and Sciences as they participate in this Certificate.
The Park is a dynamic and growing life sciences community and is home to nearly 60 life science companies, research institutes, state/federal laboratories and is adjacent to Virginia Commonwealth University, a “Top 100" life sciences research center. Whether you are a life science company executive, entrepreneur or researcher, come discover the advantages of scientific collaboration, world-class business support and specialized facilities, all designed to help you grow and succeed in today’s global biotechnology environment. VBRP offers networking events, classroom instruction, physical space and equipment and mentorship opportunities.
This is a new university resource for pre-licensing value creation to advance VCU inventions to a more mature stage and thus improve their chances of being commercialized and benefiting the public. The goal of this funding is to de-risk the inventions to a point in which they become more attractive to industry for partnering/licensing or to investors and entrepreneurs for new venture creation. The VCU Commercialization fund supports projects in the range of $25,000 up to $50,000. This will make inventions available quicker to the public in the form of new products or services. The types of projects eligible for funding include: prototype development, generation of animal data etc. for marketing the invention, software coding and user interface work, etc.
Key to faculty and staff success is the ready availability of resources to provide advice, counseling and coaching. Innovation Gateway provides an “open door” for faculty and staff to discuss their business ideas and receive an initial assessment of business viability and advice on the next steps to move their invention/startup forward. Included is help in preparing and rehearsing investment pitches and presentations to investors, investment conferences and partnering forums.
VCU Innovation Gateway provides support to faculty applying for grants to a variety of recognized state and national funding programs, including CRCF, VIP, VBHRC (The Catalyst), SBIR/STTR. Support includes identifying and notifying faculty of appropriate grant opportunities, helping with assessing market potential and developing commercialization strategies, reviewing applications prior to submission, helping with the preparation and rehearsal of presentations.
In an effort to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the U.S., the Congress, through the prestigious National Science Foundation, funded the I-Corps program. The program teaches university faculty new ways to think about their intellectual property — is it innovative and is there a market for it? Charged with training scientists to be entrepreneurial thinkers, the I-Corps program provides programs for select universities. This program will be offered through VCU Innovation Gateway.
Established by an experienced entrepreneur and supported by Innovation Gateway, this program leverages an extensive database of entrepreneurs from around the country as a source of potential managers for university startups.
Please find the invention disclosure form linked here. For your convenience, VCU Innovation Gateway has outlined the invention disclosure process for VCU faculty and staff in detail (click here). Please feel free to contact us at any time, the Innovation Gateway team is here to assist you in the process.
At VCU Innovation Gateway, our mission is to facilitate commercialization of university inventions; support university research through collaborative agreements; foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the university; and promote regional economic development and new venture creation.
Start-up Weekend is a 54-hour event that attracts 150-200 people from across greater Richmond. The event opens on Friday night when attendees pitch their best ideas and inspire others to join their team. Over Saturday and Sunday teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup methodologies and building a minimal viable product. On Sunday evening teams demo their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts. Keep an eye on our calendar for information on the next start-up weekend.
The Virginia Biotechnology Association, formed in 1992, is the premier statewide non-profit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. More than 200 member organizations have joined forces to make Virginia Bio an effective advocate for the biopharmaceutical and device industries before federal, state and local policy-makers. Virginia Bio is the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), in Washington, D.C.
C3’s mission is to instigate creativity through the exchange of knowledge and ideas. Our Vision is for every individual and organization with a creative idea to feel inspired and empowered to take action. We believe creativity has the ability to transform lives, organizations, and communities. We celebrate our differences by connecting a diverse cross section of people and ideas. We strive to build a community that shares and celebrates our creative successes.
Rivers Bend East Office and Technology Center is a 42-acre complex featuring 5,526 square meters (61,400 square feet) of laboratory space containing 47 laboratories — half wet and half dry. In addition, there is 4,563 square meters (50,700 square feet) of conditioned process pilot/scale up space. The 12,510 square-meter (139,000 square-foot) office building includes a cafeteria, lecture hall and training and fitness centers.
Business Center International is a full-service office business center with over 20 years of experience servicing the local business community. BCI offers furnished offices, meeting rooms, administrative support, and telecommunication services including high-speed Internet, telephone connections and video conferencing facilities.
Come explore 1E, a collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs inside the Richmond Times-Dispatch building. This 4,500 square-foot workplace is a modern, well-positioned office space including off-street parking and meeting space, all at a reasonable rate. Be part of the emerging 1E culture, where business is on the rise and collaboration is the norm. If you think 1E is the right fit for your business, visit the open house to learn more.
Virginia Innovators Network is a not for profit, educational organization. We exist to support innovative Virginians who are pursuing bringing their unique products and services to market. Our primary approach to providing this support is through membership meetings. These meetings serve two purposes: networking and education. Aspiring entrepreneurs have the ability to meet inventors and entrepreneurs who have successfully launched unique goods and services or professionals with subject matter expertise that is pertinent to launching of these products and services. The speakers at the meetings have direct expertise in one or more of the areas related to bringing ideas to market.
With offices in Christiansburg, Richmond, and Springfield, Virginia Community Capital (VCC) is dedicated to the prospect of building wealth for all through our lending, deposits, and advisory services. As a community development financial institution (CDFI), our mission is to offer innovative, flexible financial products designed to support housing and community development ventures, increase jobs, and encourage sustainable communities. In partnership with our for-profit bank, Community Capital Bank of Virginia (CCB), the non-profit VCC offers loan capital broader and more flexible than bank lending in low-to-moderate income communities in underserved geographies and markets.
The Park is a dynamic and growing life sciences community and is home to nearly 60 life science companies, research institutes, state/federal laboratories and is adjacent to Virginia Commonwealth University, a “Top 100" life sciences research center. Whether you are a life science company executive, entrepreneur or researcher, come discover the advantages of scientific collaboration, world-class business support and specialized facilities, all designed to help you grow and succeed in today’s global biotechnology environment. VBRP offers networking events, classroom instruction, physical space and equipment and mentorship opportunities.
The Venture Forum website features a calendar of events designed to allow entrepreneurs to connect with each other via monthly sessions.
Sync RVA is sponsored by RichTech and is linking all meet-up and networking opportunities to a common calendar and distribution list as a free resource to the community. They already support over 40 groups, many of them technical in nature.
The Small Business Administration offers a series of networking opportunities, classroom instruction, start-up financing and mentorship resources.
SCORE’s mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. They offer free mentoring services for startups and for existing business owners. They also offer workshops covering a range of subjects, including startup basics, business plan preparation, and their “toolbox” workshops on a range of business topics. Their website has many tools and templates for small businesses, at no cost. They have more than 35 mentors with experience in all aspects of starting and running a business. SCORE mentors will come to your place of business, or will meet with you at several locations throughout Richmond and surrounding counties.
RVA Works is a public-nonprofit partnership of the EDA, committed to job creation and diverse economic growth through new business formation. We are creating the leading organization to support Ventures for the Greater Good, providing incubator spaces to work within, filling program and capital gaps in our startup community, enabling startups to navigate the range of other service providers in the region, fostering stakeholder engagement, and reporting on shared strategy for the ecosystem.
RichTech, Richmond’s Technology Council, is a member driven association of businesses and organizations working together to ensure the continued growth of central Virginia’s dynamic technology based economy. RichTech supports the growth of existing technology industries Greater Richmond as the location of choice for new and emerging technology companies.
NRV exists to invest in and foster a world-class ecosystem of entrepreneurial talent and innovative start-ups committed to serving society.
The NDA is a group of investors who help to capitalize early-stage Virginia based companies. NDA seeks to help the communities and the economy of Virginia by bringing new services to the market and by supporting start-up businesses in both financial and non-financial ways.
Lighthouse Labs accelerator is a non-profit entity. Those accepted into the program receive $20,000 of non-dilutive funding. This makes us a great place to start since we focus on founders and not our portfolio return. We are partnered with a vibrant co-working community to help foster access to talent, a world-class marketing and branding community to focus your message and a broad community of innovative investors, doers and support organizations. Lighthouse is also a Global Accelerator Network affiliate which means you have access to some of the top founders on the planet through yearly founders events and are moving through a proven program.
Lean Startup Circle hosts networking events for entrepreneurs to discuss and share ideas about business formation. The focus is the use of Lean Methodology and improving efficiencies in launching new businesses. If you are an entrepreneur or intrapreneur seeking a better way to bring new products to market and launch new businesses, then this group might be for you. Join fellow innovators, visionaries, designers, hackers and hustlers to share and discuss your entrepreneurial dreams and challenges. Discover with us how to quickly and efficiently iterate your clever ideas into products that customers really want. Stop wasting time, effort and resources unnecessarily and validate your business assumptions through experimentation and observation.
Kitchen Thyme provides commercial kitchen space for rent by the hour. Kitchen Thyme was created with the very purpose of providing a critical opportunity to our culinary community with the first and only licensed incubator kitchen in Richmond offering commercial kitchen spaces for rent to aspiring entrepreneurs, chefs, students and people by the hour, day, week or month. This facility enables hopeful culinary professionals to build a reputation, provide professional and licensed catering and cooking, and build their business skills to one day own a thriving, successful, and independent business.
Harbert Venture Partners identifies and invests in emerging companies with high growth potential. The group invests in seasoned entrepreneurs building early growth stage companies with defensible positions in large and growing markets.
The SBDC is a start-up mentor and holds a range of courses for those starting or growing a business. SBDC also provides access to a number of webinars for entrepreneurs.
The Chamber's exciting i.e.* initiative supports and accelerates cross-industry creativity and innovation. Visit ie-rva.org.
Gather is a local co-working and office space. At Gather, you have all the tools and resources you need to run a successful small business. Use our professional office space, conference rooms, internet, full-size copier/printer/scanner/fax machine, video-conferencing equipment, storage units, workout facility, kitchen/cafe and more! Work in the presence of other entrepreneurs, real estate developers, small business consultants, attorneys, etc. You can rent a single office, just a desk or simply cowork!
Encorpreneur! holds monthly for seasoned business leaders who are interested in an ‘encore” career, business opportunity or a way to give back to the community. Breakfasts include networking with 75-125 local business people, a speaker and a visit to different central Virginia venue each month.
The goal of Dominion Resources Innovation Center, founded in 2009, is to provide start-ups and early-stage companies with mentoring, engaged guidance, and business support services so that those ventures will become financially successful, high-growth companies in Hanover County and the surrounding area. The facility has recently relocated to a new space in an old 2700-square foot firehouse in downtown Ashland and features 9 private offices, 3 of those with basic wet lab space, as well as a large, open shared workspace. DRIC’s director, Dominic Costanzo, is a graduate of VCU, and also currently holds a position as a program manager for VCU’s Innovation Gateway. He can be contacted at dominic@dominnovation.com or visit the website at www.dominnovation.com
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) creates technology-based economic development strategies to accelerate innovation, imagination and the next generation of technology and technology companies. Created in 1985, CIT, a non-profit corporation, plugs gaps at the earliest stages of the Innovation Continuum – commercialization and seed funding – as it helps entrepreneurs launch and grow high-growth technology companies and create high-paying jobs for the future. To facilitate national innovation leadership and accelerate the rate of technology adoption, CIT creates partnerships between innovative technology start-up companies and advanced technology consumers. Lastly, CIT builds the infrastructure for new innovation economies with expert broadband strategies.
Blue Heron Capital provides growth equity investments in companies at an inflection point and lower market buyouts in proven businesses
BizWorks Enterprise Center is a non-profit small business incubator with 4,500 square meters (50,000 square feet) of office, manufacturing, warehouse and storage space. Tenants share administrative services, business machines and common areas, including a conference room and resource center. BizWorks also can provide business counseling, training courses and general business advisory services.
804RVA has been described as “A Country Club for nerds”. We are ruby on rails developers, wordpress lovers, graphic designers, entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and anyone with a passion for technology and a need to get out of their house or coffee shop. Our coworking space is in the heart of the fan and only 1 block from the vegan food trucks. We drink Blanchard’s coffee and eat tacos from the Boka Truck on jelly days. 804RVA is proud to host monthly meetups for CVREG (Ruby on Rails), RAUG (Adobe User Group), & WordPress Wednesdays.
Every venture requires a strong team to maximize the likelihood of success. Whether a new business comes with a pre-existing team, or arrives alone with only a concept, 80amps provides a full range of assistance with human resources—from consulting and coaching to providing leadership from our extensive network of recent alum and seasoned professionals.