Industry News

Celebration of the three-year anniversary of JLABS @ Washington, DC (JLABS DC), it’s great timing to highlight recent accomplishments and milestones reached by incubating and regional companies. Additionally, JLABS DC is excited to share new access to specialized lab equipment to support more innovators within the region. Since the start of 2024, there has been …

A tighter venture capital market has affected more than the funding biotechs receive. It’s also changed how early-stage companies structure CEO pay packages, according to Leslie Loveless, CEO and managing partner of Slone Partners, a life sciences and healthcare executive search firm. Because of how funding dipped, she told BioSpace, early-stage biotechs started tying CEO …

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a new initiative led by Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) that expands investment and growth opportunities for Virginia-based, innovation-driven startups and entrepreneurial ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth. Leveraging previous Virginia-awarded federal funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury, under its SSBCI Equity/Venture Capital Program, VIPC’s Virginia Invests launches new investment partnerships with an …

The Board of Directors of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) has announced that it has unanimously selected Joe Benevento as President and CEO of VIPC. Benevento has led VIPC as Interim President and CEO since September 2023 and previously served as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2022. …

Rural Southwest and Southside Virginia are in line for a new six-figure grant for entrepreneurship, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation has announced. The innovation partnership, which held its board meeting Wednesday at the New College Institute in Martinsville, gave word at a Tuesday night dinner that it will commit $100,000. That’s the latest grant in …

We’ve compiled a calendar of events happening this spring aimed at connecting talented people in the biosciences. Feb. 27: Internship Support for Employers: V-TOP Staffing Agency + Matching Funds | Virtual Employers can tune in to learn more internship support through V-TOP’s partnership with iQuasar, the statewide staffing agency and how to utilize their matching funds …

The end of 2023 marked the completion of Virginia’s first statewide life sciences initiative, Virginia Bio-Connect, which started in April 2021. This comprehensive industry cluster strengthening project, supported by Virginia Growth and Opportunity Foundation funding and led by the Virginia Biotechnology Association, engaged thousands of life sciences professionals and hundreds of organizations and companies within …

Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that 16 companies across the Commonwealth have graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program and 13 companies have joined the two-year program. VALET, which now has 391 graduated companies, assists Virginia exporters that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to …

Governor Youngkin has announced that Virginia will make a significant investment to launch a biotechnology, life sciences, and pharmaceutical manufacturing network to foster collaboration among three of the Commonwealth’s major existing university research institutions. In his upcoming biennial budget, scheduled to be released on December 20th, the Governor will include a total of $90 million …

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is proud to announce that industry leader and military veteran John F. Crowley will be its new President and CEO, effective March 4. He will replace Rachel King, a longtime BIO board member and industry trailblazer who has served as BIO’s CEO on an interim basis for the past year. …

About two years ago, the STEM2VA Program kicked off to provide internship opportunities for Virginia students within the life sciences sector on one side and to facilitate the recruitment process and offset some costs for the employers on another. The program was part of the Virginia Bio-Connect project funded by the GO Virginia grant initiative. …

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), announced that it is accepting letters of intent (LOI) for Grant Round 16 to fund the development and commercialization of life science projects that address major unmet needs for improving human health and advance Virginia’s economy. “We are proud to continue supporting …

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) selected two projects in Virginia as part of the first phase of EDA’s Regional Tech Hubs Program. The Tech Hubs Program, made possible by the CHIPS and Science Act, bipartisan legislation strongly supported by both senators, aims to strengthen U.S. economic and national security by investing in regions across the country that …

Rare diseases, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), refer to some 10,867 medically significant conditions, each with a prevalence of one or less per 1,000 individuals. With only about 8% of them being treatable,1 rare diseases include congenital malformations, autoimmune disorders, lysosomal storage disorders, thalassemia, muscular dystrophies, and infrequent forms of cancer and …

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today more than $3.7 million in Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) grant awards for 11 projects designed to empower workforce development, bolster startup ecosystems and promote economic growth in the Commonwealth. These initiatives will play a pivotal role in nurturing skilled talent, fostering entrepreneurial ventures and bridging the gap …

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a leading regional innovation intermediary, is thrilled to announce the five outstanding finalists for the 8th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap competition. The Crab Trap is a competition designed to identify and showcase promising life sciences and biotechnology startups from around the world. These finalists have demonstrated exceptional innovation, vision, …

Thomas Barker says his seed-stage startup wants to find “modern, modular, functional lab space” to allow the company he co-founded, Vasarya Therapeutics, to be “very efficient and optimal on our research enterprise.” But good lab space is hard to come by in Charlottesville, and what exists is spread around, “so you don’t necessarily get the …

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), in partnership with the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA), released a new report on the best practices in state bioscience economic development measures, “The U.S. Biosciences Industry in the States: Best Practices in Innovation, Partnerships, and Job Creation.” The report, now in its seventh edition, analyzes the latest legislative …

Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced plans to develop the 102,000-square foot Innovation Center in the Bio+Tech Park in Richmond, Virginia. The 34-acre Bio+Tech Park is a commercial life sciences hub in downtown Richmond adjacent to the VCU Medical Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, and is home to over 70 companies, research institutes, …

Recent global disease outbreaks have had devastating impacts, triggering a renewed emphasis on preparation for potential known and unknown health threats. By proactively enhancing preparedness against emerging pathogens, we aim to minimize the scale of future outbreaks, protect vulnerable populations, and ultimately safeguard our health security. To that end, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, together with …

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, in collaboration with Carilion Clinic Innovation, Verge Alliance, and Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, is proud to launch the Advancing Oncology InnoVAtion QuickFire Challenge. Innovators from around the globe are invited to submit potential solutions aiming to transform patient outcomes in oncology in adult populations with potential applications in pediatric oncology. …

Lighthouse Labs has announced Art Espey as the new Managing Director, effective April 17. Art will replace outgoing Managing Director Paul Nolde, who will assume a similar role at Norfolk’s 757 Collab and 757 Angels organizations. Art has long been involved with Lighthouse Labs, having previously served on the organization’s Board of Directors as Founding …

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced more than $66 million in state grants for four projects within the Biotechnology, Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Cluster. These projects provide job creation, wage expansion, and broader economic growth throughout the Commonwealth. “In order to make Virginia a leader in biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing, we have to accelerate …

Richmond, VA /Virginia Business/ – Black History Month traces its origins to an annual weeklong observance started in 1926 by historian and scholar Carter G. Woodson, a Virginia native. And since then, the February celebration of Black history makers and events has been intertwined with commemorating successful business icons like fellow Virginia-born greats Maggie Walker …