VVP understands that innovation, high-growth startups, and high-tech jobs follow capital. For this very reason, VVP has been making investments in high-growth, high-tech startups for over 20 years. Now, VVP is also investing in fund managers that will invest a portion of their fund’s capital into Virginia-based startups. VVP looks for funds that already understand the power and possibility of the ecosystem inside the Commonwealth and are investing in sectors that are important to Virginia’s core competencies such as cybersecurity and life sciences. Ideally, these funds will have already been investing in Virginia companies and have a strong pipeline of Virginia companies, although this is not required.
VVP also looks for funds that will add something special to the long-term prospects of the people of Virginia. With a commitment to grow the innovation economy and build a strong foundation to allow the venture ecosystem to grow and become even more competitive, VVP is looking for funds that will return capital and bring extra support to the innovators and founders inside our great state.
Current Virginia Invests fund managers are:
100KM Ventures | Arlington, Virginia
Shalanda Armstrong, Founder and Managing Partner
100KM Ventures provides pre-seed through Series A investment into early-stage, diverse management teams addressing the untapped customer segments in femtech (women’s health) and future of work (workplace) technologies.
AIN (Academy Investors Network) Ventures | Arlington, Virginia
Sherman Williams II, Managing Partner; Emily McMahon, General Partner
AIN Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture fund that invests at the intersection of deep technology and dual-use technology as well as in military Veteran-led startups. AIN’s technology focus areas are space, sustainability, life sciences, and AI.
AIN Ventures’ Virginia portfolio includes:
The Artemis Fund | Houston, Texas and New York, New York
Stephanie Campbell, General Partner; Diana Murakhovskaya, General Partner
The Artemis Fund leads seed rounds for diverse tech founders in fintech, e-commerce infrastructure, and care-tech.
The Artemis Fund’s Virginia portfolio includes:
IDEA Fund Partners | Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Lister Delgado, Managing Partner
IDEA Fund Partners provides pre-seed and seed-stage funding into technologies that focus on automating tasks, data-driven decisions, democratizing expertise, and reducing inefficiencies.
IDEA Fund Partners’ Virginia portfolio includes:
Scout Ventures | Austin, Texas
Brad Harrison, Managing Partner; Cody Huggins, Partner
Scout Ventures leads seed rounds in cutting edge, early-stage technology companies that support the frontiers of western technology.
Scout’s Virginia portfolio includes:
Valor Ventures | Atlanta, Georgia
Lisa Calhoun, Founding Managing Partner; Gary Peat, General Partner; William Leonard, Investor
Valor Ventures is focused on leading seed rounds for high-growth B2B software startups.
Valor Ventures’ Virginia portfolio includes:
Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC) | McLean, Virginia
Derren Burrell, Founder and Managing Partner; Craig Jaques, General Partner; Dr. Steve Kiser, General Partner; Dr. Josh Weed, General Partner; Paul Woodard, General Partner
VVC makes seed, Series A, and Series B investments into Veteran-led dual-use technology companies with a focus on national security, defense, aerospace, and logistics.
VVC’s Virginia portfolio includes:
Virginia Invests is designed to infuse value into local communities beyond financial capital, enhancing Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. As part of their commitment to the Commonwealth, each Virginia Invests fund manager has developed “Virginia Plans” that reflect a strong, collective commitment to advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment across the state through a variety of high-impact activities. As a group, they have pledged to contribute by mentoring accelerator cohorts, judging pitch events, and facilitating connections between mentors and Virginia-based companies and entrepreneurs. Several managers plan to hire venture fellows, engage with rural regions, and even establish a local presence through initiatives such as setting up outposts or participating in community programming. Others will host events, including startup showcases, VC days, and networking forums, as well as produce media content like podcasts to spotlight Virginia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Together, these efforts will create opportunities for collaboration, funding, and growth.
Attending and hosting events across Virginia is a key engagement tactic embraced by each fund manager. Event examples include: