Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation

VIPC was proud to sponsor Virginia Day in Arlington for DC Startup & Tech Week 2026, bringing together founders, investors, and partners to showcase why Virginia is a national leader for technology, innovation ecosystems, and venture capital investment!

Our 1VIPC team had a lot of fun engaging with entrepreneurs, leading panel sessions, and sharing the resources, expertise, and connections available in the Commonwealth.

• Keynote Welcome & Fireside Chat: Joe Benevento, CEO of VIPC; Mina Faltas, Founder & CEO of Washington Harbour

• Uncle Sam as a Customer: Building and Scaling an Early-Stage Startup
Moderated by VIPC’s Michael Jarvis, with Emma Bates, Founder & CEO of Cachai; Andrew Hendela, Co-Founder & CEO of Karambit.AI; and Christopher Smith, Co-Founder & CEO of Evrim

• Reverse Pitch: What Organizations Are Looking for in Emerging Tech & Innovation Featuring VIPC’s Dustin Dunbar, as organizations shared their needs and how startups can align, secure funding, and build collaborative public-private partnerships

• Regional Investment Trends: Insights from Leading Investors
Moderated by VIPC’s Aurelia Flores, with Maurice Boissiere, Partner at DataTribe; Jason Kuo, Principal at Tech Square Ventures; and VIPC Chief Investment Officer Thomas Weithman.

Thank you, Rachel Koretsky, Darius Clair, VIPC’s Thomas Best, and Arlington Economic Development Partnership’s Sumeet Saini, Tally Wolff, for organizing and helping make Virginia Day such a success!

Thank you as well to our speakers, partners, and everyone who joined us. We can’t wait to see what you build next in Virginia!

#StateoInnoVAtion #WhereInnoVAtionThrives #DCSTW

Thank you to everyone who joined us this morning for the VIPC Funding Pathways Workshop and Coffee with Virginia Venture Partners at the Accelerate Investor Conference at @GeorgeMasonU!

It was a great morning connecting with Virginia’s high-growth, innovation-led tech founders and exploring how VIPC helps unlock opportunity at every stage, from early-stage grants and federal funding support to direct investment through Virginia Venture Partners.

Whether you’re building in AI, cybersecurity, defense tech, life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing, or advanced air mobility, Virginia’s thriving innovation ecosystem is ready to help you accelerate growth.

Virginia is where innovation-led startups come to accelerate. 🚀

#Innovation #Startups #AI #Cybersecurity #DefenseTech #LifeSciences #VirginiaStartups

Virginia Ranked Top 5 State for Innovation & Research Ecosystem! 🚀

Clear here to read more: prn.to/48yrBRu

Virginia was ranked #5 in the nation for Innovation & Research Ecosystem by Area Development's 2026 Top States for Doing Business. This follows Virginia's Top 10 national ranking (#6) for Technology & Innovation in CNBC's 2026 America's Top States for Business.

Virginia has achieved record growth milestones over the past five years for new startups, capital attraction, and university R&D. From life sciences to national security innovation, Virginia is cultivating a dynamic ecosystem where innovation unleashes opportunity and companies of all sizes can build and grow.

This shared success reflects Virginia’s world-class universities and research institutions, leading industry partners, expanding investor networks, and most importantly the innovators, entrepreneurs, and community builders who are at the heart of Virginia’s innovation ecosystem.

VIPC is proud to lead with both collaboration and innovation in helping to make Virginia the best place to launch, grow, and thrive!

#StateofInnoVAtion #WhereInnoVAtionThrives #AreaDevelopment

Virginia is where high-growth, innovation-led startups come to accelerate!

Virginia-based science and technology startups are invited to the VIPC Funding Pathways Workshop and Coffee with Virginia Venture Partners at the Accelerate Investor Conference for an overview of available funding opportunities and resources.

Date: Thursday, November 5
Time: 7:45–9:00 AM
Location: Arlington, VA
Register: bit.ly/4yMFhTO

You'll get a look at how VIPC fuels startups at every stage:

• The workshop will cover VIPC’s primary funding pathways, including Launch Grants, Lab-to-Launch programs, federal funding assistance for SBIR and STTR applicants, Launch Notes, and direct investment opportunities through Virginia Venture Partners.

• Attendees will learn about the purpose of each program, basic eligibility considerations, where the opportunities may fit within a company’s growth journey, and how to engage with VIPC.

VIPC supports innovative companies across a range of technology areas, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, national security and defense technology, life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing, and autonomous and advanced air mobility.

Grab a coffee and find your pathway to growth!

#StateoInnoVAtion #WhereInnoVAtionThrives

Coffee with VIPC's Virginia Venture Partners: The Next Generation of Virginia's Innovative Startups

Join VIPC’s Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) for a virtual pitch showcase featuring eight pre-MVP/MVP stage startups that have received funding through VIPC's Launch Grant Program.

Each company will take the virtual stage to share its innovative technology, business model, market opportunity, and vision for growth. From emerging technologies to disruptive solutions, these early-stage companies represent the entrepreneurial talent and innovation taking shape across Virginia.This event offers investors, ecosystem partners, and startup enthusiasts an opportunity to discover emerging companies, connect with founders, and get an early look at ventures with the potential to become Virginia's next success stories.

Date: October 30, 2026
Time: 9:00AM
Click here to RSVP: bit.ly/4e6QcjL

Join us to see how VIPC's Launch Grant Program is helping Virginia startups turn innovative ideas into scalable businesses. There will be an opportunity for breakout sessions to dive deeper into VIPC's funding opportunities and to ask questions following the presentation.

#StateoInnoVAtion #WhereInnoVAtionThrives #StartupFunding #VVP #VIPC