Virginia’s Top VCs: Where to Find Funding and Support for Your Startup
Virginia's startup ecosystem is booming, attracting founders with its unique blend of strategic advantages and supportive resources. In 2024, the GO Virginia State Board approved $22.7 million in funding for collaborative economic development projects, leveraging an additional $15.5 million in non-state investments, signaling a strong commitment to fostering innovation and growth. With its proximity to Washington, D.C., thriving tech and biotech sectors, and world-class universities, Virginia offers a fertile ground for startups across various industries.
This guide is your roadmap to navigating Virginia's venture capital scene. We'll explore the key trends defining the ecosystem, spotlight the innovative startup hubs across the state, and equip you with actionable strategies to approach your fundraising journey confidently.
Top VCs in Virginia
GroTech Ventures
About: Grotech Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm with a reputation for being a collaborative, long-term partner for entrepreneurs.
Thesis: Early investors in high-potential technology companies.
Lighthouse Labs RVA
About: Lighthouse Labs is an 11 week startup accelerator focused on market validation, customer understanding, and venture readiness for launch! Founders receive $20K of equity-free funding and the perfect environment to learn, build, and grow! We are a member of the Global Accelerator Network/Morrow and a Top 25 seed accelerator. We focus on supporting a broad technology and product portfolio of US-based, seed-stage startups in Virginia and beyond. WHAT STARTUPS GET: • $20,000 in 0% equity seed capital • 11 of the most productive weeks of your life filled with guided workshops and amazing mentor sessions led by industry experts • 3+ months of free coworking space • Connections to mentors, investors, and partners
Sweetspot check size: $ 20K
QED Investors
About: QED Investors is a leading venture capital firm based in Alexandria, Virginia. We are focused on investing in disruptive financial services companies in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe, Latin America, India and Southeast Asia and Africa.
QED Investors is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages its partners’ decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping companies achieve breakthrough growth.
Amplifier Advisors
About: Amplifier Venture Partners is a seed and early stage venture capital fund that principally targets investments in technology companies. They are positioned to be the first institutional investor in promising technology companies and to provide highly focused, hands on assistance for entrepreneurs looking to team up with experienced business operators and managers to grow world class companies.
757 Angels Network
About: 757 Angels is a select network of business leaders in the Hampton Roads region, who provide investment capital, strategic advice and mentoring to selected startup and early stage companies to help them achieve market leadership. 757 Angels seeks dealflow from the Hampton Roads region.
Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp.
About: Connecting innovators with opportunities. VIPC operates as the nonprofit corporation on behalf of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). VIPA / VIPC is Virginia’s designated authority for leading innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia through research, commercialization, and technology advancement; entrepreneurship, startup, and venture capital growth; and regional ecosystem, tech hub, and industry sector expansion.
Thesis: As part of its operations, VIPC manages internal funds which make direct equity investments in technology and innovation-led early stage / growth startup companies and venture capital funds, provides research commercialization grants to universities and entrepreneurs, and offers resources and support for entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation networks, and public-private partnerships at local, state, federal levels.
SineWave Ventures
About: SineWave is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to accelerating new technologies across the commercial and public sector ecosystems.
Swan & Legend Venture Partners
About: SWaN is a US-based, venture capital fund manager focused on multi-stage opportunities in the consumer sector. We target exceptional management teams aiming to take advantage of shifts in consumer behavior, initially taking non-controlling minority stakes where we can utilize our playbook of post-investment value creation through mentorship and hands-on support.
Solas BioVentures
About: Solas BioVentures is a venture capital firm that invests in early and development stage biopharma, medical device, diagnostics, and digital health companies.
StoneMill Ventures
About: StoneMill Ventures invests in disruptive cyber security companies, primarily at the seed stage. We are active investors and look for founding teams that can benefit from our experience building pioneering security companies. As such, we tend to focus our investing in the Washington, DC metro area where we can be hands on but we will invest globally given the right opportunity.
Why Virginia is a Hotbed for Startup Fundraising
Ecosystem Growth and Investment Momentum
Virginia’s commitment to fostering a robust startup environment is evident in both public and private sector initiatives. In 2024 alone, the GO Virginia State Board approved $22.7 million in funding for 40 collaborative economic development projects, successfully leveraging over $15.5 million in additional non-state investments. These investments are strategically focused on startup ecosystems, cluster scale-up, workforce development, and site infrastructure—key pillars that drive the state’s economic diversification and innovation capacity. The result is a thriving landscape where high-growth startups are not only launched but also supported through every stage of their journey, from ideation to scale-up and exit.
Unique Geographic and Sector Advantages
Virginia’s proximity to Washington, D.C. offers startups access to federal agencies, defense contractors, and policy makers, making it a prime location for companies in sectors like cybersecurity, national security, and government technology.
The state is also home to a vibrant tech and biotech scene, with major hubs in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Norfolk. These regions are recognized for their concentration of talent, research institutions, and industry leaders in fields such as SaaS, healthtech, fintech, and artificial intelligence.
Strong University and Research Ecosystem
World-class universities—including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and George Mason University—play a pivotal role in fueling the startup pipeline. These institutions not only provide a steady stream of highly skilled graduates but also drive innovation through tech transfer offices, incubators, and research partnerships. Programs like UVA’s i.Lab help transform cutting-edge research into high-growth commercial ventures, further strengthening the state’s reputation as a launchpad for breakthrough startups.
Local Resources and Inclusive Initiatives
Virginia’s startup founders benefit from a rich network of accelerators, incubators, coworking spaces, and angel investor groups. Organizations such as Startup Virginia, Lighthouse Labs RVA, and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) provide mentorship, funding, and community-building opportunities. The new VIPC-led “Virginia Invests” initiative is set to catalyze $250 million in investment into over 100 high-growth startups over the next 3-5 years, with a focus on supporting diverse and underrepresented founders across sectors like health/life sciences, fintech, AI, and national security.
Virginia’s Startup Hubs
Northern Virginia
The region is a powerhouse for tech, cybersecurity, and government-focused startups, thanks to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and a dense network of federal agencies, contractors, and Fortune 500 companies. Northern Virginia is home to major players like Appian, Cvent, and Alarm.com, as well as a growing number of high-potential early-stage companies.
Richmond
Richmond’s startup community is anchored by organizations like Startup Virginia and Lighthouse Labs RVA, which provide workspace, mentorship, and funding. The city’s affordable cost of living, creative culture, and access to state government make it an attractive destination for founders in SaaS, fintech, and consumer products.
Charlottesville
Home to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville is a hub for biotech, healthtech, and edtech startups. The city benefits from strong university-industry collaboration, a vibrant angel investor community, and a high quality of life that attracts top talent.
Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads
This coastal region is seeing growth in logistics, maritime tech, and defense-related startups, leveraging its naval presence and port infrastructure. Organizations like 757 Angels and the BFM Fund are helping to build a more connected and well-funded startup community.
Connect With Investors in Virginia Using Visible
At Visible, we often times compare a fundraise to a B2B sales and marketing funnel. At the top of your funnel, you are finding new investors. In the middle, you are nurturing and pitching potential investors. At the bottom of the funnel, you are working through diligence and ideally closing new investors.
With the introduction of data rooms, you can now manage every aspect of your fundraising funnel with Visible.
- Find investors at the top of your funnel with our free investor database, Visible Connect and find a filtered list of Virginia's investors here.
- Track your conversations and move them through your funnel with our Fundraising CRM
- Share your pitch deck and monthly updates with potential investors
- Organize and share your most vital fundraising documents with data rooms
Manage your fundraise from start to finish with Visible. Give it a free try for 14 days here.
