Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)

CIT GAP Funds Managing Director Tom Weithman to Participate in Valleys Innovation Council Founders and Funders Webinar Series
 
Richmond, Va. – April 19, 2021 – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced CIT GAP Funds Managing Director, Tom Weithman, will serve as a panelist for an upcoming webinar focused on venture capital as part of the Founders and Funders Webinar Series presented by Valleys Innovation Council (VIC). The webinar, taking place Thursday, April 22 at 3:30pm ET, will feature a panel of experts from across the region discussing various types of capital and challenges that entrepreneurs and startups may encounter when seeking capital.
 
Tom will join speakers James Ramey, Managing Director and Fund Manager at Middleland Capital; Jason Caplain, General Partner and Co-Founder of Bull City Venture Partners; and Moderator, Fourd Kemper, M&A Attorney from Woods Rodgers Law Firm. For more information about the webinar, please click here. Registration is free and open to the public.
 
When: Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM ET
Where: Zoom – Click here to register

Green Dollars  
By 2025, TemperPack wants to be the world’s largest sustainable packaging company. Four years ago, a $12 million investment from SJF Venture marked a turning point to helping the company reach that goal, Powers said.  

More early stage funding can help the next clean tech startups take off, he said.  
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That’s where organizations like the Center for Innovative Technology are playing a role. CIT GAP Funds has made equity investments in 16 early-stage clean tech companies since 2007, investing $50,000 to $500,000 in each company over time, said Marco Rubin, Senior Investment Director...

John Reid Blackwell
​Several Richmond-area startup companies recently raised additional money from investors. 

​Startup empowers commercial real estate stakeholders to organize, secure, analyze, and share commercial floor plans all in one place

​Richmond, VA, April 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Virginia-based Floorwire, developer of a platform that provides commercial owners with control of their architectural data. By transforming inefficient and time-consuming workflows around storing and organizing data, Floorwire’s cloud-based solution addresses the needs of commercial landlords, architects and brokers. The startup will use this investment to enhance its technology and support its continued growth.

“Not everyone has the right tools to view CAD files or interact with architectural plans and data. With an ability to connect across a diverse set of asset management platforms and enable automation that’s not currently available on the market, Floorwire provides tools anywhere, anytime,” said Jen O’Daniel, Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds. “Floorwire is quickly growing and ready to make a splash in the commercial real estate industry. We look forward to following their journey as they continue to grow.”

​The cybersecurity firm took note of national VC trends as it sought funding to quicken product development and grow its engineering team. It plans to grow by 25 to 30% in the next year.

Virginia: Moving at the Speed of Innovation | Virginia Stakeholder Meeting Video | Hosted by Tracy Tynan, Director, Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT - the nexus for Virginia's activity in UxS - Land, Air, Sea, and Space.

[ *The Center is responsible for instilling an entrepreneurial culture regarding Autonomous Systems across Virginia, encourage economic growth across the Commonwealth via Autonomous emergent business activities, and continue and increase the Commonwealth's position as a leader of the Autonomous Systems community. ]

Registration now open for Innovation competition focused on engaging diverse teams to develop smart city solutions focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Fairfax County, March 17, 2021 – Smart City Works and Fairfax County, with partner CIT, will host the Pitch and Pilot: Fairfax County Innovation Challenge, an innovation competition where teams create high-impact solutions to address bicycle and pedestrian safety. The goal of the Challenge is to find innovative solutions to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in our increasingly multimodal transportation landscape. Registration is now open, and the competition will conclude on April 21.

University of Virginia, Penn State & Bowie State teams’ winning proposals to detect ‘Deep Fakes’.

"The challenge was sponsored by The Greer Institute and ran from January 19th through February 1st. Several prominent members of the AI and ML technology communities volunteered to serve on the panel of judges for this challenge including​ David Ihrie, Chief Technology Officer, Center for Innovative Technology..."

March 23, 2021 - Richmond, VA - iDISPLA (Innovative Discovery Science Platform), Army C5ISR Center Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate (NVESD) and The Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation (Greer Institute) announced the winners of the recent University Adversarial Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) Challenge. The winners are 1st Place – University of Virginia; 2nd Place – Pennsylvania State University; 3rd Place – Bowie State University.

​Company’s OneLynk platform provides end-to-end business processes and real-time analytics for government contractors

​Richmond, VA, March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Herndon, Va.-based AtWork Systems, developer of a fully integrated, complete back office business solution for SMB government contractors. AtWork's OneLynk platform provides end-to-end business processes and real-time analytics, allowing business owners to focus on growing their organizations. The company will use this investment to support growth and continued technology enhancements.

Additional funding supports company’s continued expansion into senior living and healthcare facilities

​Richmond, Va. – March 11, 2021 – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has made a follow-on investment in Charlottesville, Va.-based Babylon Micro-Farms, provider of a software enabled indoor farming service. Since GAP Funds’ initial investment in 2019, Babylon Micro-Farms has pivoted to focus on indoor growing systems for hospitals, senior living communities, and schools as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The company will use this additional funding to continue its expansion into more locations in Virginia and across the East Coast.     

​From restaurant ordering platforms Tock and Slice to dining innovators like Panera, Chipotle, and White Castle, these companies are feeding the industry with innovation.

​Thanks to its comprehensive flight test sites, miles of open roads, a long coastline with access to open water and world-class rocket launch facilities, Virginia is a natural location to support all domains in the unmanned systems (UxS) industry: air, ground, sea and space. Despite a challenging year due to a worldwide health pandemic and the sluggish economy created by the virus, UxS continued to accelerate in Virginia as the industry accomplished many new milestones and achievements.

The project to connect Stafford County like never before is well underway.
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Dubbed “Smart City Test Bed,” the project to remake the county into the state’s first-ever 5G-connected community is focused on how to reduce traffic, how to predict and detect flooding, and, maybe someday, guide a tourist to get a juicy hamburger at a locally-owned restaurant.
“Smart is bigger than technology,” said Stafford County Economic Development Director John Holden.
Last summer, the county signed an agreement with the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), Virginia’s quasi-governmental agency, promising to work together to first blanket the area around the county’s courthouse with 5G wireless technology. That work is happening now.

We are so excited to share with you that Kamana has officially joined forces with one of the nation’s leading healthcare staffing agencies, Triage Staffing.

​Virginia Venture Connect | Ep 6: Forget Smart Homes, We're Talking Smart Cities | Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) | Interview with David Ihrie, CIT Chief Technology Officer

​A Richmond-based startup company that operates an online platform to help counsel parents of children with autism has raised $1.8 million to expand its services.

AnswersNow, which was founded in 2017, announced Tuesday that it had completed the seed funding round led by the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology.

​As a result of the recent growth, Fringe has raised $2.2 million in new funding, in a round led by Sovereign’s Capital, with participation from Felton Group, Manchester Story, the Center for Innovative Technology, and angel investors, including Jaffray Woodriff. As part of this investment, the company also added longtime advisor William Boland, Senior Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at Mission Lane, to its Board of Directors.

​AnswersNow recently closed a Seed Round of $1.8M lead by American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and CIT with participation from Kapor Capital, Trolley Ventures, and K-Street Capital. Funds from the round are being used to fuel expansion plans, hire world class clinical talent to guide the efficacy of the services being delivered and guide marketing strategy to raise awareness of AnswersNow virtual ABA services.

​David Ihrie talks about CIT Smart Communities, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), and what projects might lend themselves for development in the Shenandoah Valley.

About the SVTC: The Shenandoah Valley Technology Council is a non-profit that serves technology users and creators in the Shenandoah Valley. Its members gather together for education, networking, and business development. By helping technology businesses in the area succeed and grow, the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council is an integral component of the region, helping bring high-paying technology jobs to the Valley. Website: https://svtc-va.org/

Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC) - interview with Sean Mallon, Vice President, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems at CIT

CIT's Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Division (EED) was established in July 2020 to support and promote technology-focused entrepreneurial ecosystems throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Starting with the understanding that entrepreneurs are important drivers of economic growth, EED supports Virginia-based partner organizations that support entrepreneurs through the early stages of business formation and growth.

​Services for both dealerships and consumers improve the car buying process, making it more cost effective and convenient

Richmond, VA, Feb. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Richmond, Va.-based Sweetie Boy Delivers, provider of services that help easily transport vehicles from one location to the next for dealerships and consumers. Sweetie Boy Delivers will use this investment to expand its sales and development teams to meet the needs of the ever-changing transportation industry, which has many pain points.​

Charlottesville Business Innovation Council | Interview - Bob Stolle, President & CEO at CIT | Center for Innovative Technology | Virginia