 The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT - In the News PACKAGE DELIVERY: Teams made great strides on the package delivery front during IPP, and that progress will continue in BEYOND. The Virginia team, led by the Center for Innovative Technology and with the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) FAA-designated UAS test site managing the projects, began the first residential drone package delivery program in late 2019 under Wing’s leadership. Drones now deliver goods from Walgreens, packages from FedEx, library books, orders from local restaurants and even Girl Scout cookies to Christiansburg residents, MAAP Director Tombo Jones said. The deliveries began after about six months of community engagement, Jones said. Citizens had the opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns, making them comfortable with the drone flights—a key component of both IPP and BEYOND. What Wing learned through this community outreach will carry over as delivery operations expand, Head of Regulatory Affairs Dallas Brooks said. Collaboration also has been critical, and is the only way to get to the regulations that will make drone delivery viable. 
Stafford County and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) Announce Opening of the First Virginia Smart Community Testbed | Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports on a new partnership between high-tech companies and Stafford County.
(News4's Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey has been covering this side of the state since joining NBC4 in 1992. She's joined by reporter Drew Wilder.)  Launch celebration included ribbon-cutting ceremony and technology demonstration Stafford, VA, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stafford County and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to formally establish the opening of the new Virginia Smart Community Testbed. The Testbed, located next to the Stafford Government Center at 2143 Jefferson Davis Hwy, is the first of its kind in the Commonwealth. Testbeds are a way of testing new technologies in a real-world setting, a method that drives faster innovation. This Testbed will help propel both Stafford and Virginia to the forefront of smart community adoption across the country and the world. "Innovation is the key to creating new jobs, driving economic growth, and tackling our biggest challenges," said Governor Ralph Northam. "This testbed will help build Virginia’s first smart community in Stafford County and serve as a living laboratory to pilot smart city technologies. This is exactly the type of public-private partnership we need to make the delivery of goods and services more effective and efficient, reduce our carbon footprint, and improve the health and well-being of our communities, our Commonwealth, and our country."  Investment Associates, Dustin Dunbar and Anthony Obi Jr. will contribute to CIT GAP Funds' continued growth by supporting deal sourcing, due diligence processes, and fund management Richmond, Va. – May 24, 2021 – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA), today announced that CIT GAP Funds has added two new Investment Associates to its team: Dustin Dunbar and Anthony Obi Jr. As Investment Associates, Dunbar, and Obi will support CIT GAP Funds activity including deal sourcing and due diligence activities for candidate CIT investments in high-growth technology, life science, and clean energy tech companies.
 Our guide to the most important and innovative leaders in Washington’s digital economy. WRITTEN BY JOSEPH GUINTO | PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAUREN BULBIN | PUBLISHED ON MAY 3, 2021  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. ]  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.  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  A family of funds managed by the Center for Innovative Technology has invested about $1.8 million into Richmond-area startups in recent years. Through partnerships with Richmond-area groups like Lighthouse Labs, Trolley Ventures, 1717 Innovation Center, Virginia Commonwealth University and Startup Virginia, CIT GAP Funds is “actively cultivating a growing pipeline,” said Managing Director Tom Weithman.  A Charlottesville-based startup company that makes indoor, hydroponic farming systems is moving its headquarters to Richmond with plans to hire about 24 people over the next few years. Late in 2019, Babylon Micro-Farms raised $2.3 million in funding mostly from investors, but the capital raise also included a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research on its systems, along with a $50,000 grant from Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology. Northam’s office said Virginia competed with Arizona and California for the headquarters office relocation project. Babylon Micro-Farms is a CIT GAP Funds Portfolio Company and a CIT Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) Awardee FY20 | The Babylon CRCF award, along with CIT GAP funding, is a prime example of how our programs work together to help sustain companies through the difficult first stages of the commercialization process. Sustainable urban agriculture technologies are among the most critical emerging technologies in the nation today, and thanks to Babylon, Virginia will play an essential role in the future of farming.  CIT is pleased to share this White Paper published by Organizing4Innovation - a Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund Awardee (CRCF FY20)
"Law firm innovation management is becoming a must, giving the increased frequency and importance of innovation. Wondering how other law firms are managing their innovation efforts? Are you interested in reading about the best-practices law firms of all sizes use? Then download our white paper titled "Innovation Management in Law Firms" https://www.organizing4innovation.com/law-firm-innovation-management/ *Please Note: CRCF to CCF - The Commonwealth Commercialization Fund, or CCF, was launched on July 1, 2020, to foster innovative and collaborative efforts in Virginia. Combining two legacy state programs, the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) and the Virginia Research Innovation Fund (VRIF), CCF seeks technologies with a high potential for economic development and job creation and that position the Commonwealth as a national leader in science- and technology-based research, development, and commercialization. As the administrator of the CCF, CIT supports CRCF and VRIF award recipients. #CITCRCF #CITCCF #Innovation #Commercialization #Research #Virginia  RICHMOND--Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Babylon Micro-Farms, a Virginia-based company that develops and produces remotely controlled, indoor hydroponic systems for growing fresh herbs, vegetables, and salad greens, will invest $140,000 to expand operations and relocate to the City of Richmond. Babylon’s new location in Scott’s Addition will enable the company to expand its capabilities in manufacturing, software development, and research and development so it can begin distributing nationally and internationally. Virginia successfully competed with Arizona and California for the project, which will create 24 new jobs. “We are thrilled to celebrate the growth of innovative Virginia businesses like Babylon Micro-Farms,” said Governor Northam. “The company’s dynamic, high-tech systems are helping to address food insecurity during the pandemic and getting fresh, local produce into the hands of more people. This expansion demonstrates the success that entrepreneurs can find in our Commonwealth, while also maintaining a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.” Babylon Micro-Farms is a CIT GAP Funds Portfolio Company and a CIT Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) Awardee FY20 | The Babylon CRCF award, along with CIT GAP funding, is a prime example of how our programs work together to help sustain companies through the difficult first stages of the commercialization process. Sustainable urban agriculture technologies are among the most critical emerging technologies in the nation today, and thanks to Babylon, Virginia will play an essential role in the future of farming.  (Updated at 11:55 p.m.) More than 100 people have signed up to compete in Virginia’s inaugural Smart City Challenge, and organizers expect more to join in the coming weeks. The proceedings kicked off on Saturday (Jan. 23) with remarks from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and panel discussions on how technology could be used to address societal challenges, from COVID-19 and natural disasters to the availability of healthy food and efficiency of traffic lights. The month-long competition will conclude on Feb. 18 when participants pitch projects designed to improve modern communities by tackling issues in housing, transportation, health, education, and other sectors.  Named Virginia’s most active investor by CB Insights for the past six years, CIT GAP Funds’ investments have helped create more than 6,500 new jobs in the Commonwealth in the last 15 years, it reported this month... By Michelai Graham / STAFF  The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at CIT would like to thank The Virginia legislature and many others for support in establishing the Commonwealth as a national leader in the Unmanned Systems Industry – land, sea, air, and space (UxS). Evidence of that leadership is provided by Business Facilities Magazine, which ranked Virginia as the top state in the nation for unmanned aerial systems two years in a row for "unmanned systems leadership, facilities, and industry connections, both military and civilian." The following short video provides insights on UxS from government and business leaders in Virginia.  By Kaitlynn R. Copinger | January 19, 2021, 09:56am EST A Virginia nonprofit organization wants to help young companies in strategically important industries commercialize their technology and create jobs in the commonwealth. The Center for Innovative Technology believes a new fund will help them do just that. The Commonwealth Commercialization Fund recently kicked off its first funding round with a plan to disperse $7 million in grants of up to $100,000 in 2021.  Cloud-based dust accumulation monitoring system will help prevent fires and explosions in manufacturing, industrial and agricultural processing facilities Richmond, VA, Jan. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) has invested in Williamsburg, Va.-based Industrial Intelligence, developer of a continuous dust accumulation monitoring system. Industrial Intelligence’s solution alerts organization operations when dust accumulation levels become unacceptable. The startup plans to use this VFF capital for engineering and development of their prototype, patent expenses and further certification testing.
Investments have supported the creation of nearly 6,500 jobs throughout the Commonwealth Richmond, Va. – Jan. 13, 2021 – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today released the 2020 CIT GAP Funds Impact Report, detailing both return on investment and socio-economic impact achieved since the fund’s inception in 2005. A family of funds placing equity investments in Virginia’s high-growth based technology, life science, and cleantech companies at the earliest developmental stages, CIT GAP Funds has deployed $32.4 million in capital across 240 portfolio companies.  The Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) on Thursday opened the application process for $7 million in grant funds from its new Commonwealth Commercialization Fund, focused on promoting innovation and technology commercialization initiatives.  Up to $7 million in non-dilutive funding available for Virginia companies  True to The Monthly Blend’s mission of catalyzing regional collaboration, in this Episode, we bring together the brand new CEOs of both TEDCO and CIT, mirror organizations in their respective states of MD and VA. Troy Stovall and Bob Stolle meet for the first time and share their visions for their organizations. Topics include investment, stimulating economic development, areas of focus, and diversity & inclusion. You may be surprised to hear what these leaders have to say about what’s coming for MD and VA!  Stafford County is proud to announce that we are the home of the Commonwealth's Smart Community Testbed. The Virginia Smart Community Testbed (Testbed) is coming to Stafford, Virginia in Spring of 2021! Located next to the Stafford Government Center at 2143 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Stafford, VA, the Testbed will be the home to developing smart technology for the Commonwealth. Smart Technology developments include IoT platforms that will be fully integrated with 5G and other new and emerging technologies for Smart Cities around the country. Technologies developed in the Testbed will accelerate smart technology growth across the Commonwealth and Nation. The Testbed is a “shared knowledge platform” to develop practical and relevant smart technology solutions. The Virginia Smart Community Testbed is a public-private partnership involving multiple industry partners who will focus on relevant and practical use cases and produce innovative solutions using emerging and smart technologies.  Company to invest $6 million in new Mid-Atlantic headquarters for research, development, manufacturing “We are really excited that Silent Falcon has chosen to build its future in Virginia,” said Bob Stolle, CEO at the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT). “They are pioneers in this young industry that will soon impact every aspect of our lives, and the Unmanned Systems Center at CIT is anxious to support them in that pursuit.” |
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Updated 7/29/2021