 Startup Spotlight: RoundlyX, which enables investments in digital assets, plans growth with CIT investment | “You don’t need to be a cryptocurrency expert to invest responsibly, and dollar cost averaging is a proven, responsible strategy to build a digital asset portfolio,” said Alex Euler, investment director at CIT GAP Funds. “RoundlyX has an experienced, innovative leadership team with a strong vision to build a global, full spectrum digital asset financial services platform.” Elliott said the investment by CIT, which supports early stage companies in Virginia, shows there is a future in digital assets.  Weithman will join other panel members to discuss innovative approaches to gain access to capital Richmond, Va. – June 16, 2020 – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds Managing Director, Tom Weithman, will participate as a speaker during InBIA’s 2020 International Conference on Business Incubation (ICBI34). For more than three decades, ICBI has brought together champions for entrepreneurship around the globe to form connections, share ideas and resources, and reinvigorate professional perspectives. The panel discussion, which will be hosted virtually as part of the full online event, will focus on innovative approaches to gain access to capital. Weithman will join fellow speakers Judy Mahan, Director of Economic Development at Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Anne Lufkin-Riaño, U.S. Regional Manager at Kiva; and Mysty Rusk, Director at The Brink SBDC. For more information on this year’s conference, visit inbia.org/icbi34. When: Tuesday, June 23, 2020 from 4:15 PM to 5:00 PM ET Where: To register for the virtual event, please click here. What: Innovative Approaches to Access Capital With the right approaches, startups and other early-stage companies can access a much deeper pool of capital that was previously unavailable to them. During this panel discussion, experienced investors and experts in entrepreneurship will share insights on the many different, innovative approaches to accessing capital, as well as best practices for pursuing funding. Weithman brings his perspective on CIT GAP Funds’ investment strategy and outcomes, as well as the applicability and portability of CIT’s model for other state and regional ecosystems. Who: Tom Weithman, Managing Director, CIT GAP Funds As architect and leader of CIT GAP Funds, Tom has established himself as one of the nation's foremost experts on quasi-public fund formation, early stage investment, accelerator development and the contribution of "catalytic capital" to innovation, commercialization and economic development. Under his leadership, CIT GAP Funds has placed more than 200 equity investments in emerging tech, life science and clean tech companies, leveraging more a billion of private capital onto CIT GAP Funds portfolio company balance sheets. CIT GAP Funds has been acknowledged by Entrepreneur Magazine, CB Insights and the Association for Corporate Growth as one of the nation's leading early stage venture funds.  RVA's best startups, innovators and stakeholders of 2020 While we’re only halfway through 2020, the tech and innovation ecosystem has provided no shortage of startups and entrepreneurs deserving of Richmond Inno’s highest accolade.  National Science Foundation’s 2019 SBIR award winner uses machine learning to convert key data into guidance for farmers that helps boost crop yields The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Alexandria, Va.-based Agrology, developer of prediction agriculture technology that helps farmers boost crop yields. Agrology’s solution uses machine learning to convert high-quality data into predictive guidance for crop growers that directs them to the right amounts, location and timeframe to apply inputs to their farm for maximized results. “Over 90% of farmers do not have any sensors or software to guide their irrigation and inputs, a process that is overwhelmingly manual across a majority of farms. As a result, many farmers do not get the coverage they need to monitor the individual micro-climates on their farms,” said Tom Weithman, Managing Director of CIT GAP Funds. “Agrology is meeting a critical market need for the agriculture industry, allowing farmers to achieve maximum profitability across their entire farm while using optimal levels of inputs. CIT looks forward to following Agrology this year as they continue to grow.”  “Gritty Frontlines: Authentic Stories on Starting a Company” goes behind the scenes to showcase what it’s really like to build a startup The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) is proud to share that CIT GAP Funds Senior Investment Director, Marco Rubin, has launched a new podcast series, “Gritty Frontlines: Authentic Stories on Starting a Company”. Along with co-host Erin Pearson, Client Partner at 3Pillar Global, the independent podcast will feature interviews with a wide range of entrepreneurs and founders to showcase the often untold journey of building and growing a company...  Scout, recently rebranded from Eighth Continent Technologies, conducts in-space inspections to extend satellite lifetimes and prevent space debris The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Alexandria, Va.-based Scout Inc., formerly Eighth Continent Technologies. Scout, provider of non-invasive risk assessments and mitigation services to reduce failures in spaceflight environments, conducts on-site inspections of space assets using small, inexpensive satellites, producing data that saves customers hundreds of millions of dollars. CIT GAP Funds’ investment will help Scout build prototypes, expand the team with critical expertise, and enable growth of industry and government customer acquisition.  Vienna, Va.-based startup launches new solution to accelerate analysis of patient and population data for COVID-19 using NLP and AI The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Vienna, Va.-based MetiStream, developer of a platform that uses big data, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning to reveal hidden insights in unstructured clinical data. MetiStream’s Ember Platform delivers better analytics to decrease health risks, and improve quality and outcomes for healthcare organizations. MetiStream will leverage the GAP Funds investment to help expand and accelerate sales, marketing and product development efforts.  Additional funding supports the fintech startup’s approach to improving the insurance quote process for both applicants and insurers The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has made a follow-on investment in Richmond, Va.-based Fenris. Over the last 12 months, Fenris has expanded their sales operations and enhanced their data delivery and analytics platform. The company plans to use this additional funding to further build out their product suite to meet demand from current and prospective clients. “Fenris clients are seeing real results, including an increase in conversions accompanied by a 25% decrease in cost of acquisition due to smarter ordering of downstream reports, and up to 80% reduction in manual effort,” said Jennifer O’Daniel, Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds. “CIT is pleased to expand our relationship with Fenris through this follow-on investment, and we look forward to the company’s continued growth in 2020.”  Seed funding sources for Embody included both CIT GAP Funds & Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF)  Automated micro deposits round up purchases to the next dollar to buy, secure and store digital assets on a user’s chosen exchange | The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Richmond, Va.-based RoundlyX, a digital asset wealth management platform. Tom Walker joined Neil Cavuto today on Fox Business Network to discuss DroneUp's recent drone delivery testing with UPS, Center for Innovative Technology Virginia (CIT), and Workhorse Group Inc. Click through to watch now: https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6151637756001/#sp=show-clips Neil Cavuto @TeamCavuto | Senior Vice President, Managing Editor and Anchor for both FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network. Anchor of FNC's Your World, Cavuto LIVE and FBN's Cavuto: Coast to Coast.  Interview Tom Walker, DroneUp CEO, discusses how his company is teaming up with UPS to deliver medical supplies to frontline COVID-19 workers | Tom Walker | CEO of DroneUp | CIT GAP Funds Portfolio Company | Virginia Center for Unmanned Systems at CIT Advisory Board Member
Apr. 23, 2020 - 2:26 - Tom Walker, DroneUp CEO, discusses how his company is teaming up with UPS to deliver medical supplies to frontline COVID-19 workers
Interview Tom Walker, DroneUp CEO, discusses how his company is teaming up with UPS to deliver medical supplies to frontline COVID-19 workers | Tom Walker | CEO of DroneUp | CIT GAP Funds Portfolio Company | Virginia Center for Unmanned Systems at CIT Advisory Board Member
Video link:https://video.foxnews.com/v/6151617096001
To determine how UAS could help medical professionals in their fight to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, DroneUp, UPS and its subsidiary UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF), Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), and Workhorse Group recently came together to test the technology in Lawrenceville, Virginia.  Female veteran and spouse-owned businesses and entrepreneurs will compete for a cash prize and the designation of most likely to succeed  “Women and veteran entrepreneurs are bringing key products and services to market in the Commonwealth, all while paving the way for a new generation of female leadership in a variety of industries,” said Jennifer O’Daniel, Investment Director at CIT GAP Funds. “I am grateful for the opportunity to judge the Virginia Women Veterans Summit pitch competition and look forward to exploring new ways CIT can continue to support women veterans through our Virginia Founders Fund.”
This is now a virtual event | Press Release Here  The Tysons-based tech company is connecting food trucks to multi-family properties to offer more dining options to residents practicing social distancing. Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced that its early-stage fund, CIT GAP Funds, has invested in Tysons, Virginia-based Curbside Kitchen, developer of a platform to connect food trucks with owners of commercial offices and multi-family residential buildings.
The company was founded in 2017 and last August also nabbed an investment from CIT’s Virginia Founders Fund, which supports companies with female, minority or veteran founders, or other entrepreneurs located in regions outside of Northern Virginia. Curbside Kitchen CEO Amy Katz said in a news release that the company has been able to quickly roll out mobile and text ordering in the last year with the financial support from CIT.  The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds has invested in Tysons, Va.-based Curbside Kitchen, developer of a platform that manages and connects owners of commercial office and multi-family residential buildings with food truck vendors as way to expand amenity options. In August 2019, CIT’s Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) made an initial investment in the company to complete a full build-out of their technology and hire additional team members. This investment from CIT GAP Funds will be used to continue expanding business operations.
Press Release: http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/04/07/2013068/0/en/CIT-GAP-Funds-Invests-in-Curbside-Kitchen-to-Continue-Connecting-Building-Owners-and-Multi-Family-Properties-with-Food-Trucks.html  The company plans use the fresh funding to expand its sales, marketing and product development efforts. CIT GAP Funds' Tom Weithman said that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the org remains open for business.
Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced that its early-stage fund, CIT GAP Funds, has invested in Vienna, Virginia-based MetiStream, developer of a platform that uses big data and machine learning to find hidden information in unstructured clinical data. https://technical.ly/dc/2020/04/03/cit-gap-funds-invests-vienna-based-metistream/  During Women’s History Month, celebrated each March, the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) is proud to highlight Virginia’s community of female entrepreneurs. Nearly 60 of CIT GAP Funds’ 200+ investments were founded by or include female executives. Bolstered by the Virginia Founders Fund, which increases access to capital for startups founded by women and other traditionally underserved entrepreneurial communities in the Commonwealth, CIT maintains a strong commitment to continue investing in women-led startups.
Women entrepreneurs make up a significant portion of U.S. small business owners, with the U.S. Census Bureau estimating over 12.3 million companies owned by women. According to a recent report from SmartAsset that set out to identify the top cities for women in tech, examining U.S. cities with 200,000 residents or more, two Virginia cities – Chesapeake and Arlington – were both named among the top five best cities for women in tech. The findings were based on a number of factors, including the city’s tech employment growth over the last three years, number of women in the tech workforce, and its gender pay gap. Press Release Here | http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/03/26/2007128/0/en/CIT-Recognizes-Women-Led-Virginia-Startups-During-Women-s-History-Month.html The Best Cities for Women in Tech in 2019 | Full Article https://smartasset.com/checking-account/the-best-cities-for-women-in-tech-in-2019  “MetiStream’s mission to accelerate and simplify how clinical insights are delivered is solving a large market need for improved patient care and outcomes,” said Tom Weithman, Managing Director of CIT GAP Funds. “CIT is confident that the company’s established customer success team, combined with Ember’s strong data integration capabilities to onboard a variety of healthcare datasets from clinical to genomics with limited coding required, will be a recipe for success.”
Link to press release here: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/03/24/2005678/0/en/CIT-GAP-Funds-Invests-in-MetiStream-to-Improve-Patient-Outcomes-by-Addressing-Healthcare-Industry-s-Unstructured-Data-Problems.html  Congratulations to the Virginia CIT Gap Funds Portfolio Companies who made the list this year & congratulations to all | Full list found here: https://www.crunchbase.com/lists/hot-tech-companies-globally/18356751-e468-4735-b94b-c22e4a87e838/organization.companies
 Congratulations to CIT GAP Funds Portfolio Companies MarginEdge and HUNGRY named among the best Startup Employers in the US by Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/americas-best-startup-employers/#7d16b23e6527  Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem is a long process involving a complex array of factors. In "Business Attraction and Start-Up Investment: Flip Sides of the Economic Development Coin," I argue for accelerating ecosystem maturation through a unified approach to conventional economic development and start-up company support.
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