Empowering innovators for the greater good
UVA Innovates is a platform to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia.
About UsUVA Innovates has launched a series of new initiatives to address critical unmet needs in UVA’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Signature Initiatives include spaces, services, and enrichment opportunities to make the connections that will transform ideas into reality.
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Enterprise Studio
The place to commercialize: where UVA faculty, research staff & graduate researchers bring the best ideas to the world.
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Commonwealth BioAccelerator
The region’s first wet lab accelerator at UVA’s North Fork Discovery Park.
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Solutions Labs
A suite of thematically driven laboratories focused on translating discoveries into solutions. (Forthcoming)
UVA Innovates helps coordinate, communicate, and amplify a robust ecosystem of entrepreneurial initiatives around Grounds. Ecosystem partners provide a wide array of services and support for entrepreneurial members of UVA’s community.
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Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology
The Batten Institute seeks to improve society by creating knowledge about the transformative power of entrepreneurship and innovation and by cultivating principled, entrepreneurial leaders.
www.darden.virginia.edu
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School of Engineering - Office of Research and Innovation
The Engineering Office of Research and Innovation supports innovation and entrepreneurship by enhancing community connections and creating new funding synergies.
engineering.virginia.edu
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Galant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Galant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UVA McIntire encourages, educates, and empowers students—past and present—to take on roles in the startup community.
www.commerce.virginia.edu
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Social Entrepreneurship Program
The Minor in Social Entrepreneurship is an award-winning, pan-university program that empowers students to challenge the status quo.
batten.virginia.edu
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Hatch Accelerator
The Hatch Accelerator exists to remove barriers to growth for entrepreneurs in Southwest Virginia with robust and innovative programming.
www.hatchaccelerator.com
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Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic involves instruction and practical training on advising startup companies and drafting basic corporate documentation.
www.law.virginia.edu
UVA Innovates plays a leading role in engaging beyond our Grounds, working with others to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Charlottesville, the Commonwealth, and beyond. Here is a list of some of the Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) that help make our broader ecosystem vibrant.
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CvilleBioHub
We accelerate the biotechnology industry through engagement, resourcing and education.
cvillebiohub.org
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Venture Central
Venture Central works collaboratively to identify gaps, strengthen successful initiatives, and find solutions for unmet needs in Central Virginia.
www.venturecentralva.com
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434 Accelerator
434 is a long-format accelerator, providing select technology-driven, early-stage startups based in and around the Charlottesville area with nine months of program support.
www.434.co
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CODE
CODE creates a dynamic and healthy work environment that emphasizes principles of wellness and sustainability within the workplace while facilitating a diverse mix of tenants.
codebuilding.com
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CAV Angels
CAV Angels strives to catalyze UVA alumni’s engagement in burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystems and mobilize the highest levels of investment in the most promising early-stage companies through tailored educational programming, hands-on student engagement, and curated access to robust and proprietary deal flow.
cavangels.com
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Vault Virginia
A modern work & culture club where creativity & connectivity thrive. Meet you there.
www.vaultvirginia.com
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CBIC
We represent and support the interests of our area’s technology and innovation-based businesses at all stages of growth.
cvilleinnovation.org
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Community Investment Collaborative
CIC is a mission-driven non-profit in Charlottesville, VA that's empowering small business for big change.
cicville.org
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Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
VIPIC drives innovation and collaboration in Virginia's startup ecosystem through equity investments.
vipc.org
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Virginia Economic Development Partnership
VEDP is the state economic development authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
www.vedp.org
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GO Virginia
An initiative by Virginia’s senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives.
govirginia.org
In The News
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All In Good Time: UVA Alum’s Startup Restores Trust to the Watch Market
Chase Pion says preparation, passion and people define his path from investment banker to entrepreneur. Today, the University of Virginia graduate is leading Bezel, a fast-growing startup connecting buyers and sellers of high-end, pre-owned watches. He credits his mix of financial discipline and team-first leadership to his time at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.
news.virginia.edu
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UVA Poised to Benefit from AstraZeneca’s New Albemarle Manufacturing Site
AstraZeneca’s decision to build a manufacturing plant in Albemarle County will accelerate research collaborations, bolster the area’s biotech industry and increase employment opportunities for University of Virginia graduates while enhancing the region’s growing reputation as a life science hub, University officials said.
news.virginia.edu
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UVA Innovates Impact Report 2024-2025
The 2024-2025 Impact Report highlights a transformative year for UVA Innovates, marking a bold new chapter in the University of Virginia’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. Over the past year, we launched three Signature Initiatives—The Foundry, Enterprise Studio, and Commonwealth BioAccelerator—designed to support students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners. In collaboration with Ecosystem Partners across UVA and Commonwealth Partnerships, these efforts are amplifying resources, fostering technological leadership, and driving economic growth across Virginia.
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Meet the UVA Student Building a Rare Coin Empire
University of Virginia fourth-year student Hunter Hicks is turning a childhood passion into a thriving business. Founder of Hicks Coins, Hicks has built a rare coin empire generating over $960,000 in revenue in 2024, all while studying at UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and majoring in economics.
news.virginia.edu