During the autumn of 2017, our newspapers and newsfeeds were filled with stories about sexual harassment in the film business, television and other industries where powerful men behaved badly. In December, “the silence breakers” of the #MeToo movement were named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. The sheer number of cases reveals a pattern that […]
Homegrown incubator: UVA’s i.Lab boosts burgeoning companies, from the idea up
The University of Virginia’s i.Lab is where good business ideas go to become great ones. Local entrepreneurs and their teams apply for the incubator program in January, and if they’re one of about 20 groups selected after a Shark Tank-style round of pitches, they’ll be admitted into a 10-week program where their start-ups are provided […]
Not just built for two: Respect Cycles’ innovative bicycle design is for all riders
Bicycles are a great way to get around. They’re economical, eco-friendly and good exercise. But their design never made much sense to television and film editor and director—and lifelong bike rider—Scotty Wilson. Bikes are big, bulky and not easily transported from one place to the other (unless the bike is the transportation); they’re a pain […]
The new ag: Sylvanaqua models the next wave of local farming
Talking with Chris Newman about the farm he runs with his wife, Annie, you get the feeling you’re glimpsing the future. Newman likes to think ahead; he was still in his 20s when he and Annie began planning to become farmers after retirement, which was decades away. They lived in Washington, D.C., then; he worked […]
Ask a technologist: Will losing net neutrality protections affect me?
In December, the Republican-led Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal its own 2015 ruling about how Internet service providers should be regulated, saying it was eliminating “heavy-handed micromanagement” of the Internet. Many users saw it differently, and lamented what they saw as a loss of important safeguards. At the heart of the FCC’s ruling is […]
Can growing numbers of local open work areas fuel tech innovation?
The technology community is notoriously secretive, but there’s one thing Charlottesville techies can’t hide: The local innovation infrastructure is growing at a rapid pace, with two new co-working spaces set to open on the Downtown Mall this year. Construction is expected to begin on the Charlottesville Technology Center, which will go on the former Main […]
How to pass ‘go’: City office lends business owners a hand
Thinking of making the leap to entrepreneurship in Charlottesville? Your first stop ought to be the Office of Economic Development, which offers a broad menu of services to would-be business owners. We spoke with Jason Ness, business development manager, about what he and his colleagues can do to nudge your startup dream closer to reality. […]