By JOHN REID BLACKWELL Richmond Times-Dispatch
Seven Virginia-based startup companies have been chosen to participate in the first-ever accelerator program held by the Dominion Energy Innovation Center in Ashland.
All seven startups are working on products or services related to energy and sustainability.
The 10-week program starts in September and will provide mentoring and education from the innovation center’s partner network, led by Dominion Energy.
For most of its 10-year history, the Dominion Energy Innovation Center has focused on providing office space and resources for the long-term incubation of new businesses.
The Accelerate program is aimed at extending the pipeline of startup companies that other accelerators in Virginia, such as Lighthouse Labs and 757 Accelerate, are building, said Adam Sledd, director of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center.
“We see this as an opportunity to build on some of the remarkable changes happening in Virginia around the energy grid, such as the clean energy legislation and Dominion’s carbon commitments,” Sledd said.
The seven startups chosen for the program are:
- Ario: The Norfolk-based company has an augmented reality platform that enables industrial and manufacturing companies to train, educate and improve their workforce while maintaining continuous operations.
- Longleaf Conservation Capital: The Richmond-based startup, formed by a team of land owners and managers, is developing a portfolio of land properties for environmentally sustainable uses.
- eCountabl: Based in Alexandria, the company developed a consumer mobile app that tracks the brands people purchase, keeping users accountable for their own spending. The app gauges individuals’ social and environmental stances, then connects users with companies that share those values.
- Mova Technologies: The Pulaski-based business has a patented panel-bed filtration system that captures pollutants cheaper than current technologies while drastically improving the emission quality.
- Asoleyo: Based in Herndon, the company has tapped into a niche market of redesigning solar cells — using the artistic principles of symmetry, rhythm and line to transform the utilitarian rectangular grid of their silver electrical contacts.
- Linebird: The Richmond-based company is developing tools to use drone technology to improve the dangerous and labor-intensive process of electric transmission line maintenance.
- Lumin: Based in Charlottesville, the business provides a whole-home energy management system that governs energy consumption based on available energy storage power, preset user preferences and grid conditions.
