This funding establishes a commitment to life sciences entrepreneurship and commercialization in Virginia, signaling a major leap forward for the region’s biotech industry.

The BioAccelerator program welcomed its first cohort of six early-stage life sciences startups this summer. Through tailored mentorship, operational support, and physical lab space, the Commonwealth BioAccelerator is designed to turn high-potential scientific discoveries into scalable life sciences businesses, keeping talent and intellectual property in Virginia while connecting startups to the broader Mid-Atlantic innovation ecosystem.

“This is establishing the cornerstone for Virginia’s biotech future,” said Nikki Hastings, executive director of CvilleBioHub. “By aligning public funding, academic strength, and commercial energy, we’re building a new model for how regional ecosystems can drive national innovation.”

This new phase of growth marks a major milestone for the University of Virginia and the Commonwealth at large, placing the region firmly on the map as an emerging center for life sciences innovation. The combination of research depth from the University of Virginia, a growing investor network, and a collaborative public-private framework offers biotech founders a powerful launchpad to scale.

“The work being done here at CvilleBioHub shows what’s possible when we invest in the intersection of science, academics, and entrepreneurship,” said Juan Pablo Segura, secretary of health and human resources for Virginia. “This accelerator is not just about startups. It’s about positioning Virginia as a destination for world-class biotech innovation, job creation, and long-term economic growth.”

In addition to launching the BioAccelerator, the additional funding enables the expansion of labs to support anticipated growth resulting from significant investments by the Commonwealth of Virginia in the region, especially with the Manning Institute of Biotechnology. CvilleBioHub will continue to grow and attract commercial opportunities for the region by supporting early-stage life sciences companies. These initiatives support CvilleBioHub’s mission to foster a thriving, nationally recognized life sciences cluster by creating a pipeline of support from discovery to commercialization.

Meet the 2025 Accelerator Cohort:

• Avant Genomics: Liquid biopsy platform for early-stage cancer detection 
• Built Biotechnologies: DNA Manufacturing-as-a-Service
• SNC Therapeutics: Tolerogenic nanotherapy for Type 1 Diabetes Delay and Prevention
• SonoFx: Medtech innovation in voice restoration
• Vasarya Therapeutics: Site-specific therapeutics for fibrotic diseases