Week 1 — Incorporate where it matters
Most Virginia-based founders incorporate as a Delaware C-Corp from day one if they intend to raise institutional capital. Virginia LLCs make sense for service businesses or revenue-first companies. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) handles all in-state filings — annual report fees are low, and the registered-agent requirement is minimal. Don't over-engineer this.
Week 2–3 — Map your region
Virginia is not one ecosystem. NoVA runs on federal contracts and enterprise software. Richmond is healthcare, fintech, and consumer. Charlottesville is biotech, climate, and UVA-adjacent. Hampton Roads is defense and maritime. SW Virginia is hardware, advanced manufacturing, and agtech. Pick one anchor city before you collect every region's introductions.
Week 4–6 — Apply for non-dilutive capital
Before you take a single angel meeting, apply for VIPC's Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) for technology-driven concepts and the SBIR/STTR matching grants if you have federal awards. Lighthouse Labs (RVA), MACH37 (NoVA cyber), RAMP (SW VA), and 757 Accelerate (HR) all run cohorts with pre-seed checks attached.
Week 7–10 — Build your operating cadence
Pick a coworking anchor — 1717 (Richmond), Studio IX (Charlottesville), or a Mason Enterprise Center location in NoVA. Show up weekly. Most introductions in Virginia come from being seen, not from cold email.
Week 11–13 — First raise
If you're going to raise, the order is typically: friends-and-family or VIPC → angel network (CAV Angels, New Dominion) → seed institutional. Virginia angel groups expect a clean cap table and a 10-slide deck. Do not pitch with a 30-slide deck.