Seven Virginia-based startups have been invited to participate in the fall cohort of the Lighthouse Labs accelerator program in Richmond, the organization said Tuesday.
Lighthouse Labs said the participants were selected from a field of nearly 200 applicants, with just 18 singled out for interviews. It is the first cohort selected under new Managing Director Debbie Irwin, who joined Lighthouse Labs in February just after the spring cohort had been selected.
Program participants receive $20,000 in equity-free funding and participate in weekly educational programming. They will also get mentorship from Lighthouse’s mentor network and connect with local partners and investors.
The new cohort, the accelerator’s 17th overall across 12 years, includes:
- Canopie — This telehealth startup based in Falls Church and led by Anne Wanlund offers maternal mental health services in English and Spanish.
- EmpathixAI — This Arlington company led by Ashley Sherry and Jacob Tucker is building an “empathetic AI interviewer” for global market research.
- Gateway — Co-founders Mai Linh Ho and Hanh Linh Ho are behind this McLean startup that offers an onboarding and training platform that provides personalized content to streamline onboarding and speed worker productivity.
- Liquet — John Schindler leads this Glen Allen startup that’s focused on personalized treatment of blood clots in lungs.
- Myles Comfort Foods — This Fairfax startup from Myles Powell offers a variety of frozen food products.
- Parrots — David Hojah’s startup uses AI-driven technology to provide early detection, personalized care, and real-time monitoring for neurodegenerative diseases. The company does not list a headquarters location online.
- VerbaAI — This Great Falls startup co-founded by Aaraj Vij and Jeremy Swack develops software to affirm the legitimacy of information like online videos.
Lighthouse said the new cohort is one of the most diverse in its history, with more than 70% of the founders coming from groups that are “traditionally underrepresented among entrepreneurs.”
The accelerator program kicks off on Aug. 26 in Richmond and concludes with a demo day competition on Nov. 7.
