Women Seeing More Entrepreneurial Success

by Andrea Winey

By: Vanessa Wagner, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Manager, Loudoun County Department of Economic DevelopmentTo see other articles by Vanessa, click here The gender gap is closing in entrepreneurship. According to the 2016 State of Women-Owned Business report, between 2007 and 2016, the number of women-owned firms increased by 45 percent, a rate that is 5 times the […]

What Is a Smart City, and Why You Should Care

by Andrea Winey

By Vanessa Wagner, Loudoun County Economic DevelopmentTo see other articles by Vanessa, click here If you work or live in Loudoun, by now you’ve probably heard rumblings about the upcoming development Gramercy District. You may have also heard the mixed-use community surrounding Gramercy described as a “smart city.” What’s all the fuss about, and why should you […]

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Location, Location, Location

by Andrea Winey

By Vanessa Wagner, Loudoun County Economic DevelopmentTo see other articles by Vanessa, click here Last week I attended the Startup Grind Global Conference in Redwood City, CA. I was thrilled to learn from the community that’s known as “the Mecca for startups,” and bring back new ideas and programs to help grow Loudoun County. I’ve […]

Think “Startup” to Stay Big

by Andrea Winey

Blog series by Vanessa Wagner, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Manager, Loudoun County, Va Department of Economic Development Small businesses can “fail fast” and pivot quickly to respond to current market demands. This is one reason that more large firms are embracing startups, or creating their own niche project teams to spur innovation. In Loudoun County, large technology firms […]

Start the New Year With a Cocktail of Millennial Data

by Andrea Winey

Blog series by Vanessa Wagner, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Manager, Loudoun County, Va Department of Economic Development The term “millennial” is not new for 2017 but that doesn’t mean your business should discount the importance of this population. Last year the Pew Research Center reported Millennials, defined as those aged 18-34 in 2015, surpassed baby boomers as the […]

This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence

by Andrea Winey

Blog series by Vanessa Wagner, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Manager, Loudoun County, Va Department of Economic Development Welcome to the future happening right now. For many, artificial intelligence may sound like a theme from a science fiction novel; however, implementing A.I. technologies is an increasingly important strategy when designing new and improved products. So what exactly is […]

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Worry About Trolls After You Cross the Bridge

by Andrea Winey

Blog post by Vanessa Wagner, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Manager, Loudoun County, Va Department of Economic Development Many organizations worry about the process, costs or probability of receiving protection from the United State Patent and Trademark Office.  While there are factors to consider before pursing intellectual property protection, the USPTO still remains a leader in protecting inventors in […]

Meet the Finalists! Comfenergy

by Andrea Winey

To see the FULL list of SBA Finalists, click here. 1.  Tell us your story of how your company got to where it is today?It’s a long story on how Comfenergy got to where it is today, but I’ll give you the brief overview.  Justin Dobson owned a local family owned HVAC Company that still exists […]

How Innovation Can Save Your Company Money

by Andrea Winey

Blog post written by: David Skiles, The Vectre CorporationFor more information on the Public Policy Initiatives that the Loudoun Chamber is involved in, click here. U.S. taxpayers claim nearly $10 billion in R&D tax credits each year. Large companies aren’t the only businesses that can get those tax benefits! The 2016 General Assembly Session will be […]

Transformation 2020: Loudoun County Connected!

by Andrea Winey

Thank you to Paul McNeal, a member of our Loudoun Technology Coalition, for this post!Be sure to check out the LTC upcoming event, October 21st at AOL – The Internet of Things: As More of the World Connects Online, Will Your Business Keep Up? In the year 2020, we could possibly have nearly 50.1 Billion connected […]