Mike Platania

Mike Platania joined BizSense in December 2016. He covers commercial real estate, restaurants and breweries. He graduated from Virginia Tech. Reach him at mike@richmondbizsense.com or (804) 554-6872.

Cutting edge: Axe-throwing trend flies into Henrico

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An edgy activity that’s become popular in larger cities is headed for the Richmond market. G-Force Karts, a local indoor go-cart racing track in eastern Henrico, will open three axe-throwing lanes in its facility next week. It will be the first local venue to tap into the trend of axe-throwing, which has fueled the rise… Read more »

New local distillery: A hobby that ‘kind of got out of hand’

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The business of booze is spilling further into Powhatan County. Three Crosses Distillery is preparing to open at 3835 Old Buckingham Road, where it will make whiskey, rum, moonshine, vodka, rye and bourbon. Distilling is something of a family tradition for Three Crosses owners Michelle and John Davenport. Michelle said her husband’s great-uncle was once… Read more »

Chickpea-powered local startup vies for $4.5M capital raise

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As it prepares a national launch, a West End-based startup is looking to haul in another big batch of cash. Nutriati, which breaks down chickpeas into proteins and flours to be used as ingredients for health food manufacturers, is amid a $4.5 million equity capital raise, per SEC documents. It had raised $2.5 million as… Read more »

Evatran founding CEO out, takes job at Tesla

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The co-founder of a touted local startup has left the company and Richmond for the West Coast – and for Elon Musk. Rebecca Hough, the founding CEO of Scott’s Addition-based Evatran, is no longer with the company. Bob Mooney, chairman of the company’s board of directors, confirmed Hough’s departure as CEO but noted she is… Read more »