Startups

Salsa, pretzels, cars, music and beer were just a few of the inspirations behind the array of startups that launched in 2014. And in addition to new businesses, a few of the companies we’ve covered in years past are picking up speed with capital raises, investors and expansions.

An entrepreneur is pulling together pieces of Richmond – its sports, its food and its beer – to create a custom gift box for the die-hard local.

An annual program is giving new businesses in Church Hill a leg up with donations from some of Richmond’s large corporations. This year’s winners include a dim sum restaurant, a pudding shop and a few new retailers.

An array of entrepreneurs received months of coaching and $20,000 through a startup program. This week they took their pitches to the stage in front of investors and sponsors.

The player piano’s popularity reached its peak before the Great Depression, but that isn’t stopping a University of Richmond graduate from taking a gamble on self-playing ivory keys.

After resigning from her post as CEO of Health Diagnostic Laboratory last month, Tonya Mallory is moving away from medicine and stepping into a new venture.

The winner of last week’s pitch competition at University of Richmond created a mobile app to make craft beer jargon more colloquial.

Local woodworkers are launching a spin-off company that manufactures speakers encased in reclaimed wood, and they’re hoping for about $8,000 of help from online donors. And theirs isn’t the only product to seek funds and publicity online.

A local luthier has chosen Manchester as home to his fist solo act, a violin repair and restoration shop.

A music retail veteran and a former Marine plan to tune into the Richmond music scene with a new venue in Henrico.