Patent Attorney and Founder
Hey Bold Inventors, entrepreneurs, and business owners, JD Houvener here. I’m the founder and patent attorney at Bold Patents Law Firm, and today I want to share something special for those of you building in Virginia Beach.
If you’re launching a company or pushing an invention forward, there are some great local resources worth knowing. I’ve pulled together my top five for mid-2025:
1. The Hive
Think of this as the city’s startup home base. It’s Virginia Beach’s flagship business resource center, offering one-on-one consulting, mentoring, training programs, procurement support, and even help with raising capital. A standout program that spun out of The Hive is Uplift, an accelerator built for minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses.
2. Virginia Beach Bio Accelerator
If you’re in life sciences or biotech, this is your spot. Located at the Convergent Center 2, it has 5,700 square feet of lab space plus mentorship and R&D support. Perfect for startups working on research-heavy products.
3. Scale Up USA
Also run out of The Hive, this federal business accelerator focuses on companies looking to enter government or military contracting. They can help with matchmaking, grants, and loans through programs like SBIR.
4. EWR Fellowship
This one’s virtual, so you don’t need to be in the room to join. It’s a global, remote-first fellowship offering tailored mentorship and initial funding opportunities up to $500K, with the potential to reach $1 million. Applications are competitive, but if you’re a Virginia-based founder, it’s worth a shot.
5. Virginia Accelerator Network (VAN)
This is a statewide group connecting entrepreneurs with mentors, funding programs, and startup events across Virginia. Through VAN, you’ll also find the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), which I recommend to nearly every client. The SBDC is staffed by experienced executives, many retired, who volunteer their time to guide the next wave of founders. And it’s free.
One last word of advice: as you start working with any of these groups, protect yourself. Use a nondisclosure agreement drafted by a Virginia business attorney before you share your ideas. It’s a simple step that can save you a lot of trouble down the road.
If you’re ready to talk about patents, trademarks, copyrights, or trade secrets for your business, visit boldpatents.com and schedule a free discovery call.
Virginia Beach has a strong startup community. If you’ve got the drive, the support is here.
Go big. Go bold.