Charlottesville is a Leader in Biotech

Who knew (no longer available)?

The greater Charlottesville region is home to more than 17 percent of the state’s biotech companies, based on information from the Virginia Bioscience Directory.

It contains more than 20 percent of the state’s bioscience equipment companies, nearly 18 percent of its medical device companies and nearly 17 percent of its bioenergy companies.

That’s a pretty good record — and it doesn’t even include firms in nearby Waynesboro and Staunton.

And it all adds to the local economy.…

Too often, our people — UVa post-docs, for instance — cannot remain in the commonwealth because the jobs aren’t here, and the jobs often aren’t here because the venture capital for exciting new startup companies comes from out of state.

(hat tip to the Virginia Bioscience Blog for pointing out the story)

The last snip is a challenge that the Charlottesville region faces, across industries. There is relatively little potential for growth, whether laterally or vertically.

* no word on how they are defining “Charlottesville” – whether as ‘Charlottesville’ or ‘Charlottesville-Albemarle’ or ‘Charlottesville MSA’.