New Richmond Ventures

New Richmond Ventures (NRV) is a venture capital firm founded in 2011 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, created by a group of prominent Richmond-area business, investment, and philanthropic leaders. Co-founders include Jim Ukrop, former CEO and Chairman of Ukrop's Supermarkets and Chairman of First Market Bank; Bob Mooney; and Ted Chandler, formerly Chairman and CEO of a Fortune 500 financial services company. Laura Markley serves as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director. The firm has raised approximately $36.5 million across three funds, including a $30 million Early Stage Growth Fund raised in 2016. NRV invests primarily at Series A and follows on through later rounds across healthcare, food and beverage, and e-commerce — sectors where the team's deep local and national operating network delivers tangible value. The firm has made approximately 21 portfolio investments across its funds with 4 exits and additional acquisitions among legacy portfolio names including Summit Materials, Health Warrior, and Envera Health. Active portfolio companies include Murphy's Naturals, a natural insect repellent brand that raised an $8.5 million Series A in April 2022 alongside 550 Capital Partners; SVT Robotics, a warehouse robotics orchestration platform that raised a $3.5 million seed in May 2020 with Cowboy Ventures; and Farmer Focus (also known as Shenandoah Valley Organic), an ethically raised poultry brand that raised a $15 million round in December 2019. NRV's founding thesis targets social-impact entrepreneurs tackling societal megatrends, and the firm provides portfolio companies with structured mentoring, cross-industry exit partner introductions, and a toolkit built from decades of Richmond-area business leadership. The firm's Virginia bias is a feature — it gives NRV consistent access to mission-aligned founders outside the coastal startup mainstream.