Noelle James

Noelle James is the Managing Director at the nonprofit incubator Startup Virginia and the Co-Director of the angel investment group VentureSouth Virginia, based in Richmond, Virginia. Before transitioning into venture capital and startup ecosystem development, she spent ten years working as a corporate lawyer at the law firm Christian & Barton. In this legal capacity, she advised early-stage startups and publicly traded companies with a specific focus on intellectual property and technology law. Earlier in her professional career, the Ohio-born entrepreneur relocated to Richmond to serve as a law clerk for the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of Virginia. Through her current leadership roles, she guides emerging founders and cultivates essential capital networks to help innovative companies grow. James focuses on building regional innovation ecosystems by connecting entrepreneurs with angel investments and strategic resources.