VIPC CEO Joe Benevento Named Virginia Business 2026 C-Suite Award Recipient

Virginia Business honors Joe Benevento for remarkable leadership, company performance, and community engagement.

RICHMOND, Va., July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp. (VIPC) is pleased to announce that Virginia Business selected Joe Benevento, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIPC, as a 2026 Virginia C-Suite Award recipient. The Virginia C-Suite Awards recognize top corporate executives across the Commonwealth who consistently demonstrate remarkable leadership, integrity, values, vision, commitment to excellence, company performance and community engagement. Among this year's Virginia C-Suite Award recipients, Benevento was one of only three CEOs additionally recognized with Leadership Distinction, honoring executives whose sustained leadership and performance continue to set them apart within their industries and organizations.

Virginia Business recognized Benevento for empowering organizational transformation, driving statewide collaboration, and contributing to Virginia's accelerating momentum as one of the nation's leading states for innovation, startups, and venture capital investment. During last year, Virginia achieved several significant growth milestones, including the launch of more than 5,000 new high-growth startups, the attraction of an all-time record $2.9 billion of venture capital investment into Virginia startups, and Virginia's first-ever Top 10 national state ranking (rising from #15 to #8) in CNBC's Technology & Innovation category, as part of its "America's Top States for Business" annual rankings.

Under Benevento's leadership, VIPC has cultivated a new "1VIPC" culture built on enhanced cross-collaboration, team alignment, and strategic execution. He led the re-design of existing internal programs to expand access and impact while spearheading new strategic initiatives, such as Lab-to-Launch, a first-of-its-kind statewide university research commercialization partnership in Virginia. Benevento also guided VIPC in securing more than $150 million in new funding commitments from private-sector and federal government partners last year.

"This Virginia C-Suite Award reflects the dedication, talent, and commitment of all our 1VIPC teammates, as well as the many ecosystem partners we are fortunate to work with, to grow Virginia's innovation economy," said VIPC President and CEO Joe Benevento. "I am honored to be recognized by Virginia Business alongside other talented executives and service-driven leaders in the Commonwealth. I look forward to our team continuing to foster growth and opportunity across Virginia through innovation and collaboration."

"Virginia Business congratulates this year's honorees. Our 2026 C-Suite Awards winners are outstanding leaders who demonstrate impressive resumes and lead their companies to success, making a positive impact on the lives of others. They are trendsetters who empower those who work with them," said Richard Foster, associate publisher of Virginia Business. "They are examples to all, and their leadership is growing the next generation."

Virginia Business C-Suite Award winners are selected by the editorial staff of Virginia Business magazine across several categories including government, higher education, non-profit companies, private companies and public companies. 2026 Virginia C-Suite Award honorees were recently recognized during an awards celebration at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond and are featured online at VirginiaBusiness.com.

About Virginia Business

Virginia Business is the only publication in Virginia dedicated to covering economic activity in every sector and region of the commonwealth. The magazine has established a reputation as a must-read for those who want to stay abreast of commercial events in Virginia and attracts a diverse group of readers, including business leaders who hold managerial and financial positions and fill a host of C-suite positions. Virginia Business hosts several annual events to recognize excellence and provide leadership opportunities and facilitates thoughtful discussion with market leaders through its webinar series. Its Digital Marketing Solutions helps customers with social media, search engine marketing and optimization, retargeting, email marketing and more. Virginia Business is part of BridgeTower Media, the authoritative voice for insights and marketing solutions across 40+ brands in five key sectors across the United States. For more information, visit VirginiaBusiness.com.

About Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) serves as Virginia's designated statewide technology and innovation economic development authority. VIPC fuels Virginia's innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems across the Commonwealth to accelerate startup growth, technology commercialization, and investment attraction through public-private partnership. For more information, visit www.VIPC.org.

Contact
Amber Salter
[email protected]
804.591.9591 

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SOURCE VIPC