Artificial Intelligence startup EDai to help Virginia's Gateway bring business to Central Virginia

COLONIAL HEIGHTS - Regional economic development is set to get a boost from the addition of a new partnership with Artificial Intelligence startup EDai. The firm specializes in combining AI with data to identify attractive business locations.

EDai will partner with Virginia's Gateway Region, a region nonprofit economic development organization that fosters business growth across seven localities in the Tri-Cities, Prince George, Dinwiddie, Surry and Sussex.

VGR says the partnership is an important key in growing the developing Pharmaceutical cluster that has already pledged hundreds of new jobs for the region.

More:Petersburg set to benefit from $354M federal pharma contract

Three key players in pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution have already been brought to Petersburg: Phlow Corp., AMPAC Fine Chemicals and CivicRx. VGR is looking to market the area to more corporate partners that will continue the progress of this cluster.

“We are thrilled that EDai is partnering with our team to provide objective data to help us best position the Gateway Region for the manufacturing of critical pharmaceutical ingredients for Americans and the world,” said Keith Boswell, President and CEO of VGR. “We look forward to partnering with EDai to support this growing cluster and bring jobs back to Virginia and the seven localities within VGR.”

EDai Founder and CEO Sean Brazier, Ph.D. was previously a lead strategist with Virginia Economic Development Partnership and a consultant with McKinsey and Company. He also lead development for a 900-page informational report as part of Virginia's winning bid for Amazon's HQ2 in 2018.

“EDai is looking forward to working together with regional and local partners in the Gateway Region,” said Sean Brazier, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of EDai.

EDai seeks to provide Amazon-level data insights to any company or community, no matter what size. The tech-startup is the first group VGR has partnered with specifically for the advancement of the pharmaceutical cluster.

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