In November, Vint raised money from investors not for wine collections, but to support the company itself.
The company completed a $1.7 million pre-seed round from several investment groups, which it has used to increase its staff, which is now at eight people including technology and marketing staff, not including the part-time wine advisory committee.
In Richmond, the company is using shared office space at Startup Virginia, a nonprofit business incubator in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom.
Vint’s most recent offering was for an Italian wine collection that opened for investments on Feb. 2 at a value of $154,500. A total of 3,090 shares were offered for that collection with about 1,980 left available as of late Thursday.
The new collection consists of wines from the Piemonte, or Piedmont, area of Italy.
On Jan. 18, the company hosted a wine tasting of those types of wines for potential investors at Leek & Thistle wine bar and restaurant in Richmond. Robert Jones, a master sommelier in Richmond who works for the wine importing and distribution company Kysela Père et Fils Ltd, was the wine educator at the event.
“I think that [Vint] is unique,” said Jones, who has been a master sommelier, in the top tier of wine experts, since 2001. “No one has done this before to my knowledge.”
