Building a Purpose-Driven Startup at UVA Darden
In this inspiring founder story, Darden School of Business student Christina Washington shares how mentorship, community, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Virginia helped her turn a deeply personal vision into — a company helping people celebrate without compromising their faith or health through non-alcoholic beverages and an alcohol-free events discovery app. Alongside Darden alum and entrepreneur Patt Eagan, co-founder of Common Wealth Crush in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Christina reflects on the challenges of building a startup from the ground up, the importance of authentic relationships, and the encouragement that helped her keep going when the journey felt uncertain.
At the heart of this conversation is a simple but powerful piece of startup advice: “Do things that don’t scale.” From personally connecting with early supporters to building community one relationship at a time, this video highlights the human side of entrepreneurship — the resilience, mentorship, and belief that fuel founders long before success becomes visible. This story also showcases the impact of the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology and the UVA Darden i.Lab, where aspiring founders gain the mentorship, structure, and support needed to turn ideas into meaningful ventures. Through programs like these, Darden empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs to lead with purpose, innovation, and courage. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, MBA student, startup founder, or someone pursuing a mission-driven career, this conversation offers practical insights and genuine inspiration for building something that matters.
Transcript
0:00 My name is Christina Washington and I'm a second year at Darden and I'm the founder and CEO of [8:12] Co.
0:07 I'm Patt Eagan, Darden alum class of 2021, co-founder of Common Wealth Crush winery incubator facility in the Shenandoah Valley in Waynesboro, Virginia.
0:17 [8:12] Co. is a company where our mission is to help people celebrate without compromising their faith or health.
0:23 And we're doing that through a non-alcoholic beverage and also an events discovery app.
0:28 Being in i.Lab the summer going into my second year was a really cool thing because it gave me a structured approach
0:36 to building a business and it really helped me because I had mentors, I had resources,
0:43 they gave us frameworks and most importantly, community and people that I could talk to and vent through through this process.
0:51 I think what resonated with me when we first started talking was the genuine connection that she has to what she's building. And this is rooted in her lived experience.
0:59 And to me that was really resonant and spoke to, I think, my own journey and other founders that I've connected with in the past.
1:06 The one piece of advice from Patt that has really stuck with me was when he said, “Do things that don't scale.”
1:13 And it sounds weird at first, but when I first was starting out, I was really excited to make a Google Form and get as many people as I could.
1:23 And the thing that he suggested was, “Why don't you actually connect with each person, reach out to each person in the beginning to build that community
1:32 and actually invest time into your support system.”
What excites me and keeps me coming back to engage
1:40 with the next generation of founders from UVA is all of the support that I was shown through the course of my journey and realizing
1:47 that often these days it feels like many relationships in life are transactional and folks that you engage with.
1:53 And I found in my years, both living in Charlottesville, being a part of UVA community and time at Darden, time after Darden, that the UVA relationships are so supportive.
2:05 Yeah, and it was amazing.
2:06 Like, on our first call and even our first time meeting in person, the thing that I took away that really surprised me was how long you spent with me.
2:16 And I was like, “This man is so busy.
2:19 You know, why is he spending all this time with me?” And just how receptive you were to my ideas.
2:25 And it just really meant so much to me and it made me feel really special and it honestly encouraged me to keep going 'cause I know I have a support system.
2:37 I'm really grateful for Darden and the resources and opportunities it's given me from the case method
2:44 and learning how to speak up for myself and speak quickly to the structure of the i.Lab and the entrepreneurship classes
2:52 because it's given me a foundation to build on for [8:12] and myself,
2:58 and along with the mentorship that I've been able to take advantage of.
3:03 And I'm just really excited for the future of [8:12] and myself as I leave Darden.
3:08 (Lively music)