The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center has sued a former tenant for the first time in more than 20 years, saying a once promising Blacksburg startup fell out of contact after racking up a $19,000 tab for rent and renovation expenses.
No one from VirtualU appeared in court earlier this month, so a Montgomery County judged ruled against the startup, according to court records.
Reached on Friday afternoon, VirtualU CEO Louis Cirillo said a phone call from The Roanoke Times was the first he heard of the debt. He said he’s a tough person to track down these days, as he lugs one of VirtualU’s phone-booth-sized body scanners around California’s Silicon Valley in hopes of saving the company.
He said he’s moved five times in the past six months, living out of Airbnb rentals, giving demonstrations and hoping to find a lifeline in the form of an investor, partnership or just someone to buy the business.
