Granted a charter by King James I in 1606, the Virginia Company was a joint-stock company created to establish settlements in the New World. This is a seal of the Virginia Company, which established the first English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Joint stock companies such as the Virginia Company were granted charters by the British government, but they were funded by private investors. This provided a way for the British to get involved in the colonization of the New World while minimizing economic risk to the crown
