Final answer:
Virginia was founded as a business venture by the Virginia Company, which sought economic gains and established Jamestown as the first long-standing English colony in the New World.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colony that was originally established as a business venture is Virginia. This colony was founded through the efforts of the Virginia Company, which was a joint stock company created by English merchants with the goal of establishing a profitable settlement in the New World. The Virginia Company was granted a charter by the English Crown, and in 1606, it sent three ships to the Americas, which resulted in the establishment of Jamestown on the banks of the James River. Jamestown became the first enduring English colony in North America, with the colonists primarily focused on the search for gold and other sources of wealth. The economic motives of the Virginia colony are further underscored by the fact that tobacco became the most lucrative product of the Chesapeake region, driving plantation growth and the demand for labor.