Those English explorers, starting with John Cabot off the coast of Canada in 1497, may have heard rumors from the Spanish and others who had seen the shoreline of the New World - so the Star Trek slogan with the split infinitive ("to boldly go where no man has gone before") may not apply to the English. Still, those who were willing to sail to the New World were risk takers, driven my hopes of material reward.
The Virginia Company financed and controlled the resupplies until 1616. At that point, tobacco exports were creating wealth, and there was more interest in trade with the new colony. A new joint stock company, known as the Magazine, was chartered. Its nvestors "ventured" their capital to underwrite the initial costs of trips between England and Virginia. Like those who chose to emigrate to Virginia, the investors expected to gain wealth by risking their capital.