The primary motivation for establishing the Jamestown colony in 1607 was economic. The Virginia Company, a joint-stock company, sought to capitalize on the resources of the New World, primarily through the search for gold and other valuable commodities. Settlers were driven by the hope of finding riches that would lead to substantial profits for investors back in England. Additionally, there were aims to establish a permanent English presence in North America and exploit land for agriculture, particularly tobacco cultivation, which would later become a lucrative cash crop. Jamestown's founding thus marked the beginning of sustained English colonization in America.