St. Louis has always encouraged a spirit of innovation. In the last century, the region fostered the birth and growth of some of America’s best-known companies, including Edward Jones, Enterprise Mobility, and World Wide Technology — the nation’s largest Black-owned business. Now, the region’s burgeoning startup scene has launched a new wave of innovative businesses driving the St. Louis economy.
This growth is supported by multiple innovation hubs, strong corporate partners, and experienced entrepreneurs. And the experts have taken notice: The region has garnered a host of top rankings reflecting its tightly integrated startup ecosystem, including Entrepreneur’s #1 Heartland City Essential to the Future of American Innovation, and Inc’s 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business.
Support Systems
Many startups in the St. Louis community receive crucial support from the range of incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces that help entrepreneurs collaborate and share ideas. Many of these spaces offer general support, but others focus specifically on key regional industries like agtech, life sciences, and geospatial.
Learning Experiences
The region’s academic and research institutions provide entrepreneurship experiences for their students and events that invite the community to learn and support new businesses, including Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship, Lindenwood University’s Duree Center for Entrepreneurship, the University of Missouri St. Louis’ Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, and Washington University’s Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Available Capital
Venture capital investments in St. Louis startups totaled over $275 million in 2024, frequently in the fields of biosciences, agtech, information technology and financial services. The region is home to more than a dozen local angel and venture capital investors. Combined with increasing investments from national venture capital funds, St. Louis offers entrepreneurs and businesses extensive opportunities to secure funding.
The range of investment firms and opportunities benefit a variety of industries and entrepreneurs. InvestMidwest, a venture capital conference held annually between St. Louis and Kansas City, has raised more than $2 billion in investment over the last five years.
Meanwhile, Arch Grants focuses on extraordinary and transformative entrepreneurs, annually awarding 20 companies $75,000 non-dilutive grants with an additional $25,000 for those headquartering their business in St. Louis City. Other accelerator programs, like the ag-focused Yield Lab, BioGenerator Ventures, and SixThirty Ventures, provide additional access to capital for startups in the region.
And capital just keeps growing. Startup investment in the region has grown rapidly over the last decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic only increased investors’ interest in local startups.
Startup Investment Growth