Global Agtech Incubator Moves to St. Louis | CITY SC’s Food Scene Makes National Headlines | More News
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St. Louis Announced as New Home of Global Agtech Incubator
The next generation of a global agtech incubator will be headquartered in St. Louis, bringing even more resources, attention, and opportunity to the region’s agtech scene. H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech will be housed within the Yield Lab Institute, a St. Louis-based agrifood think tank dedicated to supporting and advancing global agtech startups, entrepreneurs, and ecosystems.
H.A.R.V.E.S.T. is an iteration of IN2, a successful incubator that has supported 77 startups since 2014. In its new life as H.A.R.V.E.S.T. in St. Louis, it will continue that work, bringing with it a similar framework, along with new technical partners and funding sources. And an inaugural Ecosystem Partner Network will allow collaboration with 12 regional ecosystems across the United States, while expanding for the first time into leading international innovation hubs in Argentina, Brazil, Israel, and the United Kingdom.
The Bottom Line: St. Louis keeps proving time and again that it has the foundation to serve as an epicenter for research and innovation, not just in agtech, but in other key sectors like geospatial and bioscience. H.A.R.V.E.S.T. will reinforce that reputation, creating a pipeline of vetted entrepreneurs and startups to continue growing our regional capacity — and innovation around the world.
St. Louis showed up in a vibrant national headline this week, when Forbes took a closer look at St. Louis CITY SC’s all-local food scene. For three years running, the club has perfected a program that elevates St. Louis’ local flavors and by extension, small businesses, chefs, and entrepreneurs.
The Bottom Line: Large-scale, well-executed programs like CITY SC’s City Flavor initiative benefit everyone’s bottom line. And they create opportunities to highlight St. Louis on a national level.
“We wanted to elevate the city of St. Louis and show the wonderful things we have to offer,” said Carolyn Kindle, CEO of CITY SC and a GSL Board Member. “How do we continue to elevate our experience for a fan, but also curate a world-class food program and maybe encourage fans to try restaurants not in their neighborhood? That was the vision.”
Making an Impact: During this year’s Welcoming Week, sponsored by the St. Louis Mosaic Project, read STLMade stories of foreign-born residents who are building businesses and growing our community. >> theSTL.com
Architectural Acquisition Increases St. Louis’ Design Power
CannonDesign, a GSL Investor Council member, has acquired St. Louis-based Christner Architects in a move that will strengthen their collective St. Louis presence. Founded in St. Louis 60 years ago, Christner employees will join CannonDesign’s office Downtown. The two firms have a collective 100 years of iconic design experience in the St. Louis region.
The Bottom Line: “At the heart of this merger is our city and our clients,” said Stacey Wehe, Managing Principal and Education Market Leader at Christner. “The organizations we partner with are tackling bigger and more complex challenges than ever before, and joining CannonDesign gives us the scale and resource to meet those challenges head-on.”
Now in its fifth year, MATI — formerly Music at the Intersection — will expand to three days and feature more than 100 artists in Grand Center Arts District this weekend. The festival, hosted by GSL Chair’s Council Member Kranzberg Arts Foundation, brings together national acts and local talent, celebrating St. Louis’ contribution to both. And this year, it will donate $10 from each pass sold to ongoing tornado relief efforts. >> St. Louis Magazine
UMSL, Scale AI Partnership Cultivates Geospatial Talent
A certificate program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis offers real-world advancement to Scale AI geospatial employees. A Scale AI cohort this August began work on UMSL’s Geographic Information System Certificate, exemplifying “how industry expertise in AI and geospatial technologies merges seamlessly with professional learning.” Both organizations are GSL investors.
Meet Jesse Winters, President and CEO of T-REX, who believes in the power of tech innovation to jumpstart the economy and guide the region’s evolution.
