New $20M Venture Capital Fund Adds to St. Louis’ Agtech Ecosystem, Progress Continues on AMICSTL, and More
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New $20M Venture Capital Fund Adds to St. Louis’ Agtech Ecosystem
Agtech is big business in the St. Louis metro. A new $20 million agriculture technology investment fund launched recently by Cultivation Capital, a GSL Chair’s Council member, highlights the strength of this growing market — a next-generation sector key to the St. Louis metro’s economic growth, according to the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. The fund bolsters the sector’s ecosystem, providing early stage agtech companies and founders with more support and capital to start up in St. Louis and beyond.
County Library Completes $120M Revitalization Campaign
The St. Louis County Library, a GSL Investor Council member, opened the doors this past weekend to the Clark Family Branch, a $31.8 million project that completes the library’s $120 million Your Library Renewed Campaign. Over a total of eight years, the St. Louis County Library has built six new libraries and renovated or expanded another 13.
New Cardinal Glennon Adds to Billions in Development for Midtown
Currently under construction, the new Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital will add beds and advanced care for St. Louis’ smallest patients. Coupled with the new, $550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, investment by SSM Health — an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council — has nearly matched an additional $1.1 billion in private investment radically changing the Midtown St. Louis landscape.
Efforts to bring the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center-STL to fruition are moving forward, leaders said this week. With construction now expected to begin in fall 2024, AMICSTL, envisioned to serve as a globally recognized hub of manufacturing innovation across key industry sectors, will be complete in 2026. Funded in part through a $25 million Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant, AMICSTL was positioned in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan to help create jobs and build industry in the core of St. Louis.
Forbes: Starkloff Disability Institute Is Building Inclusion in the Workplace and Beyond
The Starkloff Disability Institute is removing barriers for people with disabilities to fully thrive, both in the workplace and in life. The St. Louis-based organization was recently profiled by national business publication Forbes, showcasing the work its leadership is doing to shift perceptions and build inclusion.
Supporting Startups, Cortex Square One Builds Business
The Square One series of programs at Cortex, a GSL Investor Council member, is helping minority entrepreneurs build businesses from the ground up. Throughout two training pathways, Square One provides the tools, resources, and mentorship entrepreneurs need to bring innovative ideas to life — and grow St. Louis’ economy.
Winning STL: Maryville University is Paving the Way for the Future of Higher Education
Mark Lombardi, President of Maryville University, an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council, joined Ian Caso, Publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for the latest installment of the Winning STL video series. Maryville, the third-fastest growing university in the country, has a career outcome rate of 98%. Lombardi credits the university’s business model for its student success — and has innovative plans that could shift the future of higher education.
“What we’re doing from a business standpoint is investing in cutting edge technology and approaches,” Lombardi said. “We run it more like a startup than an institution that has been around for 150 years.”
Under Construction, New Hotel Will Support Airport Growth
A new, 128-room hotel will help support the impending transformation of St. Louis Lambert International Airport into a vibrant, single terminal facility. Lodging Hospitality Management — an executive-level member of the GSL Chair’s Council — has teamed up with GSL Chair’s Council Member Midas Hospitality to start construction on the six-story Hampton Inn.
STEM principles can be taught even in the most unexpected places. Children enrolled in summer camp at nonprofit Unleashing Potential are learning about science, tech, engineering, and more as they build boats for the organization’s inaugural Cardboard Boat Regatta, an inaugural event designed to engage their minds in new ways, creating early interest in and pathways to high-growth industries.
Rooted in social responsibility found in Cuban-inspired posters, creative firm CARTEL uses design to drive conversations around inclusivity and urban development in St. Louis.
