ST. LOUIS – BioSTL, the nonprofit, bioscience innovation driver for St. Louis, announced today that Justin Raymundo has been named Vice President of Innovation Ecosystem-Building, and will oversee the non-profit’s broader strategy to ensure St. Louis grows and sustains as a world leader in biomedical and agricultural innovation.
Since 2021, Raymundo has overseen BioSTL’s workforce initiatives and launched the region’s Bioscience Industry-Workforce Collaborative to transform St. Louis’ talent into a strength of the region anchored by a world-class life science, healthcare, and agtech workforce. In this position, he helped secure more than $10 million in public and private investments for workforce development activities to establish inclusive career pathways into quality research, technology, and manufacturing jobs, reaching hundreds of individuals, particularly from historically-excluded communities. Further, he has facilitated the planning of placed-based innovation initiatives to establish St. Louis a global epicenter for bioscience innovation, while ensuring the benefits of the innovation economy are shared equitably. He serves on the leadership team of the NEURO360 initiative that secured funding as part of the National Science Foundation’s first-ever NSF Engines Development Awards to lay the foundation for an inclusive, sustainable neuroscience innovation ecosystem.
“Justin has become a significant thought-leader nationally and strengthened not only BioSTL’s reputation on the global stage but the entire St. Louis region,” said Ben Johnson, BioSTL’s Senior VP of Programs. “He’s played a key role in helping develop and retain bioscience talent here locally, and St. Louis is fortunate to have Justin shepherding it to the forefront of global innovation.”
By creating this new position and promoting Raymundo, BioSTL is doubling down on its commitment to growing St. Louis’ innovation economy. He will work with industry, academic, government, and community partners on a bold vision to evolve the St. Louis innovation ecosystem anchored by regional strengths across health and agriculture. Raymundo will work closely with the BioSTL Coalition, a broad civic partnership of 50+ business, science, academic, philanthropic, and public-sector leaders that have met quarterly since 2001 to set regional strategies across strategic investment, innovation policy, talent and workforce development, placemaking and physical infrastructure to drastically increase St. Louis’ global competitiveness. Through this work, he will play an even larger role in helping St. Louis attract transformative funding, talent and firms, and strengthen the region’s economy.
“St. Louis is home to unmatched strengths across research, manufacturing, and technology that can feed, fuel, and heal the world. ” Raymundo said. “I am humbled to take on this new role and work alongside partners across our ecosystem to maximize these strengths and create economic benefits that reach all parts of our community and ensure St. Louis thrives.”
Prior to BioSTL, Raymundo managed sustainable development partnerships and corporate responsibility efforts for the legacy company, Monsanto. From there he served as the Director of Programs and Communications for the Diversity Awareness Partnership. In 2016 he took on leadership roles in various startups in the Kansas City metro, including serving as the Head of Marketing for Amanda Blu & Co, a global manufacturer of specialty consumer goods, before returning to St. Louis to join BioSTL in 2021.
He was recently selected into the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s premiere business leadership program for education and workforce development, and was appointed by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones to the City of St. Louis Workforce Development Board, Inc, and currently serves as the Board Chair.
Raymundo majored in International Human Rights and Communication Studies at Webster University, and is an active Board Member for the St. Louis Agency on Training & Employment, Webster University’s College of Science and Health, and Forward Through Ferguson.
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