BioSTL is St. Louis’ bioscience industry leader, driving a new innovation economy by building upon the region’s world-class medical and plant science, training entrepreneurs, investing in startups, building companies, establishing avenues to capital, providing free access to state-of-the-art labs, connecting globally, developing an inclusive workforce, and shaping sound public policy.
Since 2001, BioSTL has galvanized St. Louis’ innovation economy with a comprehensive set of nationally-acclaimed initiatives that advance St. Louis’ leadership in solving important world challenges in agriculture, medicine, health care, and other technology areas. We have organized the BioSTL Coalition, comprised of top academic, civic, philanthropic and scientific leaders to advance St. Louis bioscience.
BioGenerator, the investment arm of BioSTL, creates and builds new companies and infuses capital into local startups. It de-risks commercially-viable innovations; recruits and advises leadership teams; makes staged investments grounded in rigorous due diligence; and provides free access to wet lab space and research equipment at its BioGenerator Labs. To date, BioGenerator has invested $23M into 79 portfolio companies, which have raised a total of $880M.
Our GlobalSTL Initiative brings the world to St. Louis by recruiting high-growth, global companies, innovations, and talent to our region. GlobalSTL serves as a navigator to St. Louis’ world-class corporate and innovation ecosystem and introduces oversees innovators to major customers and strategic partners to create competitive advantage for St. Louis companies and drive business growth in North America. To date, 17 international companies recruited by GlobalSTL have established a new presence in the St. Louis region.
BioSTL has grown seed and venture capital accessible to startups in the St. Louis region by catalyzing the creation of new local funds and attracting new investor groups both nationally and internationally. BioSTL also connects startups to potential investors and coaches entrepreneurs to be effective fundraisers. To date, BioSTL has helped drive more than $900M in investments and grants to St. Louis startups.
We promote a leading-edge physical environment, including incubators, labs and innovation districts. From our founding in 2001, BioSTL has recognized that facilities, physical infrastructure, and innovation placemaking to accommodate and encourage startups are essential elements of a robust ecosystem. The St. Louis ecosystem today boasts a wide array of co-working and innovation spaces in urban and suburban settings, promoting collaboration and connectivity. The BioGenerator Labs are home to more than 225 researchers and 50+ St. Louis startup companies.
An innovation ecosystem cannot thrive and achieve its potential without an inclusive, diverse, and equitable community of talented scientists, innovators, and seasoned entrepreneurs engaged in all aspects of discover and commercialization. Through a variety of initiatives, BioSTL engages in developing and attracting diverse talent to help drive St. Louis’ 21st century economy.
They include: STEM Entrepreneur Initiative to provide a systematic pathway for talented women and minority bioscience entrepreneurs to create viable high-growth ventures; Science Coach to train students to perform project-based STEM research experiments; and STEMSTL, to ensure equitable access to high-quality STEM learning for all students from birth through college and career.
From BioSTL’s beginning, it has championed science- and innovation-friendly public policy at all levels of government. BioSTL co-founded the Innovation Advocacy Council, a national effort to educate Congress and federal agencies on innovation issues; co-founded Missouri Cures to protect research freedoms and pass the Missouri Stem Cell Research Amendment in 2006; and has consistently organized a unified voice representing St. Louis innovation stakeholders.
Our Fundamentals team trains, coaches and drives resources to bioscience entrepreneurs. The program provides a one-on-one, customized business learning experience, including entrepreneurial coaching and resources for company founders from academic and industry communities, at no cost. To date, Fundamentals has trained more than 600 entrepreneurs and evaluated nearly 300 company ideas.
BioSTL also is dedicated to building global awareness of St. Louis’ strengths by obtaining positive national and international media coverage of the St. Louis bioscience industry and recruiting innovative and influential companies and talent to our region. BioSTL is proud to be STLMade.
Together, these efforts of investing time and money into promising St. Louis companies and entrepreneurs are driving a new economy fueled by new innovations in health and plant sciences, including therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, research tools, agriculture and IT in the region.
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