What is Venture STL?

It’s a connected, organized group of individual organizations that care deeply about St. Louis and the innovative, pioneering spirit of the entrepreneur.  It’s a collection of world-class talent that will not stop until MO is ranked #1 and that we’ve helped start over 2020 companies by the end of the year 2020.

The true amount of funding and entrepreneurial activity in Saint Louis is grossly understated and lacks the attention of a national audience. That, combined with a next-to-last place showing in entrepreneurial activity as ranked by Kauffman’s annual index in 2009 was a rallying cry to nurture, advance and promote the rich entrepreneurial environment in St. Louis.

And it’s working. The individual groups in the Venture STL network have advanced St. Louis and the Missouri region from 49th to 35th last year and now, Missouri ranks 6th. There has literally been an explosion of activity unprecedented in the region.

Venture STL is not an umbrella organization that takes credit for any of the activities our partners and resources painstakingly execute every day. It is a movement of these organizations, those like them, and new ones that pop up every day in the region. It’s a place where entrepreneurs can find resources, but also a place where we can showcase this blooming city to a national audience. It’s a place where we can begin to recruit larger funding resources and import additional entrepreneurial talent to continue this trend.

What is Venture STL? It’s a connected, organized group of individual organizations that care deeply about St. Louis and the innovative, pioneering spirit of the entrepreneur. It’s a collection of world-class talent that will not stop until MO is ranked #1 and that we’ve helped start over 2020 companies by the end of the year 2020.