Greater St. Louis is home to a world-class aggregation of research centers, institutions, and companies focused on engineering biological and agricultural processes to create products that help sustain the global population. Our agtech ecosystem has been lauded by the Brookings Institution and is teeming with talent that includes over 1,000 plant scientists — one of the highest concentrations in the world.
Businesses here can:
- Contribute to and thrive in an established ecosystem dedicated to driving innovation.
- Find venture capital and investor support at every stage of entrepreneurial development.
- Build upon a wealth of R&D contributed by regional universities, healthcare systems and corporations.
- Grow a team with top-tier talent — Ph.D. researchers, M.D.s, biotechnicians and everyone in between — graduating from our regional institutions and unique training programs.
Global Powerhouses
The St. Louis region has a long history as a business and research center that supports the global agricultural economy. Bayer, a world pioneer in plant biotechnology and genomics, consolidated their Global Seeds & Traits Headquarters in their Crop Science Division in greater St. Louis after their acquisition of Monsanto. And Bunge, one of the world’s largest agribusiness companies, relocated their global headquarters to the region in 2019. Bunge has an annual revenue of $53.11 billion, which earned it a place on the 2025 Forbes Global 2000.
Dedicated Innovation District
St. Louis is home to the 39 North AgTech Innovation District, a vibrant, diverse community of scientists, startups, and companies working in proximity with one another, sharing ideas, networks, and cutting-edge equipment and facilities. The district has more than 1 million square feet dedicated to agtech and is anchored by Bayer Crop Science and the Danforth Plant Science Center, the world’s largest nonprofit plant science institute. More than 35 growing agtech companies call 39 North home, including the Helix Center BioTech Incubator and the BRDG Park and EDGE@BRDG buildings.
Research Institutions and Talent Pipeline
A broad network of Midwest research institutions connects St. Louis’ agtech and geospatial sectors, increasing the region’s capacity to create new breakthroughs, while schools and tech programs across the metro are filling a pipeline of STEM talent prepared to shape the future.
Proximity to Growers and Customers
We fully leverage our centralized location to field test promising concepts with growers, agronomists, national agriculture trade associations, and multinational corporations right in our backyard.
America’s Ag Coast
This 15-mile stretch along the Mississippi River handles more grain barges than anywhere else along the entire length of the river.
Seeding Solutions
As part of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, plant biologist Katie Murphy addresses global challenges through the meticulous study of plants and shares her life and work as a scientist via social media, teaching, and mentorship.
