Bioscience and Health Innovation
In the St. Louis region, academic institutions, global corporations, healthcare organizations, and research centers converge into a unified nexus that encourages the advancement of new ideas and the development of new businesses. For two decades, the region has driven collaboration and growth in the rapidly advancing bioscience sphere, establishing itself as one of the top national locations for innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, and health professionals to start up, stand out, and stay.
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.
- Benefit from the influence and support wielded by established anchor institutions in education, health, and corporate arenas.
$1.5B
Since 2015, regional bioscience companies have received $1.5B in venture capital
200,000+
Biosciences & health companies employ 10%+ of non-governmental regional workers
Agtech
More than 400 biotech R&D firms have put down roots in the St. Louis region, including category leaders like Bayer and the Danforth Plant Science Center. Our agtech ecosystem has been lauded by the Brookings Institute and is teeming with talent that includes 400+ plant scientists — one of the highest concentrations in the world.
Biopharmaceuticals
Firms like Mallinckrodt have an advantage in St. Louis. The region offers close connections to multi-state hospital systems, colleges and universities, major corporations like Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, and focused investors like Cultivation Capital. Innovative entrepreneurs can capitalize on impactful biomedical research done here.
Plant and Life Science Research
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. The region has a long history as a center for business and education that supports the surrounding agricultural economy.
Health Services
Four major health systems are headquartered in the St. Louis metro, including BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health, and Ascension, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S. These health system headquarters collectively manage over 260,000 employees and have more than 220 hospitals in 15 states.
Medical Devices
A supportive local capacity for biotech research and engineering has fostered a broad array of successful medical device companies. The St. Louis region features a strong cross-collaboration between clinical trials, academic research, and corporate development, a “bench to bedside” spectrum that encourages entrepreneurship and growth.
Representative Metro Employers
