Facts About the STL Start Up Community

Dr. Watkins-Moore recapped the story of St. Louis’ success as a collaborative and supportive metro area environment for start-ups, developed in large part from our internationally recognized assets in the bioscience industry. Anchor institutions, Washington University and Saint Louis University, and locally based plant science companies have attracted talent and financing for decades that led to the national resurgence of St. Louis.

Fast facts about our St. Louis startup community:

• Ranked #2 in rising U.S. cities for startups by Forbes
• 85% business survivability rating—highest in the nation
• $378 million in regional venture capital investment in 2018
• 20+ co-working spaces including labs
• 40,000+ new jobs in Missouri created by startups every year
• 9 accelerators investing in startups
• Ranked #1 for the most women entrepreneurs of any U.S. city

Cheryl’s professional background has prepared her for a regional role as director, STEM/Bioscience Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative for BioSTL. She bolsters existing collaborations with organizations across the St. Louis region, seeks new partnerships to promote inclusion in entrepreneurship, and directs the programing of the Initiative.

First trained as a physician, then earning an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Dr. Watkins-Moore headed the Analytics Division for the North American market of EMD Millipore, the U.S. subsidiary of Merck KGA. Prior to Merck, Cheryl managed the U.S. marketing operations for Swedish-based biotech start-up company, Biora Inc. She currently is chief strategy & marketing officer at her third start-up, Real Cannabis Co. in addition to her role with BioSTL.

A few pictures from our event.