Whatโ€™s Next for St. Louis With Matt Menietti

As the number of St. Louis startups continue to grow, the voices and concerns of its founders, grassroots organizers and support organizations need to be heard, perhaps now more than ever.

What does the St. Louis innovation community need to do now to support its startups? Where is it succeeding?

We gathered community members to talk to us about our regionโ€™s current challenges and possible solutions.ย 

Matt Menietti is Executive Director of GlobalHack.

Matt Menietti is executive director of GlobalHack.
Matt Menietti is Executive Director of GlobalHack.

What are three issues, gaps or improvements that St. Louisโ€™ startup ecosystem needs to address?

Flexible housing options for startups near innovation districts. Focus on quality of programs and events over quantity. Better curation of both. More โ€œtough loveโ€ from mentors/mentoring orgs for startups/founders who arenโ€™t growing.

Which one would you focus on first?

Flexible housingย options for startups near innovation districts. Of the three, itโ€™s the most visible and the quickest to implement if developers are on board.

What approach would you take to solving that?

Take advantage of the same tax credit programs and incentives that entities like T-REX used to secure its new home. Work with accelerators and groups like Arch Grants to create a turnkey rental solution during their programs.

What is your hope for St. Louisโ€™ startup future?

As startup companies rapidly expand and hire, these new employees will flow into the urban core. Over time, the process of young, talented minds leaving the city will be reversed.

What do you love about the current state of STLโ€™s startup scene?

Outside validation. Satellite locations for Blue1647, TechShop, Square and Pandora, are all signs that weโ€™re an active, thriving community.

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