Cortex District Member BioGenerator plans to ‘quadruple down’ on St. Louis biotech startups

The startup-serving arm of nonprofit industry group BioSTL has invested $50 million in 130 local companies over the past two decades. Those firms have raised nearly $3 billion in capital, most of it from out-of-state investors.

On top of that, the group's BioGenerator Labs provide lab space and equipment for 40 startups and office space for three dozen more. Many of the firms wouldn't exist, or would have been lured to the coasts, if not for the helping hand.

But Jim McCarter, BioGenerator's senior managing director, doesn't think it's enough. “We believe one of the fastest-growing sectors in the St. Louis economy is life sciences, and we must quadruple down on that opportunity,” he said.