Cortex District Member Moolec Featured in Article on Local AgTech Growth

Nearly two years after the 39 North AgTech Innovation District formally became an independent nonprofit, the district is beginning to bolster and attract related startups to the St. Louis region.

Companies including Cquesta, EpiCrop Technologies and EpiMethyl Analytics have already taken up space within the 600-acre innovation district, with many more expressing interest in its offerings, said 39North Executive Director Emily Lohse-Busch.

“There has been this pent-up demand for a long time for more companies in this space to enter the St. Louis market,” she said.

A handful of reasons make St. Louis an attractive place to relocate to, said Sally Mackenzie, chief science officer for EpiCrop Technologies and EpiMethyl Analytics, who moved to the region last June from Penn State University. The companies are based around the field of epigenetics, or the way genes are expressed, she said.