No doubt that the startup scene in Missouri, especially in cities like Kansas City and St Louis, is thriving. In fact, St Louis was named the Num 1 startup city in America because of its exceptional growth.

Similarly, The state is home to three innovation districts focusing on plant science and AgTech. But the question arises: Does Missouri have the same support from angel investors and VC firms as it has from startups?

Well, Yes! The state is supported by many famous angels, private equity firms, and venture capital firms that fund and guide startups. 

To help you out, I have prepared the list of the top 7 angel investors in Missouri, along with their investment interests.

Top 7 Angel Investors in Missouri

Following is the list of some of the top angel investors and venture capital firms in Missouri.

Gary Fish

LinkedIn: Gary Fish | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Tech and Healthcare

Investment Stage: Early

Investing since 2010, Gary Fish is one of the most experienced angel investors in Missouri. He has made a total of 10 individual investments and continues to expand his portfolio. Discussing his background,  Fish is the Executive Chairman of Cyderes. He previously worked at Fishtech Group as a Founder and CEO. He has also founded multiple successful cybersecurity startups, including Fishnet Security, which was the first security integrator in the world to reach $700 million in annual revenues.

When funding startups, Gary Fish usually invests in businesses that have decent growth potential and have low market competitors. Throughout his investment history, Gary Fish has always shown an interest in startups that present unique solutions.

The investment range of Gary Fish ranges from $25,000 to $150,000 as he invests in early stage businesses through investor meetings and startup events. Some of his portfolio companies are:

Neosec: Neosec is a company that develops a security platform based on data and behavioral analytics. Its SaaS platform gives security professionals visibility into behavior across their API estate.

Front Flip: Front Flip offers a mobile engagement and loyalty marketing program through promotions, customer analytics, and targeted mobile campaigns.

LODAS Markets: The LODAS marketplace facilitates secondary trading of traditionally illiquid real estate and alternative securities, enabling investors to transform and democratize real estate assets.

Adam Blake

LinkedIn: Adam Blake | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Early

Adam Blake is also a notable angel investor who likes to fund startups in the educational software, tech, and healthcare sectors. Since 2019, Blake has made around 10 investments and usually invests in the early stage.

When funding startups, Adam Blake usually invests in ventures that present real-time solutions and ideas that can improve the lives of people. From his portfolio companies, it is evident that Adam Blake loves to invest in startups that are related to the educational sectors and guides them throughout the journey.

The investment range of Adam Blake can range from $50,000 to $100,000. Some of his recent portfolio companies are:

Enki: Enki is a company that optimizes workflows and maximizes employee potential through AI-powered skills training. For companies, Enki provides a full-stack training solution to onboard a whole team to its productivity and tooling stack. Enki has over 2.5 million users and over 6,000 paying customers.

AnswersNow: AnswersNow is a company that focuses on providing virtual applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. The company offers personalized, evidence-based autism therapy services, delivered through an engaging virtual platform.

TheraWe Connect: TheraWe Connect is a company that offers a cloud-based solution that allows healthcare practitioners to prescribe video-based exercise programs, track patient outcomes in real time, educate patients with 3D anatomical animations, and conduct secure telehealth video calls.

Jim Elberin:

LinkedIn: Jim Eberlin | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Investor

Investment Interests:pan>

Investment Stage: Early

Jim Elberlin also invests in Missouri-based startups. He started making individual investments in 2020 and has funded around 7 startups. Thanks to his wide experience in entrepreneurship, Eleberin knows exactly which startups to fund, and so far, he has invested in some great ideas.

Like most other investors, Jim Elberin also funds startups through different fundraisers, startup events, and investor meetings. He has a preference for startups that bring fresh ideas to existing markets or create entirely new market categories.

The investment range of Jim Elberlin can range upto $100,000. Some of his recent portfolio companies are:

Host Analytics (now Planful): Host Analytics, now known as Planful, is a leading financial planning and analysis (FP&A) cloud platform. It provides cloud-based financial applications for planning, consolidation, reporting, and analytics. It was acquired by Vector Capital.

Gainsight: Gainsight is a company providing a customer success management solution. It offers product experience software that enables feature instrumentation, funnel analysis, and identifies friction points. It has raised a total funding of $157.6M.

TopOPPS: TopOPPS is a provider of sales performance and productivity software. It plugs into the CRM to define, align, and enhance sales processes through simple interfaces, intelligent algorithms, and alerts.

Cultivation Capital

Website: Cultivation Capital – A Venture Capital Firm

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Early and Seed

Cultivation Capital is one of the most active venture capital firms that invests in Missouri-based startups. The network was founded in 2012 by a network of investors who prefer to invest in startups that are related to tech.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Cultivation Capital has funded 222 startups and makes around 20 investments each year. 

During the screening tests, the investors prefer startups that can generate 4-6x ROI within the next 3 years and are led by experienced entrepreneurs. They have a strong focus on businesses with unique ideas and do not invest in startups that lack strong teams.

The investment range of Cultivation Capital ranges from $100,000M to $3.5M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Hydrosat: Hydrosat is a geospatial intelligence company that provides daily, high-resolution thermal and multispectral infrared imagery of the entire Earth. Hydrosat leverages its first-in-history thermal capabilities to provide analytics solutions.

ScopeStack: ScopeStack is a B2B SaaS Platform solving the scoping and pricing of IT services projects. ScopeStack’s platform enables a quick turnaround of service statements of work.

SimpleRose: SimpleRose is a technology company that allows customers to optimize and accelerate decision-making. The company’s applications include scheduling, production planning, and portfolio optimization. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Saint Louis, Missouri.

iSelect Fund

Website: Venture Investing in Food is Health | iSelect Fund

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: AGtech

Investment Stage: Seed

iSelect Fund is a venture capital firm that was founded by Michael Kime in January 2012. The firm has funded a total of 70 startups and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

iSelect Fund invests at the Seed or Series A stage, investing in equity or debt convertible to equity. They conduct rigorous screening tests before placing a company in the Fund. The information and materials gathered during iSelect’s internal review are then submitted for a second round of review by an SEC-registered broker-dealer.

The investment range of iSelect Fund ranges from $5M-$10M. Some of their portfolio companies are:

Agrible: Agrible is a company that provides actionable predictive analytics tools for growers and agricultural companies to help them make the best decisions possible. Agrible was acquired by Nutrien.

Vence: Vence is a livestock management platform that provides virtual fencing and autonomous control of livestock. Vence was acquired by Merck.

Artemis: Artemis provides a cultivation management platform that enables owners and managers of enterprise farms to drive efficiency, profits, and growth, and ensure security and compliance. Artemis was acquired by iUNU.

Thompson Street Capital Partners

Website: Home - Thompson Street Capital Partners (tscp.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Tech

Investment Stage: Late

Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP) is a private equity firm that was founded by James Cooper in 2000. The firm has funded a total of 29 startups and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

TSCP typically invests in equity or debt convertible to equity, with a focus on deals in the range of $50 million to $250 million. They invest in exceptional middle-market businesses in the Life Sciences & Healthcare, Software & Technology, and Business & Consumer Services and Products sectors.

Similarly, the network consists of some of the most experienced investors who only invest in ventures that can generate 10-15x returns within 3 years of investment. Some of their portfolio companies include:

Media Radar: Media Radar is a company that provides ad sales intelligence to media companies and agencies. TSCP exited from Media Radar.

TierPoint: TierPoint is a leading provider of secure, connected data centers and cloud solutions at the edge of the internet. TSCP exited from TierPoint.

Sage Capital LLC

Website: Sage Capital (sagecapitalllc.com)

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Consumer Products

Investment Stage: Seed

Sage Capital LLC was founded in 2004 by different managing and investing partners. The private equity firm has funded around 20 startups since its inception and continues to make big investments. 

The investors usually aim to make long-term investments in excellent companies and partner with management teams or existing owners. They make both control and minority investments, and they provide capital for growth, acquisitions, and recapitalizations.

The investment range of Sage Capital LLC ranges from $1M to $7M. They have invested in companies like:

K. Hall Studio LLC: K. Hall Studio LLC is a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of home fragrance goods.

Bulk Tank: Bulk Tank is a manufacturer of valves and other flow-control components for use in pneumatic dry-bulk trailers and railcars.

Wrap-Up

Summing up, there are a lot of angel investors whom you can pitch to and secure an investment. However, before you start planning to attend a pitching competition, it is recommended first to see some good examples of a pitch deck, understand the previous investments, and prepare well for an investor meeting.

Good Luck! 

Frequently Asked Questions