St Louis, in the past two decades, hasn't been a dream place for many startups. According to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis published in 2016, 81% of startups reported using personal funds, 45% took out additional debt, 43% made a late payment, and 42% said they cut staff hours and/or downsized operations.

However, since March 2020, many venture capital firms and individual angel investors have stepped into the city, funding a huge number of startups. Currently, the city is ranked as the 43rd best city in the US for a startup and is still climbing the ranks.

Do you also want to secure funding for your startup?

Well, here's a list of the top 6 angel investors and venture capital firms in St Louis.

Top 6 Angel Investors in St Louis

The following list contains different VC firms and individual angel investors. Before contacting any investor, it is recommended to verify and confirm all the requirements to avoid any later regrets.

Advantage Capital

Website: Advantage Capital

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: manufacturing, technology and business services

Advantage Capital, a famous venture capital firm that invests in Seed Stage startups, was founded in 1992 by famous entrepreneurs David Bergmann, Martin Bodenham, and Steven T. Stull. It has invested around $30B in more than 800 companies all across the US. However, recently, they have also started funding startups in St Louis, allowing them to reach their maximum potential.

In February 2022, Advantage Capital and the NMSDC Business Consortium Fund announced the launch of a new fund dedicated to providing access to capital to minority-owned business enterprises. They also announced a partnership with Arch Grants to support entrepreneurs committed to growing businesses in St. Louis. This partnership includes a $100,000 donation to provide new resources to St. Louis startups.

Aside from its funding, Advantage Capital also guides its portfolio and non-portfolio startups by arranging various mentorship programs. Currently, the network hasn't announced any networking events or accelerator programs in St Louis but might conduct them in the future.

The investment range of Advantage Capital ranges from $500,000 to $10M. Some of their famous investments are:

PayIt: A startup that provides digital government services. Their cloud-based technology offers government agencies the ability to streamline services and payments into an omnichannel user experience for citizens.

Quoddy: Quoddy is a shoe manufacturer. They provide their users with custom-made shoes. Their products are hand-sewn, handmade shoes, boots, moccasins, and slippers.

North End Teleservices: NET is an omnichannel global provider of outsourced contact center services to government and commercial sectors.

Thompson Street Capital

Website: Home - Thompson Street Capital Partners

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Life Sciences, Healthcare, Technology, Consumer Services and Products

Thompson Street Capital is another venture capital firm that only funds middle-market businesses. The network was founded by James Cooper in 2000 and has funded more than 100 companies in Northern America. With respect to their broad investment goals, the network has expanded its presence in St Louis and is actively funding healthcare tech-related ventures.

As for the screening tests, most of their pitching competitions are hosted by expert investors that focus on growth potential and idea market. Once a startup can make it through these tests, Thomson Street Capital provides it with the funding as well as access to its experienced network of mentors.

From 2022-2023, Thompson Street Capital has already funded 15 businesses displaying their active interest in the healthcare, finance, and IT ecosystem.

The investment range of Thompson Street Capital ranges from $2M-$15M. However, looking at most of their past investments, the network usually funds startups around $5M, depending on their growth potential. Some recent investments include:

Alpaca Audiology: An audiology company with over 65 locations in 7 Midwest States operating under different brands. They also operate the largest private buying group for audiologists.

BioIVT: A leading global provider of research models and value-added research services for drug discovery and development. They specialize in control and disease-state biospecimens, including human and animal tissues, cell products, blood, and other biofluids.

GovSpend: is a software development company for local, state, and federal government agencies. They develop analytics, insight, search, and data feed products built on top of the most accurate databases.

Custom Wheel House: is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of aftermarket wheels, tires, and accessories. Their products are sold through an extensive network of auto parts distributors and retailers.

The Yield Lab

Website: The Yield Lab | The Yield Lab

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: AgTech

The Yield Lab is one of the biggest Agrifoodtech startup funders in America. The venture capital firm was founded in 2014 by Thad Simons. As for their investments, The Yield Lab has funded around 120 companies from 7 different countries.

Every year, the network arranges different startup accelerator programs and networking events to find promising AgTech startups and help them pave the way toward success.

Moreover, The Yield Lab has many expert mentors and famous entrepreneurs who guide startups through different challenges and stages. As for the investment range, The Yield Lab can provide a maximum funding of $100,000. Some of their recent investments are:

Eiwa: Eiwa operates as a blockchain farming and crop traceability platform. They mobilize the world's agronomic knowledge by introducing an ecosystem data cloud.

VOAx: Voice of America is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages.

Ucrop.IT: A blockchain farming and crop traceability platform that delivers certainty across crop cycles. They provide a digital platform that allows producers to register and verify the history of their sustainable crops by sharing information with companies.

Capital Innovators

Website: Capital Innovators

Investor Type: Venture Capital Firm

Investment Interests: Technology, Consumer Products, Energy Innovations

Founded in 2010 by Jindy Sindecuse, Capital Innovators is also a VC firm that funds startups at Series A and Seed Stages. The network consists of many experienced investors who fund startups related to various industries.

Currently, they have funded over 130 startups and are announcing new funding campaigns to boost startup growth in 2024. Aside from the investments, Capital Innovators also provides mentorship programs through their business workshops. The network also arranges numerous networking events and accelerator programs.

The investment range of Capital Innovators usually depends on the startup. Generally, they fund startups ranging from $50,000-$1M. Some of their recent investments are:

Adjudica: A cloud-based legal document management software provider. They offer features such as legal practice management, document portfolio management, contract creation, access management, and document update management.

Anchor: Anchor is an electrical equipment company and the largest manufacturer of modular and non-modular electrical switches. Aside from switches, it also manufactures low-voltage switchgear, wires and cables, lights, and fans.

Applied Particle Technology: A startup that provides silica dust detection for the mining industry. It develops sensing and control technologies for airborne pollutants to protect workers from lung diseases.

Rick Holton Jr

LinkedIn: Rick Holton

Investor Type: Individual Angel Investor 

Investment Interests: Software, Consumer Products, Finance and E-Commerce.

As a famous individual angel investor in St Louis, Rick Holton Jr has funded several startups. He is also the founding partner at Cultivation Capital and has funded more than 150 startups through it.

As for investment interests in angel investment, Rick Holton Jr loves to fund startups that have massive growth potential. He usually funds startups related to different sectors at Series A and Seed Stage.

The investment range of Rick Holton Jr ranges from $50,000 up to $600,000, with most of his startup investments being around $400,000. Some recent companies in his portfolio are:

Rovertown: RoverTown is a company that develops branded apps for convenience retailers. They enable businesses to increase their sales and revenues with just a push button.

AllWork: AllWork is a software-enabled payments platform for freelancers and the gig economy. It allows companies to simplify how they manage and pay their freelancers, contractors, consultants, and flexible workers across their entire organization.

InsurePay: InsurePay is the leading payment platform for insurance that transforms how Carriers, Agents, MGAs, and Policyholders collect and send payments.

Jim Eberlin

LinkedIn: Jim Eberlin | LinkedIn

Investor Type: Individual Angel Investor

Investment Interests: Tech

Jim Eberlin is also an individual angel investor who funds startups in St Louis. He started funding startups in 2014 and has funded many tech-related ventures. His investor career began while he was working with a consultation company.

Ever since the inception of his career, Jim Eberlin has been known for having many successful ventures in his portfolio. Aside from investments, Eberlin also invests a lot of time and money into guiding startups and helping them overcome different challenges faced by startups.

The investment range of Jim Eberlin is $50,000 to $300,000. Some of his recent investments are:

TopOPPS: TopOPPS is a provider of sales performance and productivity software.

Juristat: Juristat is a platform that develops predictive models of the behaviour of judges, patent examiners, and attorneys.

Wrap Up

In a nutshell, angel investors can definitely help you change the course of your business if you can pitch the right way.

Just work hard on your pitch deck and improve your communication skills to ensure your startup looks investable.

Good Luck!

Frequently Asked Questions