The 13 Best VC Firms In St. Louis, MO [2024]

Updated: October 19th, 2022

Are you looking for a VC firm for your St. Louis, MO based startup?

Finding the right investment firm for your startup can be a daunting task.

There are a number of successful venture capital firms in St. Louis, MO, and we've curated a list of the best local firms in the area. Additionally, we provide you with:

  • Investment size
  • Funding stages
  • Typical industries the firm works with
  • Well known companies the VC firm has invested in

Here's the list:

1. Advantage Capital Partners

  • Location: Washington, DC, St Louis, Missouri, Austin, Texas
  • Industries: manufacturing, technology and business services
  • Investment Range: $500K-$10M
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in PayIt, Quoddy, North End Teleservices

Advantage Capital Partners is a firm focused on raising private institutional capital and investing in businesses located in St Louis that are underserved by traditional sources of risk capital. The VC firm emphasizes helping business ventures that require capital to survive and thrive and has a long history of supporting small businesses at both the start-up and expansion stages.

Since its inception, Advantage Capital has invested over $30 Billion in companies spanning a diverse array of industry sectors.

Learn more about Advantage Capital Partners ➜

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2. Arsenal Capital Management

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Not Limited
  • Investment Range: $500K - $10M
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in Deck Commerce, PowerPost, Bonfyre, Synerz Medical, Wellopp, VeraPlan, Harbor Meditech

Arsenal Capital Management (ACM) believes the greatest percentage return occurs in the early stage of the lifecycle. In that regard, ACM identifies and funds emerging growth companies without limiting themselves to a particular industry.

ACM provides an initial investment of $500K and a maximum investment of up to $10M. The VC firm strives to provide trusted advisory and providing startups the financial resources needed to meet their growth objectives.

Learn more about Arsenal Capital Management ➜

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3. Ascension Ventures

  • Location: London, St Louis
  • Industries: Healthcare
  • Investment Range: $10M - $15M
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in Academic Partnerships, Accretive Health, Aethon, Apama Medical, Arista MD, Bind, Augmenix.
  • No. of Investments made : 268
  • No. of Portfolio Exits: 35

Ascension Ventures is a strategic healthcare venture fund. The VC firm provides investments of up to $10 Million per round and up to $15 Million to companies in their early-stage or late stages of development.

Since its establishment, the firm has been keen on providing venture and growth equity investments for companies interested in healthcare information technology, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Learn more about Ascension Ventures ➜

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4. Capital Innovators

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Technology, Consumer Products, Energy Innovations
  • Investment Range: $50K - $1M
  • Stage: Seed Stage & Series A
  • Companies invested in: AdKiosks, AdStash,Aisle411,Adjudica, Anchor, Applied Particle Technology, AppNotch Beam.

Capital innovators provide venture funds to corporations focused on technology, consumer products, and energy innovations. The Venture Capital firm provides top-rated accelerator programs, venture fund management, and corporate innovations, and has been delivering value for its clients for years.

This VC firm offers investments between $50,000 and &1 Million and has helped scale over 130 companies by assisting them to raise over $400 million in follow-on investments.

Learn more about Capital Innovators ➜

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5. The Yield Lab

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: AgTech companies
  • Investment Range: $100K
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in: HydroSat, Epidext, Lywire,Digested Organics, Eiwa, VOA, Ucrop.IT, CreditAI

Yield Lab focuses on enabling entrepreneurs to revolutionalize the Agrifood systems. Investing in early-stage companies around the globe, the VC firm provides AgTech companies investments of up to $100,000 in funding.

Yield Tech remains committed to being part of the solution by providing seed-stage funding to companies that have the potential to make a big difference.

Learn more about The Yield Lab ➜

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6. Cultivation Capital

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Technology, Life Science and Agriculture
  • Investment Range: $100k – $3.5M
  • Stage: Seed Stage To Series B
  • Companies invested in HydroSat, Aggio, Bandura Systems, Clever, Curate, Adarza, Arch Oncology, CareSignal.

Cultivation Capital is a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage to Series A investing, and their initial checks range from $100 to $3.5 Million. This VC firm provides venture funding to businesses in Life science, Technology, Agriculture, and Geospatial industries.

Cultivation Capital believes that promising companies are located all over the globe. Therefore, the firm has invested in startups based in over 20 countries and focuses on building an all-inclusive portfolio.

Learn more about Cultivation Capital ➜

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7. Sage Capital LLC

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Companies With EBITDA of $2M to $7 M
  • Investment Range: $2M - $15M
  • Stage: Stage A
  • Companies invested in Bulk Tank, Check Technology Solutions, DTI-MCO International, K.Hall Studio LLC, Mohawks Lifts LLC, Randal Manufacturing LLC.

Sage Capital provides long-term capital and expertise for small and middle-market businesses with EBITDA of between $2 Million and $7 Million. Sage Capital considers investments whose primary operations are anywhere in North America, but the firm is active between the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains.

They look to invest between $2 Million and $15 Million per company. However, larger amounts are possible through co-investment with their roundtable partners or other firms.

Learn more about Sage Capital LLC ➜

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8. Capital for Business, Inc.

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Manufacturing
  • Investment Range: Not disclosed
  • Stage: Series C
  • Companies invested in AirWorx, Bennett Tool & Die Company, Arrow Material Handling Products, Central States Bus Sales

Capital For Business (CFB) invests in manufacturers and providers of value-added services that serve a broad array of end markets including automotive, aerospace, medical, and diversified industrials. The venture capital firm focuses on firms with a proven cash flow, defensible market position, and proven management.

CFB has a unique capital structure that includes both subordinated debt and equity and does not run companies day-to-day. Instead, CFB earns the trust by partnering with management teams.

Learn more about Capital for Business, Inc. ➜

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9. iSelect Fund

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Healthcare, Food and Agriculture, Resource Efficiency, and B2B Technology
  • Investment Range: Not disclosed
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in Agrible, Arable, Artemis, Benson Hill, Brightseed, Bonumose, Kula Bio, HerdDogg, Holhanix, Kultevat

iSelect invests in companies focusing on healthcare, food, agriculture, B2B technology, and resource efficiency. Their VC firm selects companies that already have at least $250,000 through “friends and family” round or received significant non-dilutive financing through grants and other sources.

While iSelect does not have a preference for companies located in MidWest, they are keen to see that a company is located near key industry talent and customers.

Learn more about iSelect Fund ➜

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10. Lewis & Clark AgriFood

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Agriculture and Food
  • Investment Range: Not disclosed
  • Stage: Series B
  • Companies invested in Bushel, Binsentry, Brightseed, Hortau, Stony Creek Colors, SinnovaTek

Lewis & Clark Agrifood works with exceptional entrepreneurs within the Agriculture and food industry.

The VC firm funds enterprises that lean towards tech-enabled and agri-food companies within the late-stage / growth stage and firms that show positive operating cash flow.

Learn more about Lewis & Clark AgriFood ➜

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11. RiverVest

  • Location: San Diego, St Louis
  • Industries: Life Sciences
  • Investment Range: Not Disclosed
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in: InterVene, Lumena, Allakos

RiverVest is a private venture capital firm that focuses on developing and supporting life science companies to address significant unmet needs of patients and deliver consistently strong results to investors.

The firm is striving hard to improve the patients' lives, build Biotech companies, support entrepreneurs, and earn the trust of investors through science, strategy, and innovation.

Learn more about RiverVest ➜

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12. TechAccel, LLC

  • Location: Kansas City (HQ) and St Louis
  • Industries: AgriTech, Animal Health
  • Investment Range: Not disclosed
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in Greenlight Biosciences, Sound Agriculture, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Kansas State University, EpiCanola, EpiBerry, Covenant Animal Health Partners (partial list).

Tech Accel invests in and advances innovations in Agritech and animal health sectors. This private VC firm provides seed-stage funding and performs research but does not disclose all investments and assets.

Founded in 2014, the firm deploys capital and research expertise focused on advancing Agriculture, animal health, and food technologies.

Learn more about TechAccel, LLC ➜

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13. Thompson Street Capital Partners

  • Location: St Louis
  • Industries: Life Sciences, Healthcare, Technology, Consumer Services and Products
  • Investment Range: Not disclosed
  • Stage: Seed Stage
  • Companies invested in Alpaca Audiology, Bioivt, GovSpend, Custom Wheel House, Bradley-Morris Inc, BCM One, Isto Biologics, Revenue Management Solutions

Thompson Street Capital Partners invests in middle-market businesses within Life Sciences $ Technology, Software & Technology, Business, & consumer Services and products. Thompson Street Capital Partners remains committed to partnering with founder-led organizations and provides seed-stage investment to support growth.

Since its inception, the VC firm has acquired more than 100 companies and managed more than $1.5 Billion in equity across the areas of focus.

Learn more about Thompson Street Capital Partners ➜

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Learn more about VC firms in other cities in Missouri:

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.