Arch Grants Executive Director Emily Lohse-Busch will step down from her position next month, the nonprofit startup funder said Thursday.
Lohse-Busch, who became Arch Grants’ executive director in 2017, will depart effective Feb. 28. Arch Grants said it plans to conduct a national search to find her successor. Meanwhile, Lohse-Busch said she plans to remain in the St. Louis region and begin her own consulting practice.
With Lohse-Busch as its top executive, Arch Grants has charted continued expansion. From Arch Grants' launch in 2012 to when Lohse-Busch joined as executive director in 2017, the nonprofit had provided $50,000 grants to each of 96 startups through its annual startup competition. That figure has grown to 207 startups, with Arch Grants funding a record number — 34 — startups in its 2021 contest. The nonprofit also has expanded to help its portfolio companies with the launch of new programs, such as its Growth Grants initiative that provides $100,000 in follow-on funding to former Arch Grants winners that are based in St. Louis.
“Emily has taken Arch Grants to new heights in its ability to be a transformative organization for St. Louis. She’s accomplished and exceeded the five-year vision that we discussed when she first took on the role. On behalf of the Arch Grants family and the broader region, we extend our deepest gratitude to Emily for her leadership and tireless efforts to make Arch Grants what it has become. We welcome and look forward to her wise counsel as we move forward with our ambitious plans," said Arch Grants founder and Chairman Jerry Schlichter.
Schlichter will lead the search committee tasked with finding Lohse-Busch's replacement.
Lohse-Busch said her decision to leave Arch Grants was one she started to contemplate late last year. While Arch Grants employs a nonprofit structure and revenue model, it has adopted a startup culture similar to the companies it funds. That startup mentality influenced Lohse-Busch’s decision to depart the organization.
“In a startup’s language, it’s not uncommon at all for someone to come in at a certain stage, bring its organization to its next milestone and then kind of hand off the baton to the next person. That’s the way I’m very much thinking about this,” she said.
While Arch Grants had already completed its incubation and proof-of-concept stages by the time Lohse-Busch joined the organization, she said her tenure as executive director has been about long-term sustainment of its economic development model.
“When I came on, a lot of it was about, 'Is there really a there there? Is this something that actually has the potential to move the needle, or just something we’re going to say, what a great pilot we tried?'" she said. “My goal has always been to really push down hard and figure out what that potential is. In the last five years, I feel we have not only proven that this model has the potential to make a real impact in this region, but I think we’ve exceeded expectations in terms of what type of impact it can make in all areas of our economy.”
During the past five years, Arch Grants has seen several of its key metrics tick up. In 2017, the nonprofit’s portfolio companies had generated $60 million in revenue and $119 million in follow-on funding. That has since increased to $479 in revenue and $411 million in follow-on capital. Local jobs created by the companies have grown from 1,100 to more than 2,300 over the past five years.
"The ability that we’ve had to increase what it means for entrepreneurs to be a part of our program has been one of the most meaningful things for me,” Lohse-Busch said.
She said she plans to launch her own consulting practice to work within the intersection of philanthropy and economic development. That comes as Lohse-Busch said she believes St. Louis is in a “unique place” with its approach to economic development,
“I have not seen us have this much momentum with Greater St. Louis Inc. and with Arch Grants doing what it’s doing and BioSTL doing what it’s doing, and all of these different organizations that are pushing forward with a common goal," she said. "I think there’s an opportunity for us to start to really recognize the one plus one plus one equals three mentality and I want to be a part of that."
