InvestMidwest, the annual venture capital conference that highlights Midwest startups, has named a new leader at it plans to return next year to an in-person format.
The conference said this week it has named Claire Kinlaw as its executive director, replacing Phyllis Ellison.
The leadership change comes as Greater St. Louis Inc. Foundation has become fiscal agent of InvestMidwest, taking over operations of the event from the Cortex Innovation Community. Ellison had been InvestMidwest’s executive director in addition to her position as vice president of partnerships and program development at Cortex. She departed Cortex earlier this year for a role at St. Louis Community College.
In addition to her new role as executive director of InvestMidwest, Kinlaw is chief scientific officer of agriculture technology startup Zea Bioscience, which is based in Walpole, Massachusetts. She will remain the startup’s chief scientific officer in a part-time capacity, InvestMidwest said in a news release. Previously, Kinlaw was director of innovation commercialization at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur.
"Claire’s experience in research, entrepreneurship at early-stage biotechnology companies, and organizing technology-based innovation conferences position her particularly well for this role,” said Tom Melzer, an InvestMidwest advisory board member and co-founder and managing director of St. Louis-based venture capital firm RiverVest Venture Partners.
First held in 2000, InvestMidwest connects technology startups with investors and has alternated between hosting its annual conference in St. Louis and Kansas City. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, InvestMidwest was held virtually in 2020 and 2021. It was not held in 2022.
InvestMidwest will return next year with an in-person conference, scheduled to be held April 12-13 in St. Louis. Kansas City is slated to host the event in 2024.
“I think we’ve all learned through being shut-in in Covid that you can keep working and do many things and function (virtually), but there’s no substitute for building relationships when you can see people in person,” Zinlaw said. “There’s something that doesn’t happen on Zoom calls and you don’t get that serendipity, that is so important for entrepreneurs and investors. Their world is built very strongly on relationships.”
Applications have opened for next year's InvestMidwest conference, with the event seeking submissions from "growth and newbie companies in life sciences, food/ agriculture and technology, with a focus on geospatial companies." Kinlaw said InvestMidwest currently estimates selecting 30 to 40 companies for the 2023 event and will place a focus on including a diverse group of entrepreneurs and companies.
“We’re looking for ways to throw a broader net to entrepreneurs and investors who are looking for their inclusive goals,” she said.
As InvestMidwest returns next year, Kinlaw said the event will also consider adding new components, such as programming for its alumni companies as well as being more proactive in engaging educational institutions to introduce students to entrepreneurship and investment.
