Harris-Stowe State University is nearing completion of its new Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), with the Midtown facility expected to open this summer.
The $4.9 million entrepreneurship center, in space at 3203 Olive St., just north of Harris-Stowe’s campus, is designed to serve as a hub for entrepreneurs and students and house programming provided by the university's Minority Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center for Advancement (MECCA). A grand opening event for the facility is currently expected in August.
With MECCA’s program designed for minority entrepreneurs, the new CIE is intended to be a welcoming space for underrepresented business owners, giving them a place where they “see themselves represented,” said CIE Executive Director Kristy Jackson.
Development of the CIE has been eyed for several years at Harris-Stowe, as the historically Black university has boosted its entrepreneurship programming for students and community members. It has launched a series of accelerator programs, as well as an 18-credit-hour entrepreneurship certificate program.
Last year, 148 people graduated from Harris-Stowe’s MECCA programs. The accelerator programs are offered at no cost to entrepreneurs. MECCA’s accelerator programs include its Spin-Up Accelerator, designed for individuals wanting to start a business; Start-Up Accelerator, which works with entrepreneurs trying to validate their business idea; and its Scale-Up Accelerator for existing businesses seeking to grow. Its programming in the past year also included a one-day bootcamp accelerator.
The new CIE facility includes offices, flexible gathering space and meeting rooms. Its design aims to provide entrepreneurs with space where they can work on their business and meet with clients and others.
“This whole space is all about flexibility because entrepreneurs’ needs continue to change, so we want to be able to support that,” said Jackson.
The facility also includes an outdoor, second-floor terrace expected to be used for receptions and events related to MECCA’s programming.
Take a look inside Harris-Stowe's new CIE building in the photos below.
Harris-Stowe CIE
Jackson said she expects students and entrepreneurs to use CIE's space by day, with programming and events there in the evenings.
“It will be an active, bustling space Monday through Friday,” she said.
The $4.9 million spent to build out the CIE has been financed through Harris-Stowe institutional funds, grant dollars and state funding.
The new CIE facility currently spans more than 3,000 square feet on the second floor at 3203 Olive St., which is owned by Harris-Stowe. The building’s first floor has been gutted but has yet to be renovated. Jackson said there’s future plans to rent out the space to entrepreneurs and businesses, with a bank and food retailers as possible tenants. Future renovation of the first floor would be done to suit the needs of its future tenants, officials said.
Located in Midtown, Harris-Stowe is St. Louis' only HBCU, or historically Black college or university, and reported total 2023-24 enrollment of 1,098 students. The Higher Learning Commission in 2022 put Harris-Stowe “on notice,” saying it was at risk of being out of compliance with accreditation criteria. A notice visit by the Higher Learning Commission is expected this spring, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in January.
