Missouri is not only known for its barbecue, jazz, and the Gateway Arch, but also for its thriving startup ecosystem. The state has produced some highly successful startups, such as Square, Opendoor, and Zapier, thanks to the support of various venture capital (VC) firms. Due to its thriving market, more and more investors are willing to invest in businesses. We've sorted the top 10 VC funds and firms based on various metrics. Here's the list:
Ascension Ventures (AV) supports healthcare by putting money into services, technology, and medical technology. They began in 2001 and have more than $1 billion across five funds. AV collaborates with 13 health systems, employing over 580,000 individuals and generating $96 billion annually. Their aim is to enhance healthcare by investing in and supporting nearly 80 companies. AV links individuals with promising ideas to leaders in health systems, all with the goal of advancing healthcare.
Website: ascensionventures.org
Founding Year: 2001
Investment Range: $10M - $20M
Stage: Early
Sector: Healthcare sector, with a focus on healthcare information technology and services, and medical devices and diagnostics
Investment Geography: United States
Notable Investments: AdventHealth, CentraCare, Sentara, Ohio Health
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Royal Street Ventures pioneers early-stage investment in underserved venture capital markets. Committed to ethical and industrious entrepreneurs seeking dedicated partnerships, they specialize in being the first organized backers of promising ventures. Focused on the Mountain West, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and California, they transform innovative ideas into thriving businesses. With a rich legacy spanning back to 1895, Royal Street Ventures carries a tradition of launching new industries, evolving to include external investors, diverse team members, and a robust portfolio of successful companies.
Website: royalstreet.vc
Founding Year: 2012
Investment Range: $1M - $5M
Stage: Early, Seed
Sector: Technology and technology-enabled startups
Investment Geography: Pacific Northwest and California
Notable Investments: PayIt, Blueboard, Kenzen, Measured Insurance, BacklotCars
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Arsenal is a private equity firm. It focuses on leading franchises in industrials and healthcare. Committed to high-growth, technology-driven businesses, they aim to be strategically vital and create value for all stakeholders. With a mantra of "Anticipate, Adapt, Enable," Arsenal pursues ambitious growth strategies, employs seasoned operators with balanced judgment, and fosters collaboration to discover market opportunities, accelerate growth, and build transformative businesses.
Website: arsenalcapital.com
Founding Year: 2012
Investment Range: Undisclosed
Stage: Growth
Sector: Industrial Growth, Healthcare Companies
Investment Geography: United States
Notable Investments: InterShunt, Deck Commerce, Juristat, Aptimmune, Harbor MedTech
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Cultivation Capital specializes in investing in the early stages of businesses, particularly during the Seed or Series A phases. They provide initial funding ranging from $100K to $3.5M and focus on diverse industries such as life sciences, health tech, software, IT, agriculture tech, and geospatial tech. Operating globally, they have invested in startups across 25+ states or countries. Recognized as one of the most active early-stage venture firms in North America, Cultivation Capital actively supports its portfolio companies, often assuming board responsibilities.
Website: cultivationcapital.com
Founding Year: 2012
Investment Range: $100K - $3.5M
Stage: Seed, Series A
Sector: Life Sciences, Health Tech, Software and IT, Agriculture Tech, Ageospatial Tech
Investment Geography: Global
Notable Investments: Planful, Benson Hill, Avail
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
iSelect invests in new businesses working on solutions for worldwide issues in food and health. They carefully choose businesses with strong financial plans in big markets to be safer. iSelect likes to support progress in farming, especially innovations like automated harvesting systems and tools for managing farms with sensors.
Website: iselectfund.com
Founding Year: 2014
Investment Range: $5,000 - $50,000
Stage: Early
Sector: Agriculture, Food Tech, Healthcare Sectors
Investment Geography: United States, Canada, Europe, and Americas
Notable Investments: Benson Hill, Artemis, Agrible
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
RiverVest Venture Partners is a prominent firm in the venture capital world. They focus on helping life science companies grow to meet important patient needs and make good money for investors. They're based in St. Louis and also have offices in San Diego and Cleveland. RiverVest works closely with top research institutions across the country to create and back biopharma and medical device ventures.
Website: rivervest.com
Founding Year: 2000
Investment Range: $1M - $100M+
Stage: Early
Sector: Life science companies, with a focus on Medical Devices and Biopharma
Investment Geography: United States
Notable Investments: Avalyn Pharma, OncoResponse, Spruce Biosciences, Venture Med Group, Alleviant Medical, Bonum Therapeutics
Submit Pitch/ Contact: info@rivervest.com
Advantage Capital, established in 1992, holds a unique mission: bridging the investment gap in historically underserved communities. Pioneering the mobilization of private institutional capital, the company focuses on states and regions lacking traditional risk capital. Their commitment extends beyond investment, aiming to ensure long-term prosperity for both portfolio companies and their communities. With a track record of innovation, Advantage Capital looks ahead to further amplify its impact, steadfast in its goal to generate substantial value for small businesses, investors, and communities alike.
Website: advantagecap.com
Founding Year: 1992
Investment Range: Undisclosed
Stage: Growth
Sector: Food, Agribusiness
Investment Geography: Missouri
Notable Investments: Quoddy, PayIt, E-Z Pack Tortillas Inc., Modern MD, First Orion, NevadaNanotech Systems, North End Teleservices, TurboSquid
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Firebrand Ventures is a distinctive venture fund. It revolutionizes Midwest investment by confidently backing early-stage software startups across the region. With a focus from Austin to Minneapolis and Boulder to Columbus, Firebrand combines robust branding, an extensive network, and substantial experience to identify exceptional teams with immense potential. More than just a source of early-stage capital, Firebrand provides decades of operational and investment expertise, a powerful network, and proactive support to accelerate entrepreneurs' businesses. Founded by individuals who understand the entrepreneurial journey, Firebrand pledges transparency, responsiveness, and accessibility to founders.
Website: firebrandvc.com
Founding Year: 2016
Investment Range: $5M - $10M
Stage: Seed
Sector: Technology
Investment Geography: United States
Notable Investments: Threatcare, The Minte, Headnote
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Five Elms Capital, established in 2007, stands out as a premier partner for top-tier B2B software companies. With a focus solely on software investments, they've cultivated a vast network and in-depth domain knowledge. Managing over $2.4 billion in assets and supported by a global team of 70+ experts, they've successfully invested in 65 software platforms worldwide. Five Elms Capital specializes in injecting $5-75 million into companies with $2-20 million in revenues, offering minority or majority investments, growth capital, and liquidity options for founders and early investors.
Website: fiveelms.com
Founding Year: 2007
Investment Range: $5M - $75M
Stage: Late, Private Equity
Sector: B2B Software
Investment Geography: Global, with investments in Europe (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia)
Notable Investments: Prismatic, Field Agent, Lumar
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
Twain Financial Partners, a specialty finance firm managing $4 billion in assets. They provide complete money solutions for real estate and renewable energy projects all over the United States. Twain started in 2013 and has its main office in St. Louis, Missouri, with branches across the country. They focus on being a reliable long-term partner in dealing with complicated and regulated money markets. Guided by values like respect, integrity, and innovation, Twain values lasting relationships more than one-time deals. They are quick to respond and work persistently to find solutions for their various partners in both public and private sectors.
Website: twainfinancial.com
Founding Year: 2013
Investment Range: Undisclosed
Stage: Seed, Debt Financing
Sector: Real Estate, Renewable Energy
Investment Geography: United States
Notable Investments: Clearloop, Curate, Lake Country Foods, Hotel Phillips, Wewoka Lofts, Academy Theatre, Silicon Ranch
Submit Pitch/ Contact: Link
A: Venture capital is a type of investment that can be risky but has the potential for high returns. However, there is no guarantee of success. Investing in startups is always uncertain, and you might lose your money. Even though VC firms try to minimize risks, investing in startups is always uncertain, and you might lose your money.
A: The largest VC firm in the United States is Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with assets under management totaling $35 billion. They"re in California and started in 2009. They put money into different kinds of companies, like tech and healthcare. Some famous companies they"ve invested in are Facebook and Airbnb.
A: Venture capital usually pays better than corporate development but not as much as private equity and hedge funds. At big VC firms, associates without an MBA can make $150K to $200K, while those with an MBA might rake in $200K to $250K. You might also ask, "Do startups pay well?" Here"s your answer.
A: According to experts at The National Venture Capital Association, they believe that around 25% to 30% of startups supported by VC funding end up failing.
Best of luck with your amazing ventures.
Please note that this list is filtered by various metrics, and all the data are collected through various third-party websites, mostly the VC website. Since data such as ticket size or industry may change, you are requested to visit the official website given in the blog for the latest and updated information.
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