About

InvestMidwest  |  May 6-7th 2025 | Saint Louis, Missouri

Who we are

InvestMidwest highlights startups in the Midwest region with the most promise for success.
The conference provides an ideal opportunity for entrepreneurs to raise capital and all attendees to make new connections.

Quick Facts

607+ presenting companies to date, each meeting with an average of seven VCs attending the forum

607+

Meet the Executive Director

Claire Kinlaw

“I am very pleased for the opportunity to work with the InvestMidwest Advisory Board and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystems of St. Louis and Kansas City to relaunch InvestMidwest as a vital in-person event. Bringing entrepreneurs and investors together from across the Midwest will further the commercialization of technologies in three important industry areas: agriculture, healthcare, and technology, including an emerging geospatial sector.”

Meet the Board

Jeremy Degenhart

Advantage Capital Partners
Chair

Jill Meyer

UMKC Innovation Center

Randy Buseman

Ernst & Young, Retired Partner

Bob Calcaterra

StartUp Partners International LLC

Duane Cantrell

Fulcrum Global Capital

Brian Matthews

Cultivation Capital

Derek Rapp

RiverVest Ventures

Alfred Jackson

Arch Grants

Meet the Planning Committee

Aaliyah Aramjoo

KCRise Fund

Connie Bowen

Farmhand Ventures

Alfred Jackson

Arch Grants

Daniel Kennedy

BioNexus KC

David Moon

Cultivation Capital

Tammy Platt

Nestlé Purina North America

Bijoy Shah

Fulcrum Global Capital

“InvestMidwest is the premier venture conference in the central Midwest — a great opportunity to see early-stage companies and to interact with colleagues.”

— Tom Melzer, Managing Director RiverVest Venture Partners

Recent Press

Startland News

InvestMidwest aims to turn connections into dollars

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Startland News

InvestMidwest says in-person capital conferences are back; returning to Kansas City in 2024

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St. Louis Inno

InvestMidwest startup showcase gets new leader as it plans return in 2023

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BizBlip

InvestMidwest Startup Issued 1st Patent for Medical Device

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Flyover Future

Meet Midwest startups ready to bust a move

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St. Louis Business Journal

InvestMidwest venture showcase to stick with virtual format in 2021

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StartupNation

Successful Startups are Blooming in Our Region

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