Missouri’s Cortex Innovation Community: From Idea To Inspiration

Have you heard about Missouri’s Cortex Innovation Community?

Chances are if you live outside of St. Louis, the innovation community, located in the city’s Central West End, is probably a mystery to you. So what exactly is it all about?

The Cortex Innovation Community was created in 2002 through an initial investment of $29 million from Washington University, BJC HealthCare, the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Saint Louis University and the Missouri Botanical Garden. It has since grown into the region’s largest innovation hub, generating more than 4,000 jobs and upward of $500 million in investment.

Companies like Square, founded by St. Louis natives Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey, TechShop, and Boeing all have offices there, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) singled out the Cortex Innovation Community as a key reason they chose St. Louis as the site for their new NGA West headquarters. Today, hundreds of companies call the Cortex Innovation Community home.

For more information on the Cortex Innovation Community, contact Steve Johnson, CEO of Missouri Partnership, at 314.725.2688 or via our contact form, with any questions you might have, and learn how Missouri Partnership can help with your business expansion and investment needs.

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