2025 Startup Competition
The 2025 Application Window is Opening February 19!
We’re on a worldwide search for innovative, diverse early-stage startups looking to take their business to the next level. The Arch Grants Startup Competition awards innovative, scalable, and job-creating startups with $75,000 non-dilutive grants (plus an additional $25,000 for companies relocating to St. Louis) and access to an ecosystem of resources in exchange for headquartering their business in St. Louis for at least one year. Competition applications are evaluated by over 400 industry experts from the St. Louis community and around the country.
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We Champion…
- Founders with idea-stage to pre-Series A companies
- Companies with an innovative and scalable business model
- Technology-enabled solutions
- Diverse Founder teams who have a desire to help the St. Louis ecosystem grow
By Supporting Founders With…
- $75,000 equity-free funding + $25,000 for relocation + eligibility for additional funding of up to $100,000
- Ala carte programming, fundraising support, and access to the Arch Grants network
- Exclusive discounts and talent acquisition support
And All We Require Is…
- The Company locate their headquarters in the City of St. Louis for at least one year
- 51% of the founding team or one founder and 51% of the team need to live in St. Louis for the program year
- At least one founder is working on the company as their primary or full-time professional role
If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact competition@archgrants.org.
2025 Timeline
February 19
Application Window Opens
March 31
Application Window Closes
Early-to-Mid May
Preliminary Judging
Mid-July
Finalists Selected
August 5
Finalist Pitch Day
End of August
2025 Arch Grants Awardees Notified
Early October
Programming and Support Begins
Late November
New Cohort Introduced at neXus Gala
Be a Part of the Movement
We champion extraordinary entrepreneurs to create positive change – for St. Louis and for the world. Join us by becoming a financial supporter, volunteering your time, or amplifying our message.
Without the Arch Grant, we wouldn’t have been able to file the provisional patents, which allowed us to obtain [crucial] data. We also received a lot of amazing feedback about our business model, which was honestly more valuable than the funding.
Erica Barnell
CSO and Co-Founder
Geneoscopy