Dabble

Origin: St. Louis, MO | Grant Awarded: 2014 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Dabble?

Founded in 2011, Dabble is a community marketplace for affordable, in-person classes in communities throughout the U.S. Dabble fosters life-long learning in a social atmosphere without breaking the bank. Through our community marketplace, Dabble makes it easy for people to list classes by facilitating the transaction and providing a market of curious learners. Class topics include cooking, woodworking, arts & crafts, knife throwing, wine tasting, whitewater rafting, yoga, business, fitness and much more! Users are encouraged to stretch their imagination in regard to the limitless possibilities for dabbling. Teachers include passionate experts and businesses, and for them, Dabble serves as a lead generation vehicle, additional income stream, and creative outlet. Dabble also offers local businesses the opportunity to host classes that are relevant to them, increasing exposure and driving incremental business. The process for submitting a class occurs online, and anyone is invited to teach.

Company Leadership

Jemal Swoboda

Founder & CEO

Jemal Swoboda is an experienced leader of high-performance mission-based teams, and committed to leveraging the power of technology to improve and foster increased human connection, empathy, curiosity, and compassion..

Connect on LinkedIn →

Module Building Systems

Origin: Kelowna, BC | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Module Building Systems?

Module Building Systems (MBS) is at the forefront of the construction evolution, harnessing innovative post-tensioning connection technology to reshape the way buildings are constructed. Our model revolves around a meticulously manufactured, cost-effective, and expedited installation process, much like an IKEA approach, but for buildings. Targeting sectors from high-density multi-residential and single-family homes to commercial and temporary structures, MBS aims to provide pivotal solutions to North America’s pressing housing challenges. This includes addressing affordability issues, homelessness, and disaster relief efforts. Our manufacturing-centric methodology, paired with the advantage of ready-to-assemble transportable buildings, enables the swift and efficient development of affordable, sustainable communities. Moreover, our collaborative endeavors span partnerships with industry frontrunners, educational entities, non-profits, and governmental bodies, ensuring impactful solutions to the housing crisis.

Company Leadership

MARK TURNBULL

Founder & CEO

Mark Turnbull is the Founder and driving force behind MBS and has expertly assembled a dynamic executive team, board of advisors, and industry partners. With 20 years of entrepreneurial experience under his belt, Mark’s diverse background spans real estate investment, construction, land development, property management, business development, and leadership roles as a marketing and creative director.

A dedicated humanitarian, Mark’s compassionate nature is at the heart of MBS’s mission. He has devoted time to volunteering at local homeless shelters, making multiple trips to Haiti to help build schools, homes, and orphanages. His vision and unwavering commitment to making a positive impact shape the way MBS operates and grows.

Connect on LinkedIn →

Aegis Digital Health

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Aegis Digital Health?

Aegis’ first product, SweetSpot, addresses the problem of ineffective, inconsistent standard of care for diabetes patients. These patients visit the provider’s office at most 4x/year, when they are tested for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), with little to no engagement between visits or insight into how their medications or lifestyle affect blood sugar on a daily basis. This leads to “clinical inertia” and poor clinical outcomes for the 34M Americans with diabetes. Underserved populations – rural, low socioeconomic status, and certain ethnic groups – are particularly hard hit. As few as 20% of diabetics achieve the target HbA1c level of <7%, and they incur $9,600 annually in excess health care expenses compared to the average, including 12M ER visits and hospitalizations every year, and an annual cost to the health care system of >$240B. Advances in technology – continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps and other delivery devices – provide significantly far more detailed data than HbA1c, and studies have shown this can lead to more effective and less expensive care. However, device complexity, difficult data retrieval, confusing reimbursement codes and lack of clinical resources often prevent the provider (the target customer) from effectively using these devices and the data available to improve patient care.

SweetSpot is a software platform and clinical support service that supports end-to-end remote patient monitoring for all diabetes devices. The service solves all the problems described above by: 1) managing device setup and patient onboarding, 2) automatically retrieving data from each device manufacturer’s portal, 3) analyzing and triaging the data, 4) providing a common dashboard that enables clinicians to quickly see which patients need attention without having to manually retrieve and sort through hundreds of pages of device data, 5) supporting clinician data review with recommendations for changes to patient management, 6) automatically capturing billable events and applying the appropriate reimbursement codes, 7) presenting claims-ready reports to the billing staff, and 8) integrating with the patient’s EHR. SweetSpot also offers clinical support for practices that do not have the internal resources to support this new workflow. By transitioning the standard of care from HbA1c to Time in Range (TIR – the percentage of time glucose levels are within prescribed boundaries), SweetSpot has the potential to reduce comorbidity risk by 40% and ER visits by 50%.

Company Leadership

STEPHEN VON RUMP

CO-FOUNDER & CEO

Stephen Von Rump, MS, is a 5-time CEO and 3-time founder with 3 exits. He has extensive healthcare sales and operational experience, and has developed, launched and managed a dozen products in the healthcare technology space.

Connect on LinkedIn →

RALPH OIKNINE, MD

Co-founder & CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

Ralph Oiknine, MD, is an endocrinologist with over 20 years of clinical experience, and is nationally known among diabetes clinicians and industry leaders. He is the inventor of the SweetSpot concept, born out of years of frustration with the existing standard of care for diabetes patients.

Connect on LinkedIn →

AMIAD FREDMAN, MD

Co-founder & chief product officer

Amiad Fredman, MD, is nationally known digital health thought leader with experience driving product development. His focus is on maximizing user engagement, and he brings both clinical and design expertise to the task.

Connect on LinkedIn →

abby cohen

Co-founder & CoO

Abby Cohen, BME, was the founder and CEO of Sparo, which had an exit in 2022. She has extensive product development and operations experience, FDA regulatory and quality experience, early partner development and revenue generation experience.

Connect on LinkedIn →

KAY BROSCHAT, PhD

Co-founder & PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOr

Kay Bouschat is a seasoned project management professional with a substantial 30-year track record that spans academia, startups, and pharmaceutical companies. She has demonstrated a robust ability to secure funding for research and development through diverse channels including NIH grants, venture capital, pharmaceutical partnerships, and strategic alliances. Specializing in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostic translational medicine, Kay has been pivotal in recruiting and fostering the adoption of new medical practices among Key Opinion Leaders. Her strategic insight into in-licensing and alliance structures has proven invaluable for therapeutics and technology transfer, underscoring her role as a dynamic force in the advancement of medical innovation and enterprise.

Connect on LinkedIn →

Chippin

Origin: Arlington, VA | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Chippin?

Chippin is pioneering the shift to high quality, low “eco pawprint” pet foods powered by drooly-worthy, healthy and planet-saving ingredients. The company taps into ingredients such as invasive species, insects and algae to craft nutrient-rich foods.

Company Leadership

HALEY RUSSELL

FOUNDER & CEO

Haley Russell is Founder & CEO of Chippin, a sustainable pet nutrition company. Haley is an experienced food and beverage operator who worked for Boston Consulting Group as a Consultant and started her career as a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs. In the years before launching Chippin, she led projects in the human food and beverage industry–including scaling a juice startup, launching bike delivery with UberEATS, and working with coffee cooperatives in East Africa.

Connect on LinkedIn →

Constituent Connection

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Constituent Connection?

The vast majority of money in politics is spent on fundraising activities, not on educating voters. As a result, personal wealth, celebrity, and clickbait ads are more influential in winning elections than ideas, platform, values, or credentials. Constituent Connection is a socially minded for-profit entity that believes that if it is cost effective for the best quality, often least funded candidates to win elections, those officials will better serve their constituents and the world will be a better place. By driving down the cost to campaign, we free candidates to put their focus where it should be: engaging with their constituents.

Company Leadership

SPENCER TODER

Co-Founder & CEO

Spencer is no stranger to entrepreneurship or to politics. He’s spent his career supporting innovative companies throughout the region. The concept for Constituent Connection was developed during as he ran and finished third in the Democratic primary in a bid to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. He’s passionate about finding ways to make the world a better place for future generations and is appreciative of his tremendously supportive wife, Courtney and their family!

Connect on LinkedIn →

Chris SHIPLEY

Co-founder & CEO

Chris has been a pillar of the entrepreneurship ecosystem since the dotcom era. Named “One of the Most Influential Women in Silicon Valley” Chris has had a tremendous impact on STL startups as well, as a mentor of Pipeline Entrepreneurs, where she and Spencer formed a friendship that would lead to her acting as Senior Advisor to his campaign. When Chris isn’t disrupting an industry, she’s writing an award-winning business strategy book, or traveling the country with her wonderful wife Nancy and dog Koa.

Connect on LinkedIn →

Forcyte

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Forcyte?

Forcyte has developed portable nanogrid modular energy systems for sUAS charging for tactical use in austere environments. Forcyte energizes drone operations for mission-critical purposes that provide operators with persistent ISR monitoring of an area or threat for improved situational awareness.

Company Leadership

MiKE SEPER

CO-Founder

Mike Seper is an innovative entrepreneur, educator, and leader in the St. Louis community. He recently received a proclamation from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones recognizing his contribution to St. Louis startups and his work advancing national security innovation. Mike is a proud alum of two Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Hawaii Manoa, and currently serves on the Harris-Stowe State University Anheuser-Busch School of Business Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.

Connect on LinkedIn →

DYLAN BROPHY

Co-founder & CTO

Dylan values control over his life, and achieves this by being an entrepreneur and building technology. He spends a large portion of his time on computers and has experience programming x86 assembly. He has been building circuits for over a decade.

Connect on LinkedIn →

Gateway Quantum Electronics

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Gateway Quantum Electronics?

Quantum technologies will change society in profound and unimaginable ways. Gateway Quantum Electronics is building hardware to automate the operation of quantum noise-limited microwave amplifiers, making quantum computers scalable and quantum sensors easier to deploy.

Company Leadership

JORDAN RUSSELL

Co-Founder & CEO

GQE co-founder and CEO Jordan Russell completed his PhD in Physics at Washington University in St. Louis in 2019 where he studied the quantum electronic and optical properties of graphene. As one of the inaugural postdoctoral scientists for WUSTL’s Center for Quantum Leaps he led the development of novel superconducting single-photon detectors and assisted in the production of quantum noise-limited microwave amplifiers. His passions for scientific entrepreneurship, gardening, and cats are surpassed only by his love of exotic hardware.

Connect on LinkedIn →

KATER MURCH

Co-founder

Murch received his BA in physics from Reed College in 2002. He conducted graduate research at the University California, Berkeley, in the group of Dan Stamper-Kurn, where his research focused on Bose-Einstein condensates, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and quantum measurements. Murch conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, in the group of Irfan Siddiqi. He joined the faculty at Washington University in 2014.

Golden Gems

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is Golden Gems?

Golden Gems is a lifestyle brand that designs and sells accessories, apparel, stationary goods, and home decor. All of their products exude their mission of inspiring and empowering you to live unapologetically, take up space and live life on your own terms.

Sisters Susan Logsdon and Amanda Helman started Golden Gems in 2016 headquartered out of Amanda’s living room. What started with lots of long nights and just 8 products, the Golden Gems gals quickly gained a local following through Etsy and opened up their first brick and mortar in a small shop on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis City in 2018. Over the next few years, Golden Gems experienced such rapid growth that Susan and Amanda tripled their product line, grew their team with 18 new employees, and quickly outgrew that little 1200 sq ft shop on Cherokee.

In October 2021, Golden Gems moved into our current 5600 sq ft flagship store & warehouse space on Locust Street in Midtown St. Louis. The new space houses a bigger retail store in the front, with headquarters in the back for shipping, housing their ever growing product line, offices, event space, photography studio and more.

Additionally, they opened a holiday pop-up shop in 2021 at the City Foundry, which quickly proved that St. Louis wanted more Golden Gems and the sister duo signed a permanent lease in 2022. Earlier this year they opened their third location at West County Center and it has been a huge success.

In addition to their brick and mortar and online shops, Golden Gems has a thriving wholesale business and their products can be found in over 800 stores across the country, including Urban Outfitters and Paper Source. Helman and Logsdon are excited to grow their brand locally, and are confident that St. Louis expansion will lead to even more recognition by shoppers and the brand can continue to expand nationally as the years go on.

Company Leadership

AMANDA HELMAN

Co-Founder & COO

Michelle spent the first part of her career as a top ranked on-air television news reporter, culminating at Fox 2 News, St. Louis. She is an expert at product marketing and go-to-market strategy derived from her strong analytical and communication skills. She also founded and led a public relations and marketing firm where she gained experience with businesses ranging from startups to 100M+ non-profit where she was the senior executive responsible for all aspects of marketing, communications and campaign strategy.

Connect on LinkedIn →

SUSAN LOGSDON

Co-founder & CCO

Susan is a self taught graphic designer with over 12 years of experience in the field. Susan is a lover of the creative process and enjoys writing and playing music, baking, designing, and naturally enjoys designing new Golden Gems products.

Connect on LinkedIn →

GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness

Origin: MO | Grant Awarded: 2023 | Status: Active

Visit Website →

What is GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness?

GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness (GreaterHealth) is an innovative pharmacy model that combines culturally responsive pharmacy services with medically tailored dietary meals to provide a comprehensive path to improved healthcare outcomes for underserved communities. Patients experiencing hypertension, kidney disease, high cholesterol, or diabetes are paired with a pharmacist and dietician, and receive free home medication and meal delivery services. This innovative approach to the last touchpoint in the healthcare journey serves to transform the lives of those furthest away from opportunity. This solution has the potential to impact 200,000 Missouri residents and 100M+ people across the U.S.

Company Leadership

MARCUS HOWARD, Ph.D.

Founder & CEO

Dr. Marcus Howard is a North City St. Louis native and graduate of Metro Academic and Classical High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Exercise Science and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in Human Development. He returned home in 2020 to start GreaterHealth Pharmacy & Wellness, the very first radically inclusive, culturally responsive pharmacy in the U.S. GreaterHealth is already blazing a trail in the city of St. Louis in its first year of operations, offering free delivery, medically tailored meals, and serving residents who have historically been forgotten in the healthcare space. GreaterHealth is growing fast and expects to be a national pharmacy brand by 2026, ensuring that all people have access to greater health and a greater quality of life.

Connect on LinkedIn →