In January 2024, a total of $2.2 million was approved for equity-based investments in the following companies:
- Azome Therapeutics Inc is an early-stage drug discovery company focused on developing selective antagonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome, an inflammatory pathway critical to the development of a wide variety of diseases.
- Backstitch, Inc. is a complete Employee Experience and Total Rewards Engagement Platform, purpose built for busy HR and IC teams. The platform increases productivity, reaches all employees, and accurately measure outcomes with marketing tools designed for workforce communications.
- Barbell Logic Inc is a personalized coaching, custom-built platform, and the largest group of professional coaches, all invested in your success, giving the world access to personal coaching, educational resources, and opportunities to help others improve their quality of life through strength.
- BIOIO, Inc. develops pharmaceutical therapies treating cancer, with the potential to be used as drugs to prolong human life and increase quality of life.
- Foresight Reporting, Inc. specializes in delivering turnkey lending and credit solutions by integrating cutting-edge technology and decision science tailored to fintechs, lenders, and SaaS companies so that they can deploy capital to those that need it, when they need it.
- Likarda, LLC is a biotech company developing enabling technologies to transform how cell therapies are delivered and optimized, protecting cells from destruction and keeping them viable while maintaining them in the intended location within the body.
- King of the Curve is an educational technology company designed to help students score top marks on rigorous standardized exams. The app, created to service the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), is a unique mobile application designed to make studying both fun and accessible.
In 2023, MTC awarded over $9M in investment allocations through the IDEA Fund to 32 Missouri-based high-growth potential startups. MTC awarded the following in each award cycle:
- Over $2 million in January 2023 to eight technology startups
- Over $2.3 million in April 2023 to seven technology startups
- Over $2.4 million in July 2023 to eight technology startups
- Over $2.4 million in October 2023 to nine technology startups
MTC currently accepts IDEA Fund applications continuously and reviews applications and makes awards on a quarterly basis.
The deadlines for full consideration for each quarterly application review cycle are listed below.
- April 2024 Award Cycle – Application deadline of 11:59 pm, Wednesday, February 7, 2024
- July 2024 Award Cycle – Application deadline of 11:59pm, Wednesday, May 8, 2024
