Missouri TechLaunch

Next Application Period Open –Fiscal Year 2022 IDEA Fund Co-Investment Program details will be announced in December 2021 or January 2022.

The Missouri TechLaunch program was created to support Missouri's early-stage, entrepreneurs developing technologies, and creating jobs across Missouri. TechLaunch supports technology startups through matching equity or convertible debt investments up to $100,000 for the purpose of technology and business development.

Over the past decade, MTC has invested just under $44 million into over 135 early-stage Missouri-based high growth technology-focused companies, which have raised over $1 billion in additional private capital. To gauge the overall economic development and impact its portfolio has on the state, last summer, MTC surveyed over 70 companies in its portfolio. The economic development impact results of the survey have been summarized in a downloadable PDF flier that can be accessed with the link below.

• MTC IDEA Fund Survey Summary 2021 Flier

Investment Process:

1. The annual application process opens and applicants are invited to fill out the application (link below).
2. Applications close after about a month and MTC staff reviews all applications.
3. All applicants are notified of whether they are invited to present to the MTC investment Committee approximately one (1) month after applications close. Those who are not selected to move forward are welcome to set up a time to discuss their application with MTC staff.
4. The MTC Investment Committee meets and selected companies pitch. The Investment Committee will make funding recommendations, and presenting companies are notified within a week.
5. The MTC Board of Directors will meet to review and approve the recommendations.
6. The due diligence process will begin for selected companies.

In order to qualify for a Missouri TechLaunch investment a company must:

1. Be based in Missouri;
2. Have a proprietary or protectable intellectual property;
3. Be in the pre-seed financing stage;
4. Have, at the time of closing, an actual third party dollar-for-dollar matching investment for MTC funds;
5. Fit into at least one of MTC’s five focus areas – animal health, plant science, biomedical science, applied engineering (software), and defense and homeland security; and
6. Complete the application process.