Venture Capital Investments

Innovation, Development, and Entrepreneurial Advancement (IDEA) Fund

The IDEA Fund program is a state-sponsored venture capital initiative that utilizes public funding (both state and federal) to drive economic development within the state. The primary focus of this program is to foster innovation and support technology-driven entrepreneurial endeavors that contribute to the state’s overall economic development growth.

MTC’s IDEA Fund promotes the formation and growth of businesses that engage in the transfer of science and technology into job creation. The fund provides venture capital-based financing to eligible businesses through three programs that correspond to the stages of growth for promising early-stage high-growth potential businesses: (1) pre-seed capital stage financing; (2) seed capital stage financing; and (3) venture capital growth stage financing. Funding decisions are made on a quarterly basis through a multi-tiered, competitive application process.

The IDEA Fund makes direct investments into Missouri-based technology startups through matching equity or convertible debt investments for the purpose of supporting technology and business development. Active programs include:

Proof of Concept Pilot Program
TechLaunch Co-Investment Program
Seed Capital Co-Investment Program
Venture Capital Co-Investment Program

MTC’s IDEA Fund is a “co-investment program.” IDEA Fund investments are typically 10-25% of the total funding round and awarded companies will need to secure investment from private sources to match MTC’s investment (1:1). MTC uses a matching fund requirement to ensure that the capital invested, generally from state or federal sources, will be invested in the State’s most attractive early-stage investment opportunities. MTC will not consider grant funding, investments made in exchange for services provided, or in-kind investments as eligible matching funds.

Since 2010, MTC has invested over $49 million in more than 150 early-stage Missouri-based high-growth technology-focused companies. Since 2018, our portfolio companies have gone on to raise over $1.6 billion in additional private capital. To gauge the overall economic development and impact its portfolio has on the state, 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.

IDEA Fund Survey Summary

Resources

Questions?
See the MTC IDEA Fund FAQ for more details on the process and qualifications. Please email Julia Campbell with additional questions.