St. Louis: Tech and Economic News

[mrnyc]

got apps?

[Arch City]

A very recent and interesting interview with StationDigital's new CEO.

They plan to create a single platform for music, movies and television.

September 23, 2014 (Fox Business)

• Video Link

[mhays]

2% change it'll go big. 2% chance it'll succeed at a modest level independently. 30% chance it'll have enough technology and subscribers to be worth a sizeable buyout (being generous since it's getting attention already). 66% chance it'll fade into the same oblivion like most such plans. I made the numbers up of course.

There are so many players (so to speak) in versions of that world. The Seattle area has examples from RealNetworks, Amazon, Microsoft, and probably others. I bet the San Francisco area has a long list.

^ very possible. they're going to have to offer something that the others don't. i don't use any of them so i have no idea what that would be.

[fflint]

Originally Posted by mhays

There are so many players (so to speak) in versions of that world. The Seattle area has examples from RealNetworks, Amazon, Microsoft, and probably others. I bet the San Francisco area has a long list.

Most definitely. Hell, forget the startups--even well-known Bay Area corporations like Netflix, YouTube, and Apple are trying to create a single platform for music, movies, and television. One of these may end up acquiring Station Digital if it actually takes off.

I'm glad St. Louis is in the game, but honestly, this kind of stuff is like the wallpaper of life in SF. Buzz, usually manufactured, about the 'next killer app' is so constant that I only notice it in its absence, usually when traveling.

[Arch City]

The fintech race....Silicon Valley, London, New York, Israel, Singapore, Sydney, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and........St. Louis.

Race to be the big wheel in fintech
ByAnna Irrera and Sarah Krouse
London eFinancial News
27 October 2014
Special Report: Fintech News: Issue 2

Excerpts from the article,

[Snip]

The community is growing, however, for the very reason that originally made Silicon Valley grow – London has all the right people in the same place. In fintech innovation, Silicon Valley is catering for one of the world’s greatest financial centres and London for the other. Silicon Valley caters for Wall Street, the far side of the US. London caters for … London.

[Snip]

In the right place

London also outpunches Silicon Valley in other ways. Silicon Valley may dwarf London in fintech innovation but the fintech sector as a whole is much bigger in the UK because there is such a substantial financial services industry. There are about 44,000 people working in the fintech sector in London – more than both Silicon Valley and New York, according to research by South Mountain Economics and Bloomberg Philanthropies

[Snip]

While competition is heating up between London, New York and Silicon Valley, some point out that the race may very well include many other contenders.

Jones at FinTech Collective said that, while he sees London’s strengths and potential, he believes that because of regulation, the fintech sector will develop as several leading hubs globally, rather than just one.

He said: “We will see a number of hubs. We will see London and New York absolutely but also Israel and Singapore and Sydney and, of course, Silicon.

[Snip]

Boston is often cited as a potential US fintech hub because of its broad bench of financial firms from State Street to Wellington Management and a wide range of other money managers. Earlier this year, big-name financial services fi ms including Thomson Reuters, Fidelity Investments and Amazon threw their weight behind a planned Boston programme for fintech start-ups that will help them access the data they need.

Atlanta, home to payment-processing firms such as ADP and First Data, has also increasingly become a destination for start-up companies in the sector.

But Chicago, the place where high-frequency trading firms Jump Trading and Getco got their start, has been less of a standout as a fintech hub, several lawyers and entrepreneurs said. Its start-up accelerators and incubators do not concentrate as intensely on financial technology as in other US cities.

Nevertheless, futures and options giant CME Group, based in Chicago, started a venture fund early this year to invest in fintech start-ups that could benefit the group.

St Louis, a dark horse in the race, is working to put itself on the map, citing a cheaper cost of living in the mid-west and a strong financial services tenant base. The mid-western city is home to Citigroup’s mortgage lending unit, financial advisory firm Edward Jones, MasterCard and Wells Fargo Advisors, among others.

Joe Reagan, president and chief executive of the St Louis regional chamber of commerce, said he was promoting “start-up innovation in flyover country”. The chamber has invested more than $1 million in initiatives for start-ups.

Kevin Alm, principal in the client solutions group at Edward Jones, said it was a “loser’s game” to try to be the next Silicon Valley – instead, the St Louis area should promote itself because of its range of financial companies.

Reagan said mentoring between large and small financial companies is a core part of economic development officials’ efforts. He said: “The secret sauce is that all of these start-ups get to be connected with these large companies.”

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[Arch City]

T-Rex is a coworking space and technology incubator located in downtown St. Louis.

Several floors of the eight story building are receiving a multi-phased multi-million update.

This 5th Floor update was completed earlier this November.

There are more than 100 start-ups in this downtown facility.


N96A4062 by forumstudioinc, on Flickr


N96A3932 by forumstudioinc, on Flickr


N96A3923 by forumstudioinc, on Flickr


N96A3912 by forumstudioinc, on Flickr


N96A3907 by forumstudioinc, on Flickr

[Arch City]

Young Israeli biotech firm chooses St. Louis for start of U.S. operations
11 hours ago • By Tim Barker
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A young Israeli biotech firm is opening a U.S. office in St. Louis.

The firm, Kaiima Bio-Agritech, is developing a plant breeding technology that promises to increase agricultural productivity and yields without using genetically modified organisms.

The company will have an office at the Cambridge Innovation Center-St. Louis, where it will start with a handful of employees.

“Although the initial presence in St. Louis will be small, they are poised for growth,” said Donn Rubin, president and chief executive of BioSTL.

Earlier this year, his organization launched a recruitment effort — St. Louis-Israel Innovation Connection — focused on attracting young Israeli companies looking to expand into the U.S.

Kaiima was one of the companies the group visited during a trip to that nation in May. That the firm so quickly decided to set up an operation in St. Louis says something to Rubin.

“It’s a validation of our thesis and of our approach,” Rubin said. “It makes us very hopeful that there will be more successes.”

For Kaiima — the name translates to sustainability in Hebrew — the move to St. Louis is seen as a way to tap into a region with a strong biotech network near one of the nation’s most important farming regions.

“The Midwest is a natural target,” said Doron Gal, chief executive of the company, which was founded in 2007. “There’s just a great infrastructure of people, talent and laboratories that can support the growth of a company like ours.”

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[the urban politician]

Why isn't this thread in the 'Midwest' forum?

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Why isn't this thread in the 'Midwest' forum?

I guess for the same reason that the "Boston's Seaport Square Sails Ahead" thread isn't in the "Northeast" forum, and the "Laneway Project looks to unlock potential of Toronto's 2,400 lane ways" thread isn't in the "Canada" forum, and the "Berlin: Mecca of culture, art and lifestyle" thread isn't in the "Europe" forum, and the "Downtown Milwaukee: make the quantum leap or blow the chance to go big and bold?" thread isn't in the "Midwest" forum, and the "NY YIMBY's fascinating interview with Jersey City Mayor Fulop" thread isn't in the "Northeast" forum, and on and on and on.

Did you complain about any of those? If you're not interested in the thread don't click on it (and definitely don't waste your time leaving a comment). Simple as that.

[fflint]

Originally Posted by IWant2BeInSTL

I guess for the same reason that the "Boston's Seaport Square Sails Ahead" thread isn't in the "Northeast" forum, and the "Laneway Project looks to unlock potential of Toronto's 2,400 lane ways" thread isn't in the "Canada" forum, and the "Berlin: Mecca of culture, art and lifestyle" thread isn't in the "Europe" forum, and the "Downtown Milwaukee: make the quantum leap or blow the chance to go big and bold?" thread isn't in the "Midwest" forum, and the "NY YIMBY's fascinating interview with Jersey City Mayor Fulop" thread isn't in the "Northeast" forum, and on and on and on.

Did you complain about any of those? If you're not interested in the thread don't click on it (and definitely don't waste your time leaving a comment). Simple as that.

Homerism is the issue.

None of those other threads you mentioned are comparable--none are slavishly updated to telegraph and chronicle literally every single new move--no matter how miniscule--made by anyone connected to any aspect of a particular industry in a given city.

Imagine if I did one or two of these threads for Silicon Valley--every single new venture, project, announcement, funding plan updated--again, no matter how tiny--bringing the thread in question right up to the top. Now imagine if forumers did something similar for various and sundry business sectors in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Boston, Houston...would that be something you would like to see? A whole bunch of recurring threads full of what non-residents absolutely consider minutia, topping this subforum? Won't someone think of the children?

[mello]

Are all of these St. Louis threads just a way to take the attention off the coming shit storm about to pop off when there is no indictment of Darren Wilson? Lets face it this is a huge black eye on the image of the entire metro area whether that is warranted or not. In all of these pictures I see a bunch of smiling white faces, where are the quality jobs for the hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised young blacks in the STL metro area going to come from?

To many outside of STL the place looks like a mess, protests in Clayton, the secondary CBD don't seem to help. Can someone without any bias tell us what is really going on there?

[mhays]

I don't mind having a thread. But it doesn't make St. Louis look good. It's like saying "We're doing great. We got a C plus!"

[The Illusive Man]

Yeah, I've noticed this in a few message boards. St. Louis posters seem to have a bit of an inferiority complex. They'll do whatever they can to give their area positive attention for some reason. It's like: "Please, look at me!"

[the urban politician]

The Chicago Economy Thread is in the midwest forum.

I'm just not sure why Arch City's St Louis boosterism threads really belong on the national pages when, in reality, they don't belong here.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by fflint

Homerism is the issue.

None of those other threads you mentioned are comparable--none are slavishly updated to telegraph and chronicle literally every single new move--no matter how miniscule--made by anyone connected to any aspect of a particular industry in a given city.

Imagine if I did one or two of these threads for Silicon Valley--every single new venture, project, announcement, funding plan updated--again, no matter how tiny--bringing the thread in question right up to the top. Now imagine if forumers did something similar for various and sundry business sectors in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Boston, Houston...would that be something you would like to see? A whole bunch of recurring threads full of what non-residents absolutely consider minutia, topping this subforum? Won't someone think of the children?

This form of cancer is spreading throughout the organs of SSP. It has ravaged the Canadian subforum for much of the past year (Exhibit A: Calgary population updates [and concomitant dick measuring] by the nano-second, Exhibit B: everything and anything from Newfoundland, no matter how trivial).

"Please, look at me!"

Indeed, but the ultimate result is the opposite. People eventually become repelled by the endless stream of minutiae, boosterim, and braggadocio.

[STLgasm]

You guys- as enlightened urban dwellers, you should know that the media sensationalizes the situation for ratings. There are concentrated areas of emotions flaring, and no doubt protesters from around the world have converged here, but the VAST majority of the city and metro area is peaceful business as usual. I'm not gonna lie and say people aren't on edge, but it's not chaos in the streets by any means. I own a retail store on Cherokee Street, an urban, mixed race, mixed income neighborhood on the South Side of St. Louis, and we're having a record sales month for November. People are still shopping, still dining in restaurants, still going to work. It's infuriating to see the national media paint this incredibly skewed picture of St. Louis. I invite you to come to St. Louis and see for yourself. People are still walking their dogs, kids are still riding the school buses, coffee shops and bars are still filled, and the trash still gets picked up. Don't believe all the hype.

[Arch City]

After a great Caribbean vacation, I come back and can't believe the fervor over this thread.

Then after over two years in the City Discussions forum, it gets shuffled down here? Hmmm. Interesting.

Aren't most threads created and posted for attention and boosterism?

And I'll take a "C+" any day over an "F".

Some people simply hate to see a "come up".

Wow....LOL! I love haters. They only make you better .

IWant2BeInSTL, you said it best.

[Arch City]

Originally Posted by mello

Are all of these St. Louis threads just a way to take the attention off the coming shit storm about to pop off when there is no indictment of Darren Wilson? Lets face it this is a huge black eye on the image of the entire metro area whether that is warranted or not. In all of these pictures I see a bunch of smiling white faces, where are the quality jobs for the hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised young blacks in the STL metro area going to come from?

To many outside of STL the place looks like a mess, protests in Clayton, the secondary CBD don't seem to help. Can someone without any bias tell us what is really going on there?

And what's your problem? Your comment is extremely over the top, mello.

What in the hell does Darren Wilson and Ferguson have to do with the growing startup community in metro St. Louis? That's what this thread is about - not Darren Wilson - not Ferguson.

If you wanted to, you could have started or joined that topic elsewhere on this board instead of trolling this thread.

Seriously, mello? "Hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised young blacks". "Smiling white faces"? I can post some "smiling black ones" - if you want me to.

While there are unique political, social and racial issues facing metro St. Louis that definitely need to be addressed, you really do need to turn off the television, bro.

Television is apparently painting too much of a solemn and bleak picture of St. Louis for you.

[Arch City]

Industrious Brings 11,000 Square Feet of Awesome to St. Louis
March 25, 2015 7:00 pm
Tech.co



St. Louis, get excited because Industrious is opening an 11,000 square foot social office, not a coworking space, in the heart of the city.

Before starting Industrious Jamie Hodari – cofounder and coCEO; Emma Dively – Community Manager; and Justin Stewart – cofounder and coCEO were running looking for a coworking space that fit their various needs. However, they couldn’t find anything that totally matched what they needed, finding that the options available were a bit too ‘backpack and flip-flop’ for their tastes.

“We liked the community element but found it wasn’t professional or private enough and it didn’t aesthetically match where we were in our careers,” says Hodari. “On the flip side, executive suites were too corporate and had no social element at all.”

Their dream was to try and push forward a product that incorporated both elements of the corporate suite and the coworking space. So, they launched the first Industrious space in Chicago, which was initially supposed to be a side project: it took off beyond their wildest imaginings.

“We negotiated a year of free rent thinking it would take a year to fill the space, but we got a multi-year waiting list from day one,” says Dively.

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