ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis announced its new $3 million expansion plans for its North Campus and the new 2024 Entrepreneurship Founder Cohort class, who will receive $250,000 in business grants.
“Being a part of the UMSL accelerated program, man, it just introduced us to so many people around St. Louis. It got us investors. We raided over $1 million,” Akeem Shannon, creator of the Flipstik, said.
Shannon is a former participant in UMSL’s entrepreneurship program, which helps local entrepreneurs learn and grow their businesses.
“So, our job is to really help them with some gaps and training. Pair them with mentors. Help them with certain business issues, but ultimately, we want them to scale their businesses,” Dr. Scott Morris, executive director of the UMSL Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, said.
Out of 300 applicants, Pat Upchurch, owner of Patty’s Cheesecakes, is one of five participants selected for this year’s program.
“So, Patty’s Cheesecakes has one location. We are in the city foundry but we’re also in all of the Dierbergs, Fresh Thyme grocery stores,” Upchurch said. “We do have a production facility where we do a lot of things for grocery stores and restaurants.”
In an effort to boost more local businesses, the university announced Tuesday it will begin a $3 million renovation on its North Campus. And they will be adding more entrepreneurship programs and courses.
The five participants for this year’s cohort come from a variety of businesses looking to expand in St. Louis.
“These five were phenomenal. So, they have a great sense of what their business is about. Who they are trying to serve. They really know who their target markets are, their target customers,” Morris said.
The 2024 entrepreneurs that were selected for the program will receive $50,000 each to support their businesses. To learn more information on this program and how you can get involved, visit UMSL Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center UMSL. The 2025 applications will not be available until fall 2024.
