You may have seen the headlines naming St. Louis one of the top startup cities in the country. Medical and plant sciences, in particular, are thriving in St. Louis – so much so that a national organization just named St. Louis the top bioscience cluster in the country; a model for other cities.
The study said what set St. Louis apart is that it views diversity, inclusion, and equity as a growth strategy. Almost 10 years ago, BioSTL – builder of the bioscience and innovation economy – took a hard look at the people using its research labs, tapping into its capital, and working in the cluster, and saw that they were overwhelmingly “pale and male.”
Then they set out to change that.
The team at BioSTL has been working since 2008 with CEOs and grassroots groups across St. Louis to intentionally engage African Americans, women, and other underrepresented minorities in the bioscience community, which is a major economic driver in St. Louis.
“We saw it as imperative for the region’s continued, long-term success,” said Ben Johnson, BioSTL Vice President of Programs. “If half of the regional population is on the sidelines, unable to access new economic opportunities, 10 more years of cluster growth is going to run into a huge challenge.”
BioSTL, through its Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative, along with its partners in the startup community, are tackling that challenge with a stream of programming that increases awareness among underrepresented communities about opportunities in bioscience. The initiative also provides them with entrepreneurial training and makes connections for them to broader networks and resources.
Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore oversees the inclusion and diversity work. Together with BioSTL colleague Natalie Clay, they are working to address systemic and cultural barriers that limit equity in St. Louis’ entrepreneur and innovation community. In organizing a regional partnership of entrepreneurial support organizations, BioSTL aims to make sure high-tech, high-growth entrepreneurial pathways are open for all to participate and benefit.
“Entrepreneurship is a pathway to prosperity for all communities, but especially for communities of color and women in St. Louis who have been historically disenfranchised or underserved,” said Dr. Watkins-Moore. “Together, we want to help ensure that there is gender and racial equity in the start-up community, which means an entrepreneur’s success cannot be predicted based on their identity.”
The work of BioSTL and many partners throughout the minority community – including NAACP, Ferguson 1000, Family Workforce Centers of America, Center for the Acceleration of African-American Business, St. Louis MOSAIC Project, and the Promise Zone – aligns with the recommendations of the Ferguson Commission to establish racial equity in policy, program design, and resource allocation – as a step beyond diversity and inclusion.
Individuals interested in STEM careers or noodling a new invention can connect with BioSTL’s Inclusion Initiative by visiting BioSTL.org or emailing Dr. Watkins-Moore at Inclusion@biostl.org.
