Fighting for Entrepreneurs in 2024

This coming year, NEXT Missouri will continue its advocacy efforts on behalf of the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC)—a cornerstone of the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that invests in early-stage Missouri-based tech companies and provides grants to local entities that support entrepreneurs and small business owners.

We’ll also be calling on the General Assembly to make Missouri a more attractive place to start new businesses by adopting an angel tax credit that incentivizes private investment in startups.

Seven of the eight states that border Missouri have an angel tax credit, but not Missouri, which means our communities are losing out on the economic development and job creation that comes with new businesses.

At a hearing this spring, the sponsor of a bill to create an angel tax credit said, “[Missouri’s] Department of Economic Development has tracked several promising startups that are locating just across the border in Kansas City, Kansas, because of the investment money they are able to access in part due to the utilization of the angel credit. Similar scenarios have been found in southwest Missouri.”

While fighting for these priorities, NEXT Missouri will also be on the lookout for other opportunities to advance public policy that supports innovation and entrepreneurship.

Help us out by sharing what’s on your policy wish list. Together we can ensure entrepreneurs and their startup companies are recognized as the primary engine for job growth in Missouri.