Technology Entrepreneur Center T-REX Invigorates the St. Louis Economy with Help from MTC
Supporting Job Creation & Innovation
The Technology Entrepreneur Center, known to many as “T-REX,” is a nonprofit innovation center located in downtown St. Louis. The center is committed to invigorating the state and regional economy through the support of innovation and early-stage technology startups. Since 2012, T-REX companies and partners have created over 5,000 Missouri jobs. Annually, T-REX companies and graduates generate over $665 million in annual economic output for the state of Missouri.
Over the past four years, T-REX has made a special effort to develop the region’s strengths in geospatial technology, building on the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) decision to develop a new $1.75 billion facility only 1.6 miles from T-REX. In 2020, T-REX completed a $5 million Geospatial Innovation Center to support geospatial entrepreneurship and innovation, foster technology talent development, and promote St. Louis’ strengths as a geospatial center of excellence, both nationally and internationally.
Leading the Region
T-REX is St. Louis’ major IT innovation center, and houses many of the technology entrepreneur support organizations in the region, including Arch Grants, the Small Business Development Center (SBA), the Minority Business Development Agency, the Veterans Business Outreach Center, Information Technology Entrepreneur Network, CyberUp, Cultivation Capital, SixThirty, SixThirty Cyber, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. Having all of these startup-focused organizations under one roof helps T-REX tenants easily make connections and receive the support and funding they need.
Made Possible Through Support from the Missouri Technology Corporation
To date, T-REX has received over $600,000 from the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) through the organization’s Missouri Building Entrepreneurial Capacity (MOBEC) program. MTC’s funding and support have been critical to T-REX’s creation and growth. MTC funds have allowed for construction of additional incubator space and have also helped build programming around regional strengths in fintech and cybersecurity. MTC’s support also funded the construction of T-REX’s Geospatial Innovation Center and classrooms in the Geospatial Innovation Center.
The National Geospatial Agency’s decision to build a $1.75 billion campus in north St. Louis and, in the process, engage with the entrepreneur community, has been a game changer for the region and for T-REX. The once almost entirely classified organization has leased space in T-REX; participated in informational events at T-REX; been a magnet for geospatial companies to relocate to St. Louis (most in or close-by to T-REX); and inspired area universities to address the training of highly skilled talent that can serve their needs and established companies in the region that are finding it difficult to hire the talent they need.
The creation of T-REX’s Geospatial Innovation Center has attracted geospatial companies from outside the region as well as fostered the growth of those currently located in St. Louis. MTC’s support to this facility has enabled companies like Leidos, a prominent Department of Defense and Intelligence Community mission partner, to grow its footprint and expand its mission space to support talent development and seek innovative solutions to complex problems. They will bring upwards of twenty additional personnel to T-REX’s Geospatial Innovation Center.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of MTC to the work done at T-REX. Their mission is to support and empower St. Louis tech entrepreneurs and innovators, thereby creating jobs in Missouri. With MTC’s help and the help of other partners in the community, T-REX has become, in a short time, a world-class innovation center that is a model for sustainable downtown economic development.