St. Louis

Meet Robin Rath, Co-Founder & CEO at Pixel Press. Pixel Press builds next-gen video game creation tools that allow kids to become game designer. Robin talks about using the power of technology to encourage storytelling.

Meet Jeff Mazur, Executive Director at LaunchCode, a nonprofit that provides free, high-quality tech-industry training and job placement. Jeff joins us to talk about LaunchCode’s goal of bridging the high-skill tech workforce gap in cities across the U.S.

Meet St. Louis Hip Hop Artist, Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin. Mvstermind is a rapper, producer and songwriter who is about to take the hip hop world by storm. He sits down with the Innovation Team to talk about finding himself as an artist and a human being, and how that growth continues to inform his work.

Meet Mark Prendergast, President of AB Mauri North America, the global yeast and baking ingredients business. Mark sat down with the Innovation City team to talk about the baking industry, his time working at startups in the early 2000s, and the power of fully-engaged employees.

Meet Farzana Chohan, DMGT-ABD, Executive Director at Leadership IN Women. Farzana is a futurist and a global leader in nonprofit development, management, and design. She shares the story of her professional development, what drew her into the fields of mentorship and leadership, and much more.

Meet Genera Moore, Founder of Motorparts Nation. Motorparts Nation is a U.S.-based company that exports aftermarket auto parts to Africa. Genera also took Lexani Motorcars to dealerships in Dubai through the Deals on Wheels program, and recently launched Tano Travel a travel company for tourists visiting West Africa.

Meet Dan Lauer, Founding Executive Director of UMSL Accelerate, the entrepreneurship initiative at University Missouri St. Louis. Dan sits down with Tyler and Michael to talk about his own entrepreneurial path, the power of failure, the best time to take a chance on your dreams, what you can learn from a rejection letter, and much more.

Meet William MacMillan, Ph.D., CTO & Co-Founder of Prattle. Bill joins the Innovation City team to discuss the creation of the field of data science, Prattle’s growing role in bringing attention to under-researched central banks in countries all over the world, and the value of statistical reasoning.

Meet Rikki Byrd, writer, educator, and scholar. Rikki’s academic focuses include Black studies, visual culture, fashion history, and cultural studies. Rikki joins Tyler and Michael to talk about creating practical diversity.

Meet Dennis Lower, President & CEO of the Cortex Innovation Community. Dennis sits down to talk about what makes a good innovation district, how they get built, and how to incorporate a variety of different environments to design a dynamic, porous, vibrant community that sparks ideas and allows entrepreneurs to thrive.