Technology

To keep St. Louis’ existing tech talent, some regional leaders are pushing for more support for startups. But it’s not a quick or easy fix.

In the year since a nonprofit was established to run the innovation district, it’s made strides to build out more real estate and solidify St. Louis’ position as a leader in the plant sciences and agriculture sectors.

For Wash U professor Ian Bogost, checking email has become a source of daily torment.

More than half of St. Louis and St. Louis County residents are without reliable internet. The St. Louis County Library is helping patrons get internet access at home, training included.

Junior high students from around Missouri competed to represent the state in a national contest to design and present a vision of an electrified, eco-friendly city that could be a model for life in the future.

The Technology2030 report commissioned by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce shows the state ranks just 30th in tech job growth over the past five years, but that’s higher than all neighboring states.

“How do we create conditions where it makes more sense for a company to either stay in St. Louis, or move here, if they want to do something related to agtech?” the innovation district’s executive director said.

With Chicago in the running for the $11 billion National Semiconductor Technology Center, a multi-university network of researchers and scientists are optimistic Illinois’ advances in engineering and manufacturing — especially quantum — will help them seal the deal. So is Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Rolla-based company that makes chemicals used in the production of computer chips increased the size of its 10-year-old facility at the Rolla airport by 50%.

“St. Louis put in the effort years ago to have this new facility built here and then recognized that that was not the end of the journey, that was the beginning of the journey,” said the former leader of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.