Applicants must demonstrate cutting-edge research, a business plan with potential economic impact on the St. Louis area and strong ties to a regional university. Furthest along in the incubation process is a development-stage company called Stereotaxis. Orion Genomics hopes to start pulling in revenues next year from its proprietary method of sequencing, mapping and cloning agricultural genes-technology that can be used to improve crop yield, develop pest resistance or help plants survive drought, flooding and cold. Megan is developing animal vaccines because they involve less costly clini-cal trials than human immunization and produce quicker cash flow. It's sprayed on chicks as they hatch, and costs less than a cent per bird.
Universities are an obvious choice.
So are tech-based corporations in the midst of shrinking. Many entrepreneurs are recruiting outside the area-using as a lure the that housing costs are so much lower in St. Louis than in San Francisco or Boston. Attracting talent is a challenge for low-tech startups, too. Clark targets her hourly workers for training and career development, whether they're high school students, part-time teachers and nurses, or grandmothers. If you can sell it in St. Louis, you can sell it anywhere.