8: Innovation in St. Louis: John Land, GM of CIC St. Louis

In this episode of Where Innovation Happens, I sit down with John Land, General Manager of CIC St. Louis, to explore the innovation story of St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis is one of America’s great historic innovation cities. Its position on the Mississippi River made it a gateway for goods, people, and ideas moving across the continent. Over time, that geographic advantage helped the city become home to major companies and industries, from Anheuser-Busch and McDonnell Douglas to Monsanto, Enterprise, Edward Jones, Mastercard, Square, and Block.John and I talk about how that history is shaping the next generation of innovation in St. Louis. The city has deep strengths in AgTech, biotech, geospatial technology, aerospace, fintech, and life sciences. It is also unusually affordable compared with many other major U.S. innovation markets, which gives startups and growing companies a chance to stretch their capital further.We discuss why St. Louis has become one of the world’s most important centers for agricultural technology and plant science, including the role of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Washington University in St. Louis, and the region’s long-standing agricultural and bioscience expertise.We also explore the rise of geospatial technology in St. Louis, including the impact of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s major investment in the city, the Taylor Geospatial Institute, and the growing cluster of companies, universities, and researchers working in mapping, defense, location intelligence, agriculture, and data-driven infrastructure.John and I spend time on Cortex, the 200-acre innovation district at the heart of St. Louis’ startup and deep-tech ecosystem. Cortex was founded by Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, the University of Missouri–St. Louis, BJC HealthCare, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. What began as a former industrial area has become one of the most important innovation districts in the middle of the United States.We also talk about CIC St. Louis, which operates across multiple buildings in Cortex and includes flexible office space, coworking, private labs, shared wet labs, event space, and community infrastructure for entrepreneurs. CIC St. Louis is now one of the largest innovation hubs in the central United States, supporting companies across biotech, bioscience, software, services, fintech, and many other sectors.Along the way, John shares why he moved to St. Louis sight unseen more than a decade ago, what surprised him about the city, and why he believes St. Louis remains a hidden gem for founders, researchers, investors, and international companies looking to build in the United States.This conversation is about St. Louis, but it is also about a bigger question at the heart of this show: how do older industrial cities use their history, institutions, talent, infrastructure, and affordability to become powerful places for the next generation of innovation?About the studio:This show is the first Where Innovation Happens episode to be recorded in my new mobile podcast studio. It is a 28' Frank Lloyd Wright Limited Edition Airstream, named "Amaterasu," that I brought with me to St. Louis. I hope to record many future episodes in this beautiful traveling space. As the quintessential American midwestern architect, perhaps Wright would have appreciated that his namesake trailer was used to help tell a story about Midwest innovation.Featured guest: John Land, General Manager of CIC St. LouisHost: Tim Rowe, Founder and Chair of CICWhere Innovation Happens explores the people, places, and ecosystems that help entrepreneurs thrive — from startup hubs and innovation districts to the communities that make ambitious new ideas possible.