Mizzou Startup Community

🐯 Mizzou’s startup scene is roaring! Dive into founder features with Zapier’s Wade Foster and more, while mingling with unicorns, ex-Boeing CEOs, and investors at the Main St. Summit’s new VC/Startup Track this October. Plus, Mizzou alums and Panda Express founders just donated another $5M to fuel future leaders—Tigers, your scholarships are as hot as a fresh wok! 🚀

🎉 Welcome Gavin Otte to the Mizzou Startup Community team. Gavin is the Head of Product at Mizzou-founded Healium, and played four years of football under Gary Pinkel on the Mizzou Tigers team.

New founder spotlight and Q&A every Monday!

Highlights from Columbia and Beyond 📈

TLDR: Mercato Partners and Redbud VC are partnering with Main Street Summit to launch one of Middle America's best VC/Startup events on October 8th-10th. Learn from and network with over a thousand operators/investors and over 100 speakers, including three unicorn founders ($1B+), ex-CEO of Boeing, and investors from pensions, endowments, fund of funds, and family offices. Via the MSS mobile app, search, connect, and export contacts of >1k middle market/SMB owners, PE funds, VCs, and founders. It’s not all business; compete in activities like poker 🃏 or arcade 🕹️, enjoy food 🥘 and wine 🍷 from top vendors, and unwind with rooftop yoga 🧘‍♀️ 

• Founders: Connect with potential customers and investors

• VCs: Connect with founders and LPs

• Anyone: Grow your network across PE, VC, buying businesses, and starting high-growth tech companies

Interested in investing in Mizzou alums or students?💰️ Sign up below

Campus Chatter 📣

Mizzou alumni, founders of Panda Express, pledge $5 million to MU Honors College

Mizzou alums Andrew and Peggy Cherng just dropped another $5 million on their alma mater’s Honors College, ensuring Tigers dine on scholarships as fresh as Panda Express orange chicken. With a total donation now over $10 million, these panda-powered philanthropists are transforming education, one sweet-and-sour scholarship at a time. Get ready, future leaders – your career paths are about to be as sizzling as a wok!

Applications are now open for the Mizzou Venture Studio, sponsored by Redbud VC and EquipmentShare. Students from the four UM System universities can participate in the studio at the Griggs Innovators Nexus in the MU Student Center. The program offers education, mentorship, and capital.

Student and Alumni Entrepreneurs 🚀

Alumni Company of the Month 🔥

Workweek Raises $12.5 Million to Expand Into Professional Communities. Huge congrats to Adam and the team at Workweek! 👏

Alumni Fundraising 💰️ 

• Olli Health raised a $2.9M Seed round

• Workweek raises $12.5M Series A

• ClosingCostHelp raised an undisclosed Seed round

• CareVet raised an undisclosed debt financing round

Alumni Job Openings 💼 

• Resla

• Zapier

• HoundDog

If you would like to be featured in our next newsletter, please email [email protected]