CD_Ventures

ST. LOUIS GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE IS SPOTLIGHTED AT U.S. GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE FOUNDATION ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM THIS WEEK IN ORLANDO

Some 4,000 public and private sector leaders in the Geospatial Intelligence sector have gathered today thru Wednesday for the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF)Annual Symposium, being held this year in Orlando at 2024.

As St. Louis continues to promote its GEOINT and FIN TECH assets, the London-based Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Magazine today published a feature article on the Downtown North Insight District, The Globe Building, The Post Building, T-Rex, and NGA's Moon Shot Labs:

"ESRI AND BLOCK JOIN OTHER GEOSPATIAL AND FIN TECH LEADERS LOCATING INST. LOUIS' NEWEST INNOVATION DISTRICT." May 6, 2024
https://lnkd.in/gWSPFDPF

In addition to the cover story by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on his state's Life Sciences , Bio Tech, and Robotics sectors --- St. Louis' article on its Geospatial Intelligence sector was flanked by articles in FDI Magazine by the Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona; Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia; Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky; and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (the latter was particularly timely, given that a St. Louis delegation was just in Canada promoting economic collaboration and new direct air serve between St. Louis and Montreal this past week).

A strong delegation of St. Louis GEOINT and economic development leaders are here promoting St. Louis' emerging GEOINT industry cluster via an exhibition created by ST LOUIS MADE.

--- Dick Fleming, CEO, Community Development Ventures, Inc., St. Louis, MO

ST. LOUIS' EMERGENCE AS GEOSPATIAL HUB HAS A "SECRET WEAPON"
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/st-louis-geospatial-hub-has-secret-weapon-dick-fleming-f63gc/?trackingId=iJ3FTHTYT76IGAmelcrqPg%3D%3D

T-REX: GROWING ST. LOUIS GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE "ONE STARTUP AT A TIME" IN DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS' NEWEST INNOVATION DISTRICT

I'm pleased to report on the continuing progress of St. Louis' newest Innovation District ---the Downtown North Insight District --- in the current issue of India-based Geospatial World Magazine, pages 49 to 51 (link below).

The Downtown North District is a joint civic venture of John Berglund and Jim McKelvey Co-Founders of the Starwood Group; Steve Stone, owner and developer of The Globe Building; and Dr. Patty Hagen, Executive Director and CEO of the T-Rex incubator.

While the early focus of articles on the St. Louis Downtown North Insight District has been on the dramatic adaptive reuses of both the 226,000 square foot former HQ of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch becoming the new home for 1,400 employees of Square and CashApp, and of the 720,000 square foot Art Deco Globe Building as the St. Louis “location of choice” for major Geospatial Intelligence and other tech firms --- this article focuses on the third founding partner in the creation of this new Urban Insight District at the Heart of America, T-REX.

T-REX, located virtually around the corner from The Globe Building, was founded in 2011 as a nonprofit technology innovation and entrepreneurial development facility with a mission to support inclusive economic development in these areas.

Also this month, FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) International Alliance Magazine --- the London-based publication focused on national and international site selection executives and investors --- has just published on St. Louis GEOINT:

"Bridging the Gap Between Economic Development and Site Selection." | FDI International Alliance Magazine | November 2022 | Pages 66 to 69
https://lnkd.in/gvbmmbsu

With completion of the NGA/West HQ slated for early 2026 --- the parallel development of the Downtown North Insight District can be a unique asset in St. Louis’ quest to become a Global Geospatial Hub.

No one captures the significance of the Downtown North and St. Louis’ GEOINT Hub potential better than Robert Cardillo, former Director of NGA when the site selection decision in 2016 to locate the NGA/West Campus in North St. Louis. In addition to now heading his own firm, Cardillo presently serves as Board Chairman of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF).

Commenting on the new District when visiting The Globe, Robert observed “Quite frankly, my excitement is about being here and seeing this renovation. This is what I was imagining happening --- it’s actually happening.” He continued, “Connective tissue that wasn’t there before is starting to happen. There’s a real momentum here in North St. Louis, and it’s building on itself.”

-- Dick Fleming, CEO, Community Development Ventures, Inc., St. Louis

FDI Alliance International Magazine. Autumn Interactive issue 2022 Showcasing the most lucrative investment destinations in the world to site selectors and decision makers.

The Clean Economy has arrived!

--- Dick Fleming, CEO, Community Development Ventures, Inc., CIC@4220, CORTEX Innovation District, St. Louis, MO

‘Maybe The Largest Venture Capital Opportunity In History’: Money Pours Into Climate-Focused Proptech Venture capital firms are raising hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in climate proptech solutions as they expect to see increased industry adoption.