11 early-stage companies from St. Louis to pitch at this year’s InvestMidwest

By Diana Barr  | St. Louis INNO | Apr 2, 2026

InvestMidwest, the annual venture capital conference that highlights Midwest startups, has selected 50 early-stage companies to present at the 2026 event’s pitch competition, including 11 from the St. Louis area.

First held in 2000, InvestMidwest’s conference connects startups with investors, industry professionals and other entrepreneurs. It’s annual conference alternates between St. Louis and Kansas City, and this year will be held April 21-22 in KC. The nonprofit organization is led by Executive Director Claire Kinlaw.

Participants in InvestMidwest’s venture showcase are chosen from applicants in a competitive review process across three industry tracks: agrifood, medtech and digital technologies, including software-as-a-service (SaaS), cybersecurity, deep tech, digital health, fintech, geospatial, supply chain and climate tech.

While companies aren’t required to be based in the Midwest, they must demonstrate interest in the region through customers, partnerships, team presence or expansion plans, according to organizers.

The St. Louis-area companies chosen to pitch at this year’s InvestMidwest are:

Agrifood:

• BEAM CropTech of St. Louis and Buenos Aires, which applies photobiology to improve agricultural productivity.
• FarmVates of Ellisville, which provides an assistant for specialty crop pest management that’s powered by artificial intelligence and IoT (internet of things).
• Saluna Inc. of St. Louis, which develops industrial hemp varieties designed for competitive crop production.
• Stray Blocks of St. Louis, which is building an agricultural data exchange platform.

Medtech

• Amplifi Vascular Inc. of Chesterfield, which is developing solutions for dialysis access in patients with small veins.
• Capella Imaging Inc. of St. Louis, which develops nuclear diagnostic technologies for cardiovascular detection.
• CapyBio Inc. of St. Louis, which works to improve cell models used in drug discovery.
• St. Luke Medical Technology of St. Louis and Toledo, Ohio, which develops implantable cardiac monitoring devices.
• UNandUP LLC of St. Louis, which develops a thrombectomy platform for stroke treatment.

Digital health

• Aegis Digital Health (doing business as SweetSpot) of St. Louis, which uses device data to improve diabetes care.
• NeuroFore of St. Louis, which develops early detection tools for Parkinson’s disease.

In addition to the pitch event, attendees can participate in two days of programming featuring speakers and panels on a variety of topics, including Water Innovation & Investment and Sources of Capital Beyond Venture, as well as invitation-only and sector-specific presentations.