Perhaps no part of the St. Louis economy surged in the past decade more than the innovation sector. From the growth of the Cortex district to venture capital investment, St. Louis’ startup sector saw continuing momentum this decade. While RiverVest Venture Partners was founded in 2000, the Clayton-based life sciences venture capital firm saw massive growth in the past few years. Since 2016, RiverVest has increased its assets under management from $342 million to more than $800 million.

In an interview with the St. Louis Business Journal, RiverVest co-founder and Managing Director Tom Melzer provided some insight on venture capital investment and startup growth in 2020.