Tag: incubator

Brian Lunt, (PMBA 2011),  wants to focus on the positive, entrepreneurial spirit that is flourishing in St. Louis.

He left banking to launch a business incubator in north St. Louis County called Medici MediaSpace. He also has a website called Top50STL that highlights positive stories about the region. A column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Lunt sees entrepreneurs as the saviors of St. Louis.

“I think the entrepreneurial undercurrent we have going on right now is the most exciting thing to happen in St. Louis in decades,” Lunt says. “We need to throw some fire on it.”

Link to Tony Messnger’s column

In 1874, St. Louis was a major hub for industry. Downtown Washington Avenue was thriving with clothing and shoe manufacturers and the city was known as “first in shoes, first in booze, and last in the American league.” Today, the once thriving and populated downtown garment district has transitioned into historic lofts, retail, nightclubs, restaurants, and office space.

As part of the Olin Business School’s CELect practicum, students Emmy Caton, Shaheen Shabrou, Zitong Qiu, and Nancy Zhang are helping the Saint Louis Fashion Fund (SLFF) to revitalize the fashion industry within the community by putting together recommendations and next steps for the fund and SLFF’s fashion incubator.

The Saint Louis Fashion Fund is led by Executive Director Eric Johnson, an industry leader who has successfully launched similar programming and initiatives in New York City.

On October 27^th, SLFF will celebrate the organization’s groundbreaking in a state-of-the-art building located at 1533 Washington Avenue (the ArtLofts Building).  As part of the fund’s broader education and outreach on fashion and design, six in-house designers will be welcomed as part of a two-year program to accelerate the development and resurgence of fashion within the larger St. Louis Community.

More information about the Saint Louis Fashion Fund and the incubator’s inaugural class and upcoming events can be found at St. Louis Fashion Incubator.

Blog post by: Emmy Caton (MBA’17), Shaheen Shabrou(PMBA’17), Zitong Qiu (JD’17), and Nancy Zhang (JD’17).