In their early years, it wasn’t obvious that a Rust Belt city could succeed in attracting technology jobs. “Some people think this industry just sprang up overnight, but it didn’t,” says Mary Louise Helbig, ITEN’s executive director. “It takes time to build, and we’re starting to see the results of those early efforts.”

Some numbers in the Chamber report reflect well on the culture such groups have built. Missouri ranks first in business dynamism, which is the ratio of startups to failures. It ranks sixth for the percentage of women in its technology workforce and 10th on a measure of overall tech diversity.

The report also points out some challenges. A section on technology infrastructure ranks Missouri 37th for the amount of federal research grants won by small businesses, 42nd in broadband access and 46th in funding for higher education.

BioSTL is already working on the research-grant shortfall. In the last three years the group has coached 143 early-stage entrepreneurs, many of them university faculty members, on how to start a business and apply for funding. They’ve received $31 million in grants, with more pending.

Other shortcomings will require leadership from Jefferson City. Donn Rubin, BioSTL’s president, is especially concerned about the lack of spending on higher education.