Missouri Technology Corporation names distinguished innovation leader and researcher as next executive director

Jefferson City— Missouri Technology Corporation’s (MTC) Board of Directors announced today that Jack Scatizzi will lead MTC as its new executive director. 

Born and raised in St. Louis, Jack completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology from Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine. Following his Ph.D., Jack was recruited to San Diego to work as an academic researcher initially at the University of California at San Diego, and then at The Scripps Research Institute. After 12 years as a scientist, Jack became interested in the intersection of business and science which led to the opportunity to work with one of the most active and respected angel investor groups in the U.S. - Tech Coast Angels.

“When it comes to economic development, entrepreneurs and small businesses are tremendous job creators.  The most recent Show Me Jobs report highlighted that Missouri start-up companies create, on average, nearly 45,000 jobs annually.  History shows us that some of those companies, particularly in innovation and technology sectors, will scale to employ thousands and employ Missouri families for generations.  This is why we must invest in entrepreneurs to expand Missouri’s economy,” said Jason Hall, chair of the MTC Board of Directors and CEO & Co-Founder of Arch to Park. “Jack Scatizzi returned to Missouri from the West Coast because of the entrepreneurial momentum in our state.  His passion for his home state, experience as a boots-on-the-ground entrepreneur and investor, and vision for what we can achieve make him the right choice to lead MTC into the next decade.  The entire board welcomes Jack to MTC, and we look forward to working with him to advance Missouri’s economy.”

“Fostering entrepreneurship and innovation helps create new opportunities to grow our economy,” Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon said. “We look forward to working with Dr. Scatizzi and the MTC team to support entrepreneurship and provide a solid foundation for companies to create jobs in Missouri.”

Jack spent seven years working with early-stage companies and investors in San Diego before he returned to Missouri approximately two years ago to work with local start-ups.  He served as Head Analyst for the San Diego network of Tech Coast Angels where he was trained in sourcing and vetting early-stage investments. Additionally, he has held operational roles with multiple startups which include raising over $3M on behalf of two early-stage tech companies, a consumer product company, and a seed fund and accelerator.

“We had a strong pool of applicants, and Jack stood out as someone who understands the unique challenges of a startup and will be able to network with Missouri’s broad and diverse network of entrepreneurs, innovators, and startup leaders, build strong relationships with policymakers and serve as a trusted advisor to MTC’s board,” said Dr. Dedric Carter, Vice-Chair of MTC’s Board of Directors and Vice Chancellor for Operations and Technology Transfer and Professor of Engineering Practice at Washington University in St. Louis.

“As an entrepreneur, I believe that Jack has the right mix of experience to leverage his position as the executive director to actively shape economic development policy to provide greater support to Missouri’s entrepreneurs and its innovation-focused communities. I am excited to see where he will lead MTC over the next decade,” said MTC Board Member and Springfield-based entrepreneur Dan Cobb.

“It’s an honor to serve and help advance Missouri’s entrepreneurial ambitions,” Dr. Scatizzi said. “There’s a ton of opportunity in Missouri—the home of so many bootstrapped entrepreneurs and startups. I am eager to get to work supporting Missouri’s startup leaders and the state’s entire economic development community.”

In addition to serving as a statewide connector for Missouri’s innovation community, MTC makes strategic investments to promote entrepreneurship and foster innovation in Missouri. MTC has deployed over $48M in funding to innovative startup companies through its IDEA fund, helping those startups raised raise over $600M in additional private capital. Examples of these direct investments include Kansas City-based PayIt and St. Louis-based Benson Hill Biosystems. Additionally, MTC has partnered with over 60 non-profit organizations in communities across the state, investing over $29M in entrepreneurial focused infrastructure that has served thousands of small businesses. Examples of these organizations include eFactory (Springfield), Missouri Innovation Center (Columbia), Marquette Tech District (Cape Girardeau) Digital Sandbox (Kansas City), LaunchKC (Kansas City), Arch Grants (St. Louis), T-Rex (St. Louis), and others.

Missouri Technology Corporation is a public-private partnership created by the Missouri General Assembly to promote entrepreneurship and foster the growth of new and emerging high-tech companies. Its mission is to provide leadership and make strategic investments that help entrepreneurs create and grow technology-based Missouri businesses. 

For more information about MTC, visit missouritechnology.com.