The leaders at Balanced Growth recently visited the innovation communities in Kansas City and St. Louis in an effort to establish deeper relationships with some of the key players in the innovation movement and to stay informed of new developments in innovation. A primary purpose of our visit was to extend our appreciation to each of these organizations who have supported our efforts to help develop the innovation capabilities of one of our clients, the American Enterprise Group (AEG).

In St. Louis we met with the leaders of The Cortex District, RGAx, CIC St. Louis, ITEN, T-REX, BioSTL and GlobalSTL. The St. Louis region has a thriving startup community with new companies innovating in plant and life science, financial services, information technology and advanced manufacturing. The regional startup ecosystem combines multiple innovation hubs, top-tier support organizations and highly skilled mentors ready and willing to lend advice. The region has the perfect mix for a growing startup hub: premiere educational institutions, top cultural amenities, strong mentors, competitive cost-of-living and affordable real estate.

In Kansas City we met with the leaders of KCSourceLink, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and Kansas City Area Development Council. Through foundations, research institutions and major business initiatives, Kansas City has turned its focus to innovation in many spheres. Recently named one of the top five emerging cities in the world for entrepreneur ecosystems, Kansas City has become a thriving hub for tech, entrepreneurship, innovation and the arts.

Founded in 2006 by Jason Bordui, Balanced Growth is a Chicago-based, innovation consultancy. Our mission is to create enduring value for our clients and their customers through strategic innovation and operational transformation. We focus on collaborating with clients in the Insurance, Financial Services, and Healthcare sectors to design, implement, and accelerate their Operational, Technology, and Innovation initiatives.