Divergence, Inc. is part of the St. Louis
BioBelt, a world-class center for plant and life sciences research, investment and business opportunity. The BioBelt is home to
390 plant and life sciences enterprises employing 22,000 and generating more than $10.5 billion in direct and indirect
annual economic impact. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates total science and medical related employment for the
Greater St. Louis region at over 90,000.
 Download the St. Louis BioBelt Map
courtesy of St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
Divergence, Inc. collaborates with multiple St. Louis-based academic and commercial institutions including the
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a leading institute
for plant biology, Monsanto Company, a world leader in plant
seeds and biotechnology, Washington University School of Medicine,
one of the top ranked medical schools in the United States, and the
National Corn Growers Association.
Examples of Biobelt Institutions include:
- Large Corporations:
Headquarters of Sigma-Aldrich, Solae Co., Bunge North America, Monsanto, Express Scripts, Solutia, research centers for Pfizer
and Covidien, manufacturing facilities for Centocor Biologics of Johnson & Johnson and Bio Merieux Inc.
- Emerging Biotechnology Companies:
MOgene, Cofactor Genomics, Stereotaxis, Tripos, Kereos, Akermin Inc., Orion Genomics, Sequoia Sciences, ISTO Technologies, Inc., and
Singulex, Inc.
- Academic and Non-profit Institutions:
Washington University, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis University, the University of Missouri St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden,
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital
- Venture Capital and Investment Firms:
Nidus Investment Partners, Prolog Ventures, BioGenerator, Rivervest Venture Partners, The Helix Fund, and Oakwood Medical Investors
- Incubators and Research Parks:
The Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, The Center for Emerging Technologies, BRDG -
The Bio-Research & Development Growth Park, CORTEX - The Center of Research Technology and Entrepreneurial Exchange, and The Helix Center
About St. Louis
Founded along the banks of the Mississippi River as a French trading post in 1764, St. Louis has grown to a
metropolitan area of nearly 3 million residents. Famous as the launching point of the Lewis and Clark
expedition in 1804 with a skyline dominated by the Gateway Arch, a symbol of U.S. western expansion,
St. Louis is a dynamic urban destination with numerous employment, residential, and visitor attractions.
Home to nineteen Fortune 1000 corporations and eight of Forbes' largest private companies, St. Louis
is strengthened by affordable housing and education,
vibrant arts, music and historic districts, and proximity to the natural beauty of the Ozarks' rivers
and forests. Beyond the well-known professional sports teams and riverfront lie destinations like
Forest Park: the largest urban park in the United States, site of the 1904 World's Fair, and now home
to the free museum district including the Art Museum, Zoo, Science Center, and History Museum.
Outstanding restaurants can be found in the revitalized Washington Avenue Loft District, the Central
West End, Lafayette Square, South Grand Avenue, Clayton, and the University City Loop, which is home to the
St. Louis Walk of Fame honoring citizens from T.S. Eliot and Josephine Baker to Chuck Berry and
Tennessee Williams. Visitors to St. Louis shouldn't miss the indescribable artistic vision that is
St. Louis' City Museum and the World Heritage Site of Cahokia Mounds, the archaeological remnants of
a vast Native American City that thrived along the Mississippi in 1100 A.D.
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