(ST. LOUIS) June 30, 2020– ITEN (www.itenstl.org) and Cara Stone, LLP (https://carastone.com/) are excited to announce the continuation of their collaboration aimed at enhancing and broadening services for tech startups in the St. Louis region.  “ITEN is focused on supporting the launch and commercialization of scalable tech companies. This partnership supports the publishing and managing real-time updates of the digital version of our very popular St. Louis Tech Startup Ecosystem map on our website.  In addition to wayfinding services,  we are able to offer enhanced investor education programming which is critically important to the success of startups,” said Mary Louise Helbig, ITEN Executive Director.  “We look forward to Cara Stone joining us July 9th for 2nd Thursday at Venture Café where we will release the 2019 Impact Report and new Ecosystem map and Cara Stone will present on the state of venture capital in Missouri and the impact of Covid 19 on the venture and angel capital landscape.

“Cara Stone is excited to continue to participate in the St. Louis startup ecosystem. The entrepreneurs we’ve worked with from Missouri continue to prove that high-growth companies are thriving in ecosystems outside of the coasts,” said Mark Graffagnini, Managing Partner of Cara Stone, LLP.  “Access to information for entrepreneurs is crucial to a company’s growth plan. ITEN and the St. Louis Tech Startup Ecosystem map are great tools for entrepreneurs to get practical advice on growing a business.”

Support from organizations like Cara Stone enables ITEN to provide educational programs and services free-of-charge to tech entrepreneurs as they commercialize new innovation and launch new businesses.  This has a positive and direct impact on the St. Louis region as measured by new product launches, job creation, revenue production and talent attraction and retention.  Following the event on July 9th, you may access and download the new version of  ITEN’s 2019 Impact Report and access the Ecosystem map at (https://www.itenstl.org/get-reports/).

About ITEN:

ITEN provides a foundation for entrepreneurs, Corporations, organizations, and agencies to collaborate towards building strong startups and a vibrant tech innovation ecosystem. ITEN provides unique programs, events, and access to resources that accelerate tech innovation. ITEN’s programs provide ventures a roadmap from concept through design, prototype, launch, revenue, funding and rapid scaling. Guidance from serial entrepreneurs, subject matter experts and important community influencers helps entrepreneurs focus on essential critical tasks and avoid wasted efforts. Access to corporations, investors, key service providers and qualified talent provides early validation and reduces barriers to rapid growth. Designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, ITEN is a unique community asset and a proven route to venture success. Follow ITEN on Twitter at @itenstl and visit our website at itenstl.org to learn more.

About Cara Stone, LLP:

Cara Stone, LLP (“Cara Stone”) is widely considered to be a top law firm in the realm of angel and venture capital and private equity. The firm has established itself as one of the leading capital markets law firms in the U.S. In 2018, Cara Stone lead approximately $1 billion worth of private equity transactions including one of the largest going public deals for a non-Silicon Valley tech company in 2018. Cara Stone has offices in New Orleans, Chicago, Lafayette and Los Angeles. The firm is seeking to expand to emerging capital markets to help those ecosystems develop stronger entrepreneurial systems and to continue to help the best companies in the small and mid-sized markets find capital, grow, and exit. Follow Cara Stone on Twitter (@CaraStone,LLP) or visit us at carastone.com to learn more.