Photo from Missouri Innovation Center’s website
The Missouri Innovation Center has appointed a new president, CEO and board director following Quinten Messbarger’s retirement.
According to a press release from MIC, Charlie Bolten joined the team on Oct. 1, bringing 25 years of industry R&D, venture capital and startup experience to the table. Bolten previously served as the co-founder, CEO and board member of Solis Agrosciences in St. Louis and before that, he was the president of BioGenerator Ventures, where he focused on building startups in biopharma, agriculture, medical devices and health care.
“We are so pleased to have a person with Charlie’s experience, knowledge and devotion to the areas of interest that are so important to MIC,” Randa Rawlins, chair of the Board of Directors of MIC says in the press release.
Bolten also founded the BioGenerator Labs, which has provided unique co-working wet labs to over 150 startups since its inception. He also has experience as a research scientist at Monsanto, Searle, Pharmacia and Pfizer.
MIC helps launch and scale high-growth ventures in mid-Missouri that improve lives and grow the economy. It is a non-profit organization that started in 1984 and has since used the resources of the University of Missouri to launch its Life Science Business Incubator in 2009.
“Missouri Innovation Center and the MU Life Science Business Incubator are critical components of the University’s long-term commitment to driving commercialization of important inventions from our faculty,” Patrick Smith, assistant vice-chancellor in the University’s Research, Innovation and Impact Division says in the press release.
Bolten has several ties to mid-Missouri, including being a Mizzou alumi as he got his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and worked in a research lab within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. According to the press release, Bolten is excited to be returning to Columbia for this opportunity.
