“The year of validation.” That’s how Cliff Holekamp, co-founder and general partner of St. Louis venture capital firm Cultivation Capital, sums up 2021. It’s a descriptor given to St. Louis’ entrepreneurial economy thanks to a year marked with several significant exits, including two of its most prominent startups becoming public companies. For Holekamp and others who have been deeply involved in building out St. Louis’ startup sector in the past decade, the string of exits in 2021 offers proof their work is paying dividends…
