Christine Karslake, associate vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization at Missouri S&T, has been named a member of the InvestMidwest advisory board.   

InvestMidwest has served the innovation ecosystems across the Midwest for 25 years by convening investors and entrepreneurs once a year for a major conference.  

The event highlights the best early-stage companies in various technology areas, including agrifood, digital health, supply chain and geospatial technology.  

“I’m excited to join the board and help shape the future of this important conference,” Karslake says. “After years of working behind the scenes, I look forward to bringing fresh ideas and ensuring the event continues to showcase the very best in emerging technology and entrepreneurship.” 

Karslake joins the board after many years serving on the selection committee for InvestMidwest that sources, reviews, selects and coaches early stage innovation companies, as well as contributing to the overall planning of the conference in 2025.    

“It is a pleasure to welcome Christine to our advisory board,” says Claire Kinlaw, executive director of InvestMidwest. “Her strategic vision for innovation commercialization is a welcome addition to the board. Her collaborative style and expertise represent the best of Midwest culture.” 

Karslake’s venture capital career includes investing in companies such as Divergence, an agricultural technology firm that developed plant disease resistance. The company was acquired by Monsanto, which is now called Bayer.  

At S&T, Karslake leads efforts to commercialize university innovations and foster startup growth. This fall, her team will launch the Miner Founder Match program to help faculty-led startups build founding teams, followed by S&T’s early-stage accelerator. She hopes it will prepare S&T startups to participate in InvestMidwest in the coming years. 

“Our goal is to give entrepreneurs the tools, networks and funding pathways they need to move from idea to market,” Karslake says. “Being part of InvestMidwest creates new opportunities for our startups to take the stage and succeed.” 

In 2026, the InvestMidwest conference will be April 21-22 at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation building in Kansas City. 

About Missouri S&T 

Missouri University of Science and Technology is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to The Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.