A high-tech funder planted seeds in 135+ Missouri startups; three bloomed into $1B+ unicorns in the past six months A high-tech funder planted seeds in 135+ Missouri startups; three bloomed into $1B+ unicorns in the past six months A high-tech funder planted seeds in 135+ Missouri startups; three bloomed into $1B+ unicorns in the past six months Photo courtesy of Benson Hill When news broke this week that St. Louis-based plant tech firm Benson Hill reached a $2 billion valuation, it marked the third “unicorn” minted among MTC-funded companies in the past six months, said Jack Scatizzi. “Early-stage investing takes patience and the results can’t be rushed,” said Scatizzi, executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation, noting MTC’s first investment in Benson Hill came in 2013 — about eight years before the company’s headline-making announcement.