St Louis

Founded: August 2015
Organizer: Celeste Doerwaldt
Email: st.louis@houseofgenius.org

The buzz is real: St. Louis is one of the nation’s fastest growing entrepreneurship scenes. At the House of Genius St. Louis table, you’ll find panelists from all over the metro area – they represent the startups, the Fortune 500s, and everything in between. Our presenters are all driven by an entrepreneurial spirit but they come from many different types of businesses and sectors, including nonprofits. When we like an idea, we “plus one” on the spot – that’s our STL spirit showing through! Our sessions are every third Thursday of the month from 5:45 to 9ish.

Team

Whitney M. Kenter, City Director
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Whitney’s enthusiasm for the House of Genius concept and belief in its power to expand and enhance the St. Louis community was a driving force behind the launch of House of Genius St. Louis. She has been helping entrepreneurial families navigate their wealth for decades, beginning at KPMG and moving on to Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and now Matter Family Office, where she serves as a partner and managing member. She’s practically a dual citizen of St. Louis and Denver, splitting her time between Matter’s offices in both cities, but also enjoys cultivating a network of entrepreneurs and change agents from around the world as she heads to various cities throughout the year for conferences and events that feed her desire to create and innovate in everything she does. Whitney graduated from Kansas State University with a BSBA in Accounting. In between time with her three kids, involvement in several St. Louis boards, and her work with families, she stays very active with a daily yoga or cross training workout.

Phyllis Ellison
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Phyllis was drawn to House of Genius for its ability to capture her favorite things – people, relationships and ideas – in one magical evening. She has been developing programs and connecting people in St. Louis’ entrepreneur community for a decade and has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs – yes, hundreds! In her current work at Cortex Innovation Community as Director of Entrepreneur Services and Institutional /Corporate Partnerships, she develops programs to help people vet new ideas, grow businesses, and connect with support networks, one of which is now House of Genius. She also manages Startup Connection, St. Louis’ biggest celebration of early ¬stage entrepreneurs, with a team of 10 other support organizations and investors. Her life before entrepreneurs included EY Consulting, consumer finance, real estate, and university operations. A St. Louis native, Phyllis is married with two children – one who’s already an entrepreneur. She has degrees in Economics and Business (Finance) from Truman State University, and her MBA from Saint Louis University. When she has spare time, she likes to travel (beach, snow…wherever!), ski, and watch her kids play sports.

Organizers

Celeste Doerwaldt, GSD
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Chris LeBeau, Viceroy of the Moderators
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Jenna Murphy, Marketing Genius
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Valerie Rasche, Queen of Presenter Prep