Charlie Bolten to replace retiring President & CEO Quinten Messbarger
COLUMBIA, MO / ACCESS Newswire / September 29, 2025 / Missouri Innovation Center (MIC), which helps launch and scale high-growth ventures in mid-Missouri that improve lives and grow the economy, announced that it has appointed Charlie Bolten as President, CEO, and Board Director. Bolten will join MIC on October 1, replacing Quinten Messbarger, who retired following a 30-year career with MIC.
“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,” said Randa Rawlins, Chair of the Board of Directors of MIC.
Founded in 1984, MIC has supported hundreds of mid-Missouri startups. Notable MIC graduate companies include Elemental Enzymes, Paytient, and Newsy. MIC operates the MU Life Science Business Incubator at Monsanto Place, a vibrant 33,000 square-foot innovation center that houses promising high-growth startups, executives in residence and the Centennial Investors.
MIC is affiliated with the University of Missouri. “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,” said Patrick Smith, Assistant Vice-Chancellor in the University’s Research, Innovation and Impact Division. “Startups emerging from Mizzou research can help solve global challenges while creating economic benefit to the Columbia region and beyond.”
“Missouri Innovation Center has a strong track record of success and its clients leverage world-class facilities at the MU Life Science Business Incubator and other Mizzou infrastructure,” said Bolten. “The research community at Mizzou is fertile ground for new ventures, and I am excited to help translate these ideas into successful mid-Missouri businesses.”
Bolten brings 25 years of industry R&D, venture capital, and startup experience. He was previously co-founder, CEO, and board member of Solis Agrosciences in St. Louis, where he raised Series A capital, completed an M&A, grew revenue, and expanded the team to over 30 employees.
Prior to joining Solis, Bolten was President of BioGenerator Ventures, where he focused on building startups in biopharma, agriculture, medical devices, and healthcare. From 2009 to 2023, Bolten served on the boards of directors of 36 technology companies. His roles included Board Chair of CoverCress, which was acquired through a joint venture between Bayer, Chevron and Bunge, board member at Confluence Life Sciences, which was acquired by Aclaris, and he co-founded Canopy Biosciences and helped it scale before it was acquired by Bruker.
In 2010, Bolten founded the BioGenerator Labs, which has provided unique co-working wet labs to over 150 startups since its inception. Before being recruited to BioGenerator, Bolten worked as a research scientist at Monsanto, Searle, Pharmacia, and Pfizer.
Bolten is no stranger to Columbia as he earned his B.A. in Biological Sciences at Mizzou, where he worked in a research lab within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources before joining Monsanto. Bolten has family ties to mid-Missouri and is excited to return to Columbia.
