Scott Bernstein

Lewis & Clark Ventures

Scott’s career has spanned portfolio management, product strategy, and product development across VC funds, large financial institutions, and startups. He helped launch Lewis & Clark Ventures, St. Louis’ first $100M+ venture fund, using his expertise in investment analysis, marketplace strategy, and startup stewardship to drive Lewis & Clark’s capital deployment, advise portfolio companies, and develop larger fund strategy. Scott actively participates on the boards of both Adarza BioSystems, a proteome-focused biotech company, and OneSpace, a SaaS platform that facilitates freelance work at enterprise scale.

In 2012, Scott brought his technical and strategic expertise to the startup space, joining Coolfire Solutions in St. Louis as a Product Strategy Manager. After building a reputation for helping startups scale, Scott was approached by tech accelerator Capital Innovators, one of the nation’s top-10 accelerators, to lead operations. Scott grew Capital Innovators’ network, led their startup recruitment and diligence process, and actively coached portfolio companies.

Scott began his career in Chicago, working in private wealth management at Harris Bank before joining MainStreet Advisors, an investment advisory firm. He then became Program Manager at Omnium, a spinout of Citadel Investment Group, where he led product development initiatives and global hedge fund client implementations.

Education, Personal, and Fellowship

Scott received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Scott serves on the Arch Grants Competition Committee, and acts as a judge for several perennial Washington University in St. Louis startup competitions. Scott was named to the St. Louis Business Journal “40 Under 40” list.

Scott served his fellowship under the mentorship of David Poldoian, Operating Partner at Lewis & Clark Ventures. He is a member of Class 22.