Exceptional

Clark has become
involved in a number of
child-focused initiatives
since her retirement.
Clark, center, with Prosper Women Entrepreneurs’
Startup Accelerator Spring 2016 cohort.
of those things from some of the less affluent school
districts. We do have to be oriented toward academic
learning, but that’s not the only thing. I think we need to
go backward a little bit and put in some of those things we
know work for most kids, foster creativity and contribute
to a well-rounded child.”
Spreading smiles
Since she retired in 2013, Clark’s pursuits have often been
child-focused, including efforts to improve K-12 public
education. Clark and her husband, Bob Fox, are founding
donors of KIPP Inspire Academy, and their foundation,
the Clark-Fox Family Foundation, supports and invests in
myriad economic development programs throughout the
St. Louis area. Through the foundation, they’ve also
created a child well-being ecosystem for the St. Louis
community and developed Blueprint4Summer, an app that
aggregates all of the summer camp programs in the area
and simplifies a complex challenge for families.
Clark looks back on her years at Build-A-Bear with pride,
and she is still an active member of the board. “Kids have
access to a soft, cuddly stuffed animal that they’ve created
themselves, that’s made them smile,” she says. “I’ve been
to funerals where there are bears and weddings where
there are bears. I’m proud that we’ve been able to cross
over so many age groups. It’s pretty amazing, and even
though I’m not involved with the day-to-day running of the
business today, I’m so glad the legacy is continuing. It’s a
different world today because of Build-A-Bear.”
Prosper Women
Entrepreneurs
A few years ago, Maxine Clark’s friend,
Jennifer Elan, decided she wanted
St. Louis to be a place that invested in
women. At that time, there were several
venture capital firms in the St. Louis area
investing in entrepreneurs.
“Jennifer wondered, ‘Could there be
one just for women?’ We did a lot of
research around the country, and there
really weren’t very many,” Clark says.
“We decided that it was a really good
idea for St. Louis.” The result is Prosper
Women Entrepreneurs, a St. Louis-based
organization dedicated to supporting
and accelerating start-ups led by women
entrepreneurs in the community.
Clark explains that Prosper has two
parts to it. The nonprofit Prosper Institute
is one division, focusing on training and
mentoring women in the entrepreneurial
community. Clark is a managing partner
of Prosper Women Entrepreneurs Startup
Accelerator, which is the for-profit division
that invests in women-led businesses and
provides funding and other support.
“We’re on our fourth cohort of investing in
women-led businesses, and they’re from all
over. It’s a very interesting community now.
Women made it bigger, and we will make it
bigger still. When you’re accepted into the
Prosper program, you’re getting a huge
amount of mentorship and connections that
we bring to the table,” Clark says.
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