Maritz and Capital Innovators announced today that they have entered into a four-year partnership with the goal of strengthening each other’s portfolio of companies.

The two entities look to create an innovation network fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in both corporations and startup companies.Maritz will team up with Capital Innovators to lead a new level of corporate mentorship in the St Louis startup community. Other initiatives include knowledge sharing and exchanging best practices.

“Maritz has been adapting to the ever-changing business landscape and has developed leading-edge solutions since we were founded as a jewelry company in 1894, and Capital Innovators has been a leader in the St. Louis start-up explosion since 2010,” said Dennis Hummel, president of Maritz Holdings Inc.

“Now we are thrilled to team up with them to help fuel a unique exchange of insights, ideas and opportunities that can advance our own business and provide us a continuous stream of new ways to solve our clients’ problems and opportunities.”

Maritz, a 122 year-old St. Louis-based sales and marketing services company works with businesses to provide market and customer research, customer loyalty, sales incentives, employee rewards and recognition programs and meeting and event and travel incentive services.

In formalizing the partnership, both Maritz and Capital Innovators, a top-rated accelerator company that focuses on high-growth potential tech companies, are co-leasing a space at Cortex through CIC’s membership.

“Partnering with Maritz provides a unique opportunity for our companies to gain insight into what it takes to become a long-standing, successful business,” said Judy Sindecuse, founder and CEO of Capital Innovators. “Our hope is that this partnership will start a corporate mentorship movement within the startup community and beyond.”