Digital Sandbox taps K-State Olathe for office space
April 18, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
The partnership between Digital Sandbox KC and the City of Olathe, Kan. is now a bit stronger.
Companies funded out of the Olathe program will now have access to an office and coworking space via the Kansas State University Olathe campus, located at 22201 W. Innovation Dr., Olathe, Kansas.
“We’re constantly working to break down the barriers that are impacting startups. For Olathe-based startups, co-working space was an issue,” said Digital Sandbox KC executive director Jeff Shackelford in a release. “Teaming up with K-State’s Olathe campus is the perfect solution.”
In 2016, four Olathe-based companies received funding from the proof-of-concept program — MovinHouz, PreScreend, PerfectCube and Windsor Trucking Solutions. But prior to the support from K-State Olathe, there was no dedicated space available for the Olathe-based startups that participate in the Digital Sandbox program.
Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in area businesses for specific projects that help the firms secure additional funding. The organization has now supported a total of 85 proof-of-concept projects which have gone on to raise almost $30 million in follow-on investment capital.
In 2015, Digital Sandbox expanded its reach and partnered with the city, which is in the southern part of the Kansas City metro area. Olathe city manager Michael Wilkes said he’s pleased with the impact the program has had on Olathe-based early-stage entrepreneurs.
“The first round with Digital Sandbox KC was all that we’d hoped it would be,” Wilkes said in a release. “We’re excited to bring K-State Olathe in on this partnership and do more to support early-stage entrepreneurs in our city.”
In March, Digital Sandbox welcomed a new cohort of six area startups. It welcomed 17° 73° Innovation Co, Anticipate Ventures, FEWDM, Homegrown & Happy, Live-K and TicketRx to the program.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Pipeline, NXTUS drive exposure for entrepreneur’s on-demand fuel delivery startup
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…
Tesseract taps into KC’s sticky innovation culture with homegrown partnership to build IoT tools
A new partnership between a leading robotics creator and one of its fellow Kansas City tech innovators showcases the founder’s longstanding commitment to harnessing the region’s potential as a collaboration powerhouse. “When I moved back to Kansas City to start Tesseract, I made up my mind to lead by example and attempt to build close…
A weakness today can be KC’s superpower tomorrow: Call for corporate engagement begins with CEOs
Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity. Successful entrepreneurial ecosystems require a certain level of corporate engagement — and even stewardship — said Neal Sharma, noting the…
‘Supplier diversity is deceptively difficult’: How to boost diverse small businesses without tokenizing them
Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity. Successful efforts to promote increased, consistent spending with more diverse small businesses must start with C-Suite buy-in, Christine Kelly said,…