Digital Sandbox expands to St. Joseph, partners with animal health incubator
June 21, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Digital Sandbox KC will expand its efforts northwest to reach entrepreneurs in St. Joseph, Mo.
The proof-of-concept program announced Wednesday that it has established a partnership with Innovation Stockyard, a St. Joseph-based animal science business incubator. Located inside the Christopher S. Kit Bond Incubator, Innovation Stockyard will offer grant recipients of Digital Sandbox office space in their new coworking facility, which is set to open this summer.
Since its launch in 2013, the Digital Sandbox has worked with more than 400 entrepreneurs and startups across the Kansas City metro. In addition to Kansas City and St. Joseph, the program previously established partnerships with the cities of Olathe, Kan. and Independence, Mo.
Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox, said that the partnership will spur even more Missouri-based startup ventures.
“This is an opportunity to start to stretch the program further across Missouri,” Shackelford said in a release. “We’re excited to be working with St. Joseph and the northwest part of the state. There are a lot of creative folks in that area with promising business ideas that, with some help, can turn into rapidly growing companies that create many jobs for northwest Missouri.”
Digital Sandbox has created more than 480 jobs and 85 proof of concept projects for Kansas City area startups since its launch. Innovation Stockyard president Ronan Molloy is excited to see similar benefits in St. Joseph.
“By using our new planned coworking space inside the Kit Bond Incubator to house more early-stage St. Joseph and Northwest Missouri entrepreneurs, we will be filling an existing gap in the ecosystem,” Molloy said in a release. “(We will be) maximizing our existing resources and driving an increase in the quantity and quality of early-stage entrepreneurs in northwest Missouri.”
To kick-off the new program, a public celebration will take place on June 28 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Jack’s restaurant in St. Joseph.
The Christopher S. “Kit” Bond Incubator is located on the Missouri Western State University campus. More information on the Innovation Stockyard incubator can be found here.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Lean Lab rebrands to reflect its evolution within education innovation
The Lean Lab has announced a rebranding effort to better reflect and differentiate it from other groups in education innovation, said co-founder Katie Boody. Unveiling a new look in late April, the Kansas City-based organization is now LEANLAB Education, which Boody hopes will better communicate its mission, she said. “We know the nature of our…
H3 win at Regnier challenge puts Roy Scott $20K closer to his slice of $3B edtech market
The oversized novelty checks are piling up at H3 Enterprises’ headquarters in the Crossroads. Founder Roy Scott secured another $20,000 in prize money Friday, winning top honors in the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge. “We are continuing to grow and preparing to launch our new technology in schools across the country,” he said in social media…
Fund Me, KC: WISE IoT tech aims to lower energy bills, decrease carbon footprint
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign is from Kansas City-based Wise Power Inc. Who are you? My name is Kevin Williams…
Wonder Shops and Flats set to bring Blip Roasters, Bike Walk KC, medical group to Troost
Wonder what’s in the works at 30th and Troost? This weekend’s Wanderfest provides the opportunity for a sneak peek at a long-awaited development in one of Kansas City’s in-progress revitalization corridors. The Wonder Shops and Flats serves as a key stop during Sunday’s festivities, which showcase maker and creative work in the Tower East neighborhood.…
