Happy holidays: Three startups receive Digital Sandbox funds
December 20, 2017 | Bobby Burch
They might not be wrapped with a bow, but Digital Sandbox KC has delivered three gifts to area startups ahead of the holidays.
The proof-of-concept incubator program is dishing grants to TradeLanes, Hungry? and MusicSpoke — three startups that aim to revamp their respective industries with innovative technologies, said Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox.
“We know that the more connected early-stage entrepreneurs are — to each other and to the resources — the higher their probability of success,” Jeff Shackelford said in a release. “The Sandbox is helping startups in KC make those connections. We’ve now funded 96 projects and worked with more than 500 entrepreneurs in the metro.”
Launched in 2013, Digital Sandbox offers up to $25,000 in grants to startups with a focus of bringing a product from idea to commercialization.
Both TradeLanes and MusicSpoke were named 2017 Under the Radar startups by Startland News. Here’s a bit more on the three Digital Sandbox companies:
Hungry? is a mobile app with an algorithm to simplify the decision of what and where to eat, helping users find dining options.
MusicSpoke is a global marketplace that allows musicians and educators to purchase sheet music directly from composers. Check out Startland’s profile on MusicSpoke here.
TradeLanes automates trade management for U.S. exporters that uses an online platform to lower costs and make their supply chain more efficient. Check out Startland’s profile on TradeLanes here.
Digital Sandbox established a partnership with the City of Independence and the Independence Economic Development Council in 2016. With similar programs operating in Olathe, Kansas, and St. Joseph, Missouri, the Independence program aims to expand Digital Sandbox resources to the greater Kansas City metro area, Shackelford said.
Since its launch about five years ago, Digital Sandbox issued $1.8 million in project funding for more than 90 early-state firms that have created 536 new jobs with more than $14 million in payroll, according to the organization.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC filmmaker’s docu-series tackles mental health stigmas with assist from former Chiefs
The brand of freedom sold to viewers of one of the nation’s most-watched cable news networks doesn’t reflect the kind Abraham Sisay has come to know, he declared, looking back on his journey from rising Gambian soccer star to Kansas City filmmaker and how it revealed the true definition of the word. “Fox News was…
Steve Jobs opera opens in KC; How the Lyric Opera set the stage for tech icon’s musical arrival
Editor’s note: The Lyric Opera of Kansas City is an advertiser with Startland News, though this report was produced independently by the nonprofit newsroom. A touring production that sings the virtues and vices of tech icon Steve Jobs not only arrives to the Kansas City stage this month — it was literally built here. “The…
Spring in the face of ‘doom and gloom’: KC Can Compost grows green infrastructure while expanding its own footprint
The market for commercial composting services goes well beyond restaurants hoping to dispose of food scraps — a welcome discovery for Kristan Chamberlain, who saw such specialized demand disintegrate in 2020 amid a pile of bad news for struggling eateries. Today, KC Can Compost has helped divert more than 1.4 million pounds of waste from…
Pink Lipps hits Target, putting KC cosmetics line in 41 retail markets where Black shoppers bring green
There’s no glossing over it, Kenyata Gant said. Black-owned businesses are thriving in the Midwest — and big box retailers are taking notice. “I couldn’t believe it,” recalled Gant, owner of Pink Lipps Cosmetics, announcing the Kansas City-based cosmetics startup’s acceptance into 41 nationwide Target stores. “I would always say how I would love to…