Meet 5 new startups bolstering KC innovation (now with a funding boost from Digital Sandbox)

Just-announced funding for a handful of fresh tech ventures is expected to help Kansas City founders who already are poised to make a significant impact in their industries, from health care to government to education.

Digital Sandbox KC has accepted five new startups into its program. Each is expected to receive up to $20,000 in project funding, as well as critical access to mentoring and the vast network connected to the UMKC Innovation Center and Technology Venture Studio, which houses Digital Sandbox KC.

Among the just-funded startups is Kansas City-based Resonus, a timely and timeless political information platform meant to effortlessly connect users to their local government by curating targeted conversations with officials and neighbors about the topics they care about most.

The company is led by cleantech innovator Mitch Mabrey, who previously co-founded the now-exited Spear Power systems.

“Digital Sandbox KC will enable the development of our Resonus Conversations software so that select Kansas City area residents will be able to try it this spring,” said Mabrey, CEO and founder of Resonus.

The five new Digital Sandbox KC companies have demonstrated exceptional potential for growth and innovation, and their inclusion in the Sandbox reflects the organization’s commitment to fostering technological advancement and entrepreneurship in the region, said Jill Meyer, senior director of Technology Venture Studio. 

“We can’t wait to see how this latest round of startups will accelerate,” she said. “They have demonstrated that they have innovative solutions that can impact their industries, and we’re excited to help them along the way. Digital Sandbox KC is ready again to fuel innovation in our metro and bolster the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Click here to submit an idea and pitch to the Digital Sandbox KC team.

In addition to Resonus, the newly funded companies include:

• KaBloom (Erin Minoski), Mission, Kansas — A digital health startup offering a new app-based alternative to speech therapy, built to be a more convenient option for parents and children. Based on a parent-coaching model, speech language pathologists (SLPs) empower parents by providing support, strategies and feedback they can implement within their daily routines to provide intervention on a flexible but consistent basis.

• On | Sight (Alex Snook), Spring Hill, Kansas — Streamlines driver check-in and digital load organization and tackles freight fraud for shippers in the trucking industry.

• Produce Matrix (Rich Chungong), Kansas City, Missouri — Local farmers-market vendors face challenges with inefficient sales and administrative processes, while customers lack access to fresh, nutrient-rich foods and education on their value. Produce Matrix addresses these issues by streamlining vendor operations with easy-to-use inventory management and accessible payment options, making local products more readily available in the digital age.

• Xogos Gaming (Zack Edwards), Liberty, Missouri — The new wave in educational technology, transforming education by combining the excitement of gaming with the power of personalized learning. The startup’s mission is to engage students using a gaming platform that offers educational games, safe social interactions and a unique reward system.

Startups funded through this quarter’s investment from Digital Sandbox KC join 220 other startups that have received support from the program since 2013.

Click here to read more about the impact of the Sandbox in the latest Digital Sandbox KC Impact Report.