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
KC smart city ‘an invitation’ to innovators, entrepreneurs
The City of Kansas City, Mo., has signed an agreement with Sprint and Cisco to create the largest smart city in North America in the City of Fountains. Sprint will be building a network of connectivity worth up to $7 million dollars while Cisco will be providing smart city infrastructure worth upwards of $5 million. The…
Startup Little Hoots working with Today Show, Huffington Post
Kansas City-based Little Hoots has scored two high-profile partnerships that are scoring its memory-saving app thousands of additional downloads. The tech firm is working with the Today Show and the Huffington Post to provide snippets from its memory-keeping platform that captures youngsters’ memorable quotations to share with friends and family. “Whenever they publish one of these Little Hoots…
RECAP: 1 Million Cups panel offers decision-making advice
Three entrepreneurs took the stage at 1 Million Cups this week to offer advice on navigating the tough world of entrepreneurship. Alex Altomare, co-founder of BetaBlox, Linda Buchner, co-founder and president of Minddrive, and Ben Kittrell, co-founder and CTO of Doodlekit, all spoke about the variety of hard choices entrepreneurs face. On handling tough decisions……
Sprint Accelerator startup raises $85K (and counting)
Hidrate, a startup at the Kansas City-based Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator, rapidly surpassed its fundraising goal before a pitch to investors and nearly 2,000 Kansas Citians. The Minneapolis-based company’s Kickstarter campaign has already raised nearly $85,000 in two days, which more than doubles its goal to fundraise $35,000 in 42 days. Hidrate created a Bluetooth-enabled water bottle that tracks…