Digital Sandbox welcomes six new startups

Digital Sandbox KC recently accepted six area companies into its incubator program that assists businesses with specific projects.

The organization, whose mission is to develop businesses and help them secure additional funding, welcomed companies ranging from food service and technology to education and health. Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in its program’s companies.

“The companies selected in this round represent the stuff of daily life: food, health, sports, education, and employment,” Digital Sandbox director Jeff Shackelford said in a release. “The quality and diversity of Kansas City’s early-stage companies continue to inspire.”

Digital Sandbox’s new companies are:

Happy Food Co. – Happy Food provides busy customers with fresh meals via its packaged “meal kits.” Digital Sandbox’s funding will support software development to streamline its ordering process with distributors.

TapTeach – The company created an educational engagement platform to connect students to the classroom via mobile devices and Bluetooth beacons. The beacons allow teachers to deliver specific content to a student or groups. Digital Sandbox’s funding will help the company further develop its platform.

Cancer Survivorship Training – Cancer Survivorship created an e-learning platform that furthers health care professionals’ education via classes to increase their knowledge and improve care. Digital Sandbox’s funding will enhance the company’s platform, offering curriculum developers the ability to offer and sell on the site, and improve offerings to healthcare providers.

Edge Up Sports – Edge Up Sports devised a platform for fantasy football enthusiasts to better research their selections before games. Digital Sandbox’s funding will help advance software development of the company’s product to offer new features.

Motavera – The firm created a jobs platform for small- to medium-sized businesses to find and hire qualified college students out of school. Digital Sandbox’s funding will help the company further design and develop its existing minimum viable product.

PerfectCube – PerfectCube offers business analytics tools for small retailers, offering users information on trends, comparisons and predictive information. Digital Sandbox’s funding will help the company add functionality to help small retailers grow.

Digital Sandbox has funded 52 proof-of-concept projects and helped to create 23 new businesses that have gone on to create 181 jobs. Companies that have participated in its program have gone on to raise $17.7 million in follow-on funding, according to Digital Sandbox.