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Funding for Early-Stage Companies in KC: Top 5 Takeaways from the Sandbox Investor Event

Oct 02, 2018
Top 5 Takeaways from the Sandbox Investor Event

We spent the final day of Summer in the Sand at the Sprint Accelerator with some of the key players and connectors in early-stage funding in the Kansas City region. Here are the top five nuggets of knowledge that we learned about investors and startup funding in KC:

Four New Startups Join the Sandbox

Sep 27, 2018
Welcome to the Sandbox

From a virtual learning platform for kids on the autism spectrum to a St. Joe-based startup making unique cocktail bitters, the startups in the Sandbox are a great example of the diversity and creativity of this region’s entrepreneurs. Meet the four new companies to join the Sandbox.

Sandbox Programs

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Results so far:

(based on 96 proof-of-concept projects funded for area startups)

  • 46 new KC-based companies created
  • 69 companies have secured follow-on investment
  • $50M in follow-on funding
  • 585 new jobs created, more than $14M in total salaries

2017 Digital Sandbox KC Annual Report

How it works

Digital Sandbox KC broadly seeks new innovation in information technology.  The Sandbox provides innovators with proof-of-concept resources to support early-stage commercialization processes. The Sandbox may cover expenses for project consultants, market research, legal support, equipment and other market validation, prototyping and beta testing needs.

Learn More

Get Involved

Exceptional ideas. Extraordinary collaboration. We need your help in this community-wide effort.

Help our community build our next great companies. Be a mentor. Provide expertise. Try something new. Invest. Get in the Sandbox.

  • Become a Mentor

    Use your know-how to evaluate opportunities, grow ideas, and to find funding to help companies grow.

  • Search Resources

    There are business resources all across the region. Find the right match for you.

    More info »

  • Find Your Idea

    The region has plenty of innovations in need of someone. Can you take one of them into the Sandbox?

    More info »

Corporate Partners

Support from corporate development teams at Sprint, VML, UMB, Hallmark and Cerner offers Digital Sandbox KC participants connections to industry experts, mentors, potential customers and follow-on funding resources. Events and co-working space will be available at Union Station, Inc. with gigabit speed internet access.

Additional partners are welcome. Contact us to find out more.

  • VML, one of the world's leading digital marketing agencies, delivers creative solutions at the intersection of marketing and technology.

  • With headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., privately-held Hallmark Cards, Inc. creates products sold in 38,000 retail stores across the U.S. and in 100 countries worldwide.

More Partners »