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Results so far:

(based on 160 proof-of-concept projects funded for area startups)

  • Total amount awarded: $2,789,724
  • $154M in follow-on funding
  • 975 new jobs created, more than $117M in sales since inception

Read the UMKC Innovation Center's First Impact Report

Latest Updates

6 KANSAS CITY TECH STARTUPS RECEIVE DIGITAL SANDBOX KC EARLY-PROJECT FUNDING FOR Q4 2021

Jan 04, 2022
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Six new companies join the Sandbox!

6 EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES ADDED TO DIGITAL SANDBOX KC PROJECT-FUNDING ROSTER

Oct 14, 2021
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Six new companies join Digital Sandbox KC's portfolio.

Sandbox Programs

Monthly Newsletter

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How it works

The Sandbox provides critical proof-of-concept funding, mentoring and connections to help founders build viable innovations ready for follow-on funding. The Sandbox may cover expenses for project consultants, market research, equipment and other market validation, prototyping and beta testing needs. Digital Sandbox KC is a program of the UMKC Innovation Center’s Technology Venture Studio.

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.

    More info »

  • Search Resources

    You can search more than 200 business resource organizations in the Kansas City area to find the right resource to reach your next milestone.

    More info »

  • Find Your Idea

    Our partner program, Whiteboard2Boardroom, connects entrepreneurs and established businesses to new technologies available for licensing at institutions in the bi-state region. 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

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 »