Digital Sandbox KC announces second round of funding, launch event

KANSAS CITY—It’s been more than six months since Digital Sandbox KC awarded the last of its initial funds to a group of local startups. But now, the group that provides proof-of-concept support to entrepreneurs is back in action thanks to funds from a number of local players.

Digital Sandbox KC KANSAS CITY—It’s been more than six months since Digital Sandbox KC awarded the last of its initial funds to a group of local startups. But now, the group that provides proof-of-concept support to entrepreneurs is back in action thanks to funds from a number of local players.

On Tuesday Digital Sandbox announced its second round of funding from Missouri Technology Corp., the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Henry W. Bloch School of Business at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a number of other local companies.

“We’re pleased to announce Digital Sandbox KC 2.0,” Digital Sandbox’s executive director Jeff Shackelford said in a release. “We set out to fill a known gap in Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and prove that you can drive economic growth by helping early-stage entrepreneurs move their ideas into new business starts that create new jobs.”

Along with monetary support, UMKC’s Bloch School also pledged spaces in its E-Scholars Program, which includes incubator space for potential Digital Sandbox startups.

Two years after the group received its initial funding through a U.S. Commerce Department i6 challenge grant, Digital Sandbox will continue to fund entrepreneurs’ projects, like previously funded DivvyHQ, Trellie and Briefcase, to name a few. Since September 2012 the group has funded 37 proof-of-concept projects and worked with more than 200 entrepreneurs.

Digital Sandbox will host a relaunch event tonight, Sept. 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the UMB headquarters on Grand Boulevard.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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