Digital Sandbox KC has welcomed six more companies to the sandbox.
The proof-of-concept program awards grants up to $20,000 to early-stage entrepreneurs and connects them to educational resources, experts, other programs and investors.
Since 2013, the program has awarded more than $3 million in grants, which have helped 176 Kansas City-area startups. More than 30 have surpassed $1 million in follow-on funding, and 27 companies sailed past $1 million in revenue.
“Digital Sandbox KC is one of the Kansas City metro’s rare early-stage funds and provides vital support to help innovations move forward and land additional funding,” Jill Meyer, senior director of Technology Venture Studio, which houses Digital Sandbox KC, said in a release. “Sandbox funds are critical to help these fledgling startups scale their idea past proof-of-concept and make it fundable so it can take off once it’s built.”
Most of the startups in the latest group are focused on health and wellness:
- Health Partners MD (Overland Park): Saves employers money on their health care costs by improving the health of the workforce through a disease-management program that addresses obesity and obesity-related conditions.
- HealthyID (Olathe): Provides at-home wellness testing, risk-assessment services and technology to help people change their behaviors and move from “sick care to health care.”
- MyDigiRecords (Kansas City): An app that gives patients a centralized place to view medical records, regardless of provider. Initial key features include text reminders about immunizations coming due and notifications when the app detects potential drug interactions between different medications, even over-the-counter drugs. The startup recently landed a sizable investment from Terry Dunn, the former CEO of JE Dunn Construction.
- Poshed on the Go (Shawnee): A mobile app that allows clients to shop and book on-location salon or spa services with prequalified licensed beauty professionals, on demand or by appointment.
- Redpoint Summit (Kansas City): A health tech company that uses artificial intelligence analysis to reduce clinician burnout by personalizing electronic medical records at scale.
- Scout (Leawood): Brings anesthetic planning and monitoring in veterinary hospitals to the cloud and offers benefits such as an all-in-one hub for patient vitals and dental prophylactic procedure charting.
